MT. SINAI CALLS OUT TO US

Life seems for many very difficult and when that feeling of hopelessness, the solution for many is to escape. In fact I was overwhelmed when I read of a young lady who planned her suicide for her problems were so overwhelming, that this she thought that this was her only way out. Her reaction to life is not one that any person should contemplate, but rather one needs to find solutions to make life more meaningful and productive. Flight is never an answer, for running away is an act of cowardice. 

As we celebrate the Yom Tov of Matan Torah, let us revisit what took place and how the story progressed. 

When the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai the Torah states;

ומשה עלה אל האלוקים, and Moshe ascended the mountain, and וירד ה׳ על הר סני, and at that moment G-D descended to Mt. Sinai.This is truly 0fascinating, Moshe ascends, and Hashem descends. The lesson is clear and emphatic, Moshe cannot solve the problems of the world by simply leaving them behind, and escaping to the mountain top, and to prove it to him, Hashem descends, teaching. O’Shea that soliuyios of life’s delemna, is to be found here on earth. Any solution must be worked out on earth, and saying in essence , 

השמים שמים לה׳ והארץ נתן לבני אדם, and our job as a human being is to strive in making our existence on earthly a heavenly one, not by escaping our responsibilities on earth. 

We must not be like Elemelech, the Husband of Neomi, who escaped to another land to get away from his problems. 

In fact this idea goes a step further. Some one asked me why is Parshas Bamidbar always read prior to the Yom Tov of Shevuot? Why is this necessary? Before we begin to answer this question, let us understand the idea that is enunciated in Parshas Bamidbar. My attention is directed to the important commandment of taking a census directed to Moshe by Hashem. The words used for this directive is,

שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל “Take a census of the entire assembly of the Jewish People”. Rashi explains why Hashem needs to take a census, to which he answers the G-D does so to show His love for עם ישראל. I find it most interesting that the Torah does not use the word limnot to count but rather uses the intriguing expression of 

שאו את ראש, “Lift the head”. Why?

My answer reflects the nature of counting people, which usually focuses on the counting of the multitude, of directing our attention on the crowd, rather than on the individual, and this is unfortunate. We are so enamored by the largeness of the crowd, that very often we do not take notice of the individual persons present. Counting seems to devalue the individual, and in doing so makes him/her replaceable, and this is detrimental to our human existence. 

As we approach the Yom Tov of Shevuot, we are to be reminded that our Torah, places great emphasis on the integrity and dignity on every Jew as an individual, and our Judaic way of life is the fulfillment of the dictum בצלם אלוקים ברא את האדם, that every person is created in the Image of G-D, and every one is a unique individual, and is to be recognized as such. 

Our כלל is made up of many פרטים, of many individuals and each one is a world unto 9themselves. 

Our world demands our efforts and our dedication to making our world a better place and not by escaping our G-Dly destiny and our Human responsibilities. This is accomplished when we unite with each other as we did at Sinai,

כאיש אחד ובלב אחד, and recognize that each of us can be like the Boaz , of old who became the Goel, the redeemer, by insisting a solution to his problem and not by running away from his Achrayut as a loyal Jew. 

This is what the Yom Tov of Shavout is all about. Iis a time to bellow out, נעשה ונשמה, we stand ready and able to accept our responsibility as a Jew and as a Human Being, and we do so with great conviction, that all our difficulties will become Zechusim, to bring about our גאולה שלמה. 

•