The Rema in Hilchos Shavuos (Orach Chaim 493:3) writes: “The custom is to spread grass(es) on Shavuos in the shuls and in houses, as a remembrance to the joy of Mattan Torah”. Due to this, many shuls decorate the shul with various trees, flowers, grasses etc. Many reasons have been offered to explain this minhag.
Last year I heard a very novel and insightful reason for this minhag from R’ Shragi Kallus shlita. The Gemara in Shabbos (30b) discusses in great length what happened on the day that Dovid HaMelech died. The Gemara says that Dovid knew that he was supposed to die on Shabbos, so he made sure to toil in Torah every second of the day, and this way the Maloch HaMoves [Angel of Death] wouldn’t be able to get him.
The Maloch HaMoves waited patiently for a time when Dovid HaMelech stopped learning, however, Dovid just kept learning and learning, and there was no time for the Maloch HaMoves to attack.
Eventually, the Maloch HaMoves lost patience and started doing various tricks to disturb Dovid, but again nothing was working. Eventually, he made a loud rustling noise in the trees, and Dovid went outside to look. Whilst going outside he tripped on a step, and due to the shock, he stopped learning for a second, and at that second the Maloch HaMoves took his life.
Because Dovid got distracted and stopped learning for a second his life was taken. We see from here how scary it is to stop learning, even for a second.
R’ Kallus suggests that to remind us of this Gemara we adorn our shuls with trees on Shavuos. By decorating the shul with trees, we are reminded of this Gemara and realize the severity of interrupting our learning even for a second. Really, we should decorate our shuls and botei midrashim all year round to remind us of this, however, at least on Shavuos the day of Matan Torah, and the day which is all about Torah, it’s of primary importance to have this lesson at the forefront of our mind.
(ר' יום טוב זנגר)
