Shavuos is coming up!

Shavuot, which this year begins on Sunday night and lasts through Tuesday night, is a major festival. It is the second of the three major festivals and comes exactly 50 days after Passover. It marks the giving of the Torah by G-d to the entire Jewish people on Mount Sinai more than 3,000 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot, we renew our acceptance of G‑d’s gift, and G‑d “re-gives” the Torah.

It is celebrated by lighting candles, staying up all night to learn Torah, hearing the reading of the Ten Commandments in synagogue, feasting on dairy foods and more.

THE GIVING OF THE TORAH

The giving of the Torah was far more than a historical event. It was a far-reaching spiritual event, one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul then and for all time. Our Sages have compared it to a wedding between G-d and the Jewish people. We became His special nation, and He became our G-d.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHAVUOT TODAY

Each year, Shavuot is a special time for us to reawaken and strengthen our special relationship with G-d. We can do so by rededicating ourselves to the observance and study of the Torah, our most precious heritage.

THE “BLUEPRINT” FOR CREATION

Speaking metaphorically, our Sages tell us that G-d constantly “gazes into the Torah and creates the world.” The Torah is not only a practical guide for our behavior in daily life, but it is also the “blueprint” for creation.

Everything that happens in our lives is a manifestation of G-d’s wisdom, as expressed in His Torah. As such, Torah represents the very source of our vitality and the key to the fulfillment of our deepest aspirations.

This year, experience the Giving of the Torah anew by going to synagogue to hear the reading of the Torah and the 10 commandments. To find a location near you, visit: www.chabad.org/511695.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

Candle lighting times for NYC:

Friday, at 8:02 PM

Sunday, at 8:03 PM

Monday, after 9:12 PM (from a pre-existing flame).