We should promote the message in each and every location that every effort should be expended in order to bring all local Jewish children—girls, boys and even tiny infants—to the synagogue on Shavuos to hear (at least) the reading of the Ten Commandments.
Their Soul Understands
While many children may be too young to understand the Torah reading, they nevertheless enjoy the spiritual revelation of reading the Ten Commandments in the synagogue—their mazal (soul) sees and comprehends.
We often discuss how a specific matter should be taken to heart in preparation for a given Yom Tov (or other important date), and we encourage everyone to put effort into that specific area. Nevertheless, it is patently obvious that this comes in addition to all the other things that need to be done in preparation for Yom Tov. It is just that since these other requirements are so very obviously necessary, they do not require any mention.
However, it sometimes happens, due to the intense enthusiasm in promoting that specific—additional—activity, that the primary preparations are all but forgotten about. As a result of this “oversight,” it sometimes happens that when informing the public of what they have to do for Shavuos, only the proposal to bring every Jewish child to the synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments, or to increase in giving Tzedakah before Shavuos, gets publicized—but nothing further.
There is therefore a need to emphasize that the said activities are additions to our primary preparations. Clearly, we should publicize the fundamental Shavuos preparations—which are explained in numerous places, in the works of mussar and the like, even before we get to Chassidus, and are even included in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch…translated into all languages, explained and elaborated upon in a vast number of Torah sources. It is only due to the darkness of exile that we have to stress that the activities should not remain within the “Torah sources”—but rather, should be implemented in the real world.
It is especially important to note that even babies “straight out of their cribs”—for they are our guarantors that enable our receiving the Torah.
