Shavuot - Jewish Interactive

igniting your shabbat services
Shavuot
First Day
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Shavuot
Hello and welcome to Spark!
Spark is a new idea from Tribe, aimed at facilitating the smooth running of Toddlers’ Services,
Children’s Services and Youth Services across United Synagogue communities.
Firstly, thank you for offering to run a Children’s Service in your local shul. The US is very proud
of the numerous Children’s services that are run every week across the UK, and we would not
be able to do this without you!
Spark has been designed in order to help you run your Children’s Services. Obviously, every
Children’s Service is different, in terms of how many children there are; what their age range is;
how long it is for; and how knowledgeable the children are likely to be of this week’s parasha.
Ideally, where possible, a Children’s Service should consist of some time used to discuss the
weekly parasha, and some time devoted to davening. Spark is aimed at the parasha part of
the service. It gives you an overview of what happens in the weekly parasha, and then a song,
activity, discussion or Dvar Torah to run with the children – depending on their ages.
After the parasha summary on the next page, Spark has been split into 5 sections. Larger
communities may have 5 different Children’s / Youth Services running concurrently. Each of
these will be able to use one section for their relevant age group. If your shul does not have as
many groups, then you should use the section that best suits the age range of your participants.
It has been created in a way to be flexible, so that it can be run in 10 minutes, if you have a
short service, or longer if you have the time. If you also look at sections for other age groups,
you may even find that you would like to use the ideas and information from more than one of
the sections.
It is important to note that Spark should help you to run Children’s Services, but it does not
completely run it for you. It is not designed to give to one of the children to read out to the
group for them to run themselves. You are running the Children’s Service, and Spark is here to
help you do it.
Largely, no props will be needed, but ideally you should read Spark before you start the
Children’s Service, so that you can think of further ideas to complement it.
We hope that you and the children in the Children’s Service will benefit from Spark, we thank
and congratulate you for doing it; and as always we welcome your feedback.
Shabbat shalom,
The Tribe Education Team
festival summary
Shavuot
Good Yom Tov! Welcome to a special Shavuot edition!
What is Shavuot?
nn The festival of Shavuot is the day on which we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, over
3,300 years ago.
nn Shavuot is one of Judaism's three main pilgrimage festivals, where the entire nation would gather in
Jerusalem for celebration and study.
nn Shavuot has some other names too; Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were
harvested and brought to the Temple, and is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits).
Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu
(the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).
nn The name "Shavuot" means "weeks," in recognition of the weeks of anticipation leading up to the Sinai
experience, when we count the omer for seven weeks from Pesach to Shavuot.
nn There are many interesting customs on Shavuot, including eating dairy foods, and adorning the home and
synagogue with fruits, flowers and greens. This is to remember that although Mount Sinai was situated in
a desert, when the Torah was given, the mountain bloomed and sprouted flowers.
nn The portion of the Torah that we read on Shavuot includes the build up to the Children of Israel receiving
the Torah at Mount Sinai, and the 10 commandments.
Pre-nursery to Reception
Tots
In this morning’s Torah reading, we read that the
Children of Israel received the Torah at Mount
Sinai. Mount Sinai was chosen because
the other mountains boasted about their
attributes where as Mount Sinai didn’t. This
teaches us the importance which should place
on modesty.
Tune: Rock-a-bye Baby
I am a mountain so very high
I can reach way up to the sky
The Torah should be given on me
For I am as tall as can be
Oh no, I'm much taller than you
And there are so many things I can do
The Torah should be given on me
For I am as great as can be
But little Har Sinai just stood there and sighed
I know I'm not tall, I know I'm not wide
The Torah can't be given on me
For I am so plain, you see
But from all the mountains Hashem chose Sinai
Because it did not hold itself high
It had such simple and humble ways
So we learn that humbleness pays
Shavuot
YEAR 1 & 2
Ages 5-7
Shavuot
In the Torah portion that we read on the first
day of Shavuot, we read that if we listen to
Hashem and obey his commandments, then
we will be His beloved people, for future
generations.
Activity:
Play the miming game:
nn Choose two children, and whisper a phrase to one of them e.g. your shoelaces are
undone / what is for supper? / what time is it? / what is your name?.
nn The child who you whispered to has to try and convey the message / phrase to the
other child, but without using any words.
nn From all their actions, the other child has 30 seconds to try and guess what they are
being told.
This activity highlights that we always have to try and listen to Hashem and do what He
says, even if we may find it difficult to understand exactly what He is saying (like the child
who has to act out their actions.)
YEAR 3 & 4
Ages 7-9
Shavuot
One of the most well-known customs on Shavuot, is to eat dairy foods. There are many reasons for this and here are a
few (which do not necessarily agree with each other);
1. When the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai, they received instructions for how to slaughter and
prepare meat. Until then, they had not known these laws, thus all their meat and cooking pots were now "not kosher."
So the only alternative was to eat dairy, which requires no advance preparation.
2. It is a reminder of Israel being a land flowing with "milk and honey."
3. When Moshe ascended Mount Sinai, the angels urged Hashem to reconsider giving the Torah to earthly beings. But
their request went unheeded, because of the Jews' adherence to Torah laws - especially not mixing milk and meat foods.
4. Torah is likened to milk; just as milk can fully sustain a human being (i.e. a nursing baby), so can the Torah provide all
the “spiritual nourishment” necessary.
