Tangible Mitzvot
What are the symbols of Shavuot?
Most of the holidays in the Jewish year have a tangible mitzvah (commandment). On Pesach (Passover) we eat matzah and drink four cups of wine at the Seder. We build a sukkah and take the arba minim (four species: Date Palm, Citron, Willow and Myrtle) on Sukkot. We blow the shofar (ram’s horn) on Rosh Hashanah. Even Yom Kippur is defined by abstaining from physical comfort. Besides eating cheesecake (not technically a mitzvah), there are no material mitzvot on Shavuot.
The holiday that parallels Shavuot is Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day immediately following the seven days of Sukkot. Just as Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the Torah, on Shemini Atzeret we celebrate Simchat Torah, rejoicing over the Torah, when we begin again the cycle of reading the Torah. Shemini Atzeret also has no particular symbol.
Why is there no tangible mitzvah on Shavuot?
In exploring the answer, we can gain greater insight into the nature and purpose that this festival serves.
The Names of Shavuot
Shavuot literally means “weeks” because it comes exactly seven weeks after the first day of Pesach. Other names for Shavuot: Chag HaKatzir (Festival of Reaping), Chag HaBikkurim (Festival of the First Fruits), Atzeret (Conclusion), and Zman Matan Torateinu (The Time of Giving of Our Torah).
The names Shavuot and Atzeret closely correlate. Shavuot (weeks) and Atzeret (conclusion) both relate to Pesach. From the second day of Pesach until (but not including) Shavuot, we count forty-nine days. This period of seven weeks is called Sefirat HaOmer (counting of the Omer) wherein the count of each day is recited with a brachah (blessing). It is a period of preparation and refinement, readying ourselves for receiving the Torah.
The names Chag HaBikkurim (First Fruits) and Chag HaKatzir (Festival of Reaping) are connected by their agricultural aspect and by time, since they mark the commencement of a period. The bringing of the first fruits begins the period of the fruit harvest, and the reaping marks the beginning of wheat harvest. The Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah (1:2) numbers four periods of time when judgement is made. On Shavuot, the fruits of the trees are judged (meaning how plentiful the harvest will be).
The wheat harvest joins Pesach and Shavuot. The Omer (literally “sheaf” or “bundle” of grain) was an offering of barley brought on the second day of Pesach. Once completed, it allowed the consumption of the new crop of wheat. The new wheat crop was not allowed to be offered in the Temple, however, until Shavuot when two loaves of bread, Lechem Tenufah, (“wave loaves” because they were waved in all directions) were brought. Permission to consume the new wheat crop is granted to the individual at the beginning (second day of Pesach) and to the community at the end (Shavuot).
A Time of Giving
“And on the day of your first fruits when you bring a new meal offering to the Lord, in your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy gathering; you shall do no servile work.”
Bamidbar 28:26
The Sefat Emet (R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, 1847-1905, leader of the Ger Chassidim), expounds on this verse: this day of Shavuot is the root of all gifts given to the Jewish people. It is a renewal of all the ramifications that stem from the Torah. He bases his comment on the idea that bikkurim, the first fruits, and the new meal offering are both gifts.
In another place in the Torah, where the cycle of festivals is taught, an additional verse that seems superfluous is attached to the description of Shavuot:
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not altogether remove the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning of the harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and to the stranger. I am the Lord your God.”
Vayikra 23:22
Why is this passage, which seems only tangentially related to Shavuot by the mention of reaping, placed in the description of the festivals?
The Sifra (halachic Midrash on the Book of Vayikra) asks this question, and answers that whoever fulfills the mitzvot of gleaning and leaving the corners of the field to the poor is as if he has built the Beit HaMikdash (The Temple) and brought the sacrifices. Malbim (R’ Meir Leibush Weiser, 1809-1879) comments that even after the festival is over, it is incumbent upon us to support the poor from the produce of our reaping. We need to take responsibility.
Maturity Without Symbols
So what does this have to do with the lack of symbols on Shavuot?
Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) famously observes “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” The toys of yesterday are worthless now that we have matured. A child needs a physical toy to be amused, but an adult can find pleasure in more refined things. A child needs to bounce a ball; a thoughtful person can bounce ideas. A child delights in candy, but a mature person finds enhancement in spirituality.
A mature person accepts responsibility. She understands that there are others, and those others often need help. A child knows how to take, an adult appreciates the need to give. Children live in the here and now, but a wise person apprehends the seasons, the passing of time, the need for an end and renewal.
This is the lesson of Shavuot: It is not termed the time of receiving of the Torah (which it is), but the time of giving of the Torah. The time of reaping and of bringing of the first fruits highlights the process of gathering our accomplishments, pursuing their renewal, and giving back to God and to those in need, of taking responsibility for the needs of others. We reap so we can give.
A mature person is aware of the importance of community. At the Pesach Seder we speak of viewing ourselves as being redeemed, focused on the self, but on Shavuot we accept a guide that binds us together as a people and throughout the ages. We see ourselves as a collective.
The Feast of Weeks, the culmination of the counting of the Omer, is the refinement of our character. Each day of the counting corresponds to a different character trait (kindness, discipline, glory, etc.) and those seven traits are repeated for each week. Thus, we have kindness in kindness, glory in kindness, etc. Repetition is necessary for spiritual growth and a sign of maturity. A thoughtful person realizes how much more there is to know, sees the need for review, and thus gains greater depth of understanding.
When we left Mitzrayim (Egypt) we were immature, steeped in the coarseness of slavery. But we grew up, and by Shavuot, we were refined and matured. Together we stood at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) k’ish echad b’lev echad, like one person with one heart.
On Shavuot we no longer need the symbolism of physical items to achieve our spiritual growth.
Shavuot teaches us to accept responsibility, refine our character, delight in the world of ideas and spirituality and know that there is something greater than ourselves. We are adults, ready to receive, to do and learn the Torah.
by Daniel Ostroff
Daniel Ostroff was born and raised in the Washington DC area. He has a BA in History and an MS in Computer Science and is a Software Engineer, specializing in data. Among Daniel’s varied interests are learning, reading, and writing, He has been living in Israel, outside of Jerusalem, for over 30 years. He is blessed with a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren.
