Revelation and Celebration

Happy 1st day of the month of Sivan which is a month of Revelation and Celebration. In the month of Sivan, the Jewish holiday of Shavuot is celebrated because it marks the time when the Torah was given by G‑d to the Jewish people on the Mountain of Sinai more than 3,300 years ago. The values of that gift are meant to be shared with the whole world in order to bring about world peace and full divine revelation. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot, the Jewish people renew their acceptance of G‑d’s gift, and G‑d “re-gives” the Torah spiritually – deeper dimensions of mysticism are revealed into the world. It’s also a wonderful holiday full of dairy delights, including lots of cheesecake and ice cream. And because the desert mountain of Sinai bloomed upon the giving of the Torah, we celebrate the holiday with lots of flowers as well.

In the spirit of Revelation and Celebration, the Torah states and the Rebbe emphasizes that G-d gave the Land of Israel to the Children of Israel as an eternal inheritance. The famous Jewish commentator, Rashi (1040-1105), who survived the massacres of the First Crusade, forewarned 900 years ago that “if the nations of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” Israel will reply to them: “The entire world belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whomever He pleased. Of His own will He gave it to them, and of His own will He took it from them and gave it to us.” My mother-in-law of blessed memory grew up in the Land of Israel in the early 40’s and learned at a young age to use a gun to protect herself from those who wished to kill her for the land that was hers. It’s still happening today and may Hashem protect all those who maintain it as an eternal inheritance.

1st day of the Jewish month of Sivan – the month of Revelation and Celebration