Morei v’Rabbosai ... guess what? Shavuos is here and all our preparations for this Yom Tov are in high gear. Okay ... but what exactly are our preparations? What must we do for this great holiday? We are not busy cleaning, organizing, shopping, etc., as we do for weeks in advance of Chag HaPesach! (Yes, you can let out that sigh of relief!) We are also not busy building sukkos, choosing arba minim, or hanging inexplicable decorations that our kindergartners have brought home – not to mention the countless other activities involved in Sukkos preparation! We don’t eat extra food in order to fast the next day, nor do we polish our Menorahs and replace the broken glass cups from the previous year. So then, the question begs to be asked: How exactly do we get ready for Shavuos? And to that end, what exactly is the special and unique mitzvah that characterizes the Yom Tov of Shavuos?
Interestingly enough, Chag HaShavuos, one of the holiest and most meaningful days of the year, has no special mitzvah other than what we are commanded on all our Yomim Tovim: “to rejoice!” To eat delicious feasts, to drink wine and to truly feel happy! Why is this and nothing else - our sole obligation on Shavuos?
The answer is that Shavuos is the day that Hashem looks to see if we are ready to “tie the knot”! It is the day of the great chasuna between Hashem and His beloved Klal Yisroel! Any matchmaker will tell you that a marriage is not valid without the full consent of both parties. If one side is not ready – say they have “commitment issues” – there can be no marriage! Each side must profess a solid love and willingness to go forward with the nuptials.
For this very reason, there are no extra mitzvos on this day. It is the day for us to do one thing and one thing only: To show Hashem how much we love Him! It is a time to show how excited and privileged we feel to be chosen as His bride! On Shavuos, each and every member of the Jewish People gets to choose to be married to the Holy One blessed be He through our own free choice! We get to express our consent to the marriage to make it valid! The level of our enthusiasm and eager anticipation will say a lot about our level of love and closeness to our Groom.
In essence, the preparation for Chag HaShavuos began seven weeks ago, on the first day of sefiras haomer. For just as a bride needs time to prepare herself for her special day, so too, the bride that is Knesses Yisroel begins that special countdown to this Great Event! The holiday itself is called Shavuos, which means “weeks,” for it is the anticipation and yearning to be Hashem’s beloved bride, during the seven weeks that we count the omer, that will determine our true Yom Tov experience! So, let us all focus on our love of Hashem, feel a deep appreciation for this unbelievable opportunity and recognize the privilege that we have to live a life of Torah and Mitzvos. But most of all .... let us REJOICE!! That’s the mitzvah of the day! It’s our wedding – so let’s ENJOY IT!