5. The gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew word for milk, chalav, is 40. Eating dairy foods on Shavuot commemorates
the 40 days that Moshe was on Mount Sinai. There were also 40 generations from Moshe, who recorded the Written
Torah, till the generation who wrote the final version of the Oral Torah, the Talmud.
6. According to the Zohar, each day of the year corresponds to a specific one of the Torah's negative commandments.
The mitzvah for Shavuot? “Bring Bikkurim (first fruits) to Hashem's Holy Temple; don't cook a kid in its mother's milk".
The first day for bringing Bikkurim is on Shavuot, the second half of the verse - referring to milk and meat - is the
commandment corresponding to Shavuot.
7. An alternative name for Mount Sinai is Har Gav'nunim, the mountain of majestic peaks. The Hebrew word for cheese
is gevina, etymologically related to this.
8. Moshe was born on 7th Adar, and after 3 months was placed in the Nile River on 6th Sivan. He was rescued by
Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted Moshe and took him to live in the palace. But they did not know what to feed him, so
tried to hire a wet nurse. Moshe kept refusing to nurse from Egyptian women, (the Talmud says his mouth needed to
be kept pure, as it would communicate directly with Hashem.) Finally Pharaoh's daughter found a woman who Moshe
agreed to nurse from - Yocheved, Moshe's biological mother! Eating dairy foods commemorates this phenomenon,
which occurred on the 6th of Sivan, the first day of Shavuot.
9. The day at Sinai was the first time the Jews ate dairy products. There is a prohibition of "eating a limb from a live
animal," which also includes milk, the product of a live animal. This is one of the Seven Noahide Laws which the Jews
observed prior to Sinai. However, upon receiving the Torah, dairy products became permitted to the Jews. So at the
same moment that their meat became prohibited, dairy became permitted. They ate dairy on that original Shavuot, as
we do today, too.
Ask 9 children to explain each of the different reasons to the rest of the group.
Discussion Points;
nn Which makes the most sense to them?
nn Do they know of any further explanations?
nn Why is it such a big deal to be eating dairy? (We normally associate Yom Tov with eating meat.)
nn Why don’t we eat milk foods on every Yom Tov?
YEAR 5 & 6
Ages 9-11
Shavuot
In this morning’s reading we see the 10 commandments;
1.
I am the L-rd, your G-d who took you out from the land of Mitzrayim – we should recognize with all our heart and
mind that Hashem is the one who created the entire universe. He knows everything and controls everything.
When Hashem took the Children of Israel out of Mitzrayim (Egypt) he showed His great power and His love for
the Jewish people. To be a servant to Hashem is a great privilege.
2. You shall have no other gods before me - Since before the flood people made a mistake by believing in Hashem
as the Creator but praying to other forces of nature e.g. sun, planets, angels. Here, Hashem makes it clear that
one may only serve Hashem.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain - Even the name "Hashem" or "God" should be used
sparingly.
4. Remember the Shabbat day and keep it holy. -Shabbat is a special gift given to the Jewish people. Hashem
created the world in six days and on the seventh day He rested. On Shabbat we are not permitted to work - it is
a Mitzvah to prepare all week for the upcoming Shabbat. There are many examples in the Talmud of sages who
would prepare for Shabbat every day of the week.
5. Honor your Father and your Mother – We must treat our parents with great respect. The Torah tells us that
whoever honors their parents will be rewarded with long life.
6. You shall not murder - Our sages warned that the Temple would be destroyed and Hashem's presence would
leave the land of Israel if Jews were to commit murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery. -Marriage is a special blessing from Hashem. When a Jewish man and woman get
married they are bonded with Hashem.
8. You shall not steal -The foundation of a community depends on whether you can trust your neighbors. Someone
who steals does not want to be a part of the community.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor - The Torah warns us not to let false witnesses get away
with lying, or else Hashem will turn away from the Children of Israel.
10. You shall not want what your neighbor has. - Jealousy leads to all kinds of averot (sins). Once you learn to be
happy with what you've got, you can truly keep the first commandment - understanding that everything belongs
to Hashem. Only then will you know with all your heart and soul that Hashem rules all creation.
These are the 10 Commandments that are the basis of all the laws of the Torah!
Ask the children to each read out one of the commandments listed above.
Discussion Points;
Which of the 10 commandments appear to be the easiest or most difficult to keep?
Are there any commandments that the children are surprised to see in the list?
Are there any others that they would have added?
Youth service
Ages 12-18
Shavuot
Dvar Torah
On 1st Sivan, two and a half months after the Exodus, the Children of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai. For the next five days
they will prepare for the most defining moment in Jewish history. Moshe goes up to the top of Har Sinai, and returns
with a message. The Children of Israel have been chosen to be Hashem's special people from among all the nations of
the Earth. But they must accept Hashem's commandments. If they ever abandon these mitzvot they will be punished.
Moshe asks the Elders; "Do you want to accept Hashem's mitzvot?" Before they can give a response, the entire Jewish
People responds together "Na'aseh V'Nishma" ("We will do and we will hear") meaning "whatever Hashem brings on,
we will accept."
Moshe plans to be the middleman between Hashem and the Children of Israel. Hashem will give the laws to Moshe and
Moshe will repeat them to the congregation. But the Children of Israel are longing to hear the voice of Hashem. So Moshe
goes back up the mountain and tells Hashem that the people will accept His mitzvot, and he requests direct contact
between Hashem and Israel.
On 4th Sivan, Moshe makes a border around Mount Sinai. The people are instructed not to cross the line, as the mountain
will be holy ground. They are instructed to immerse themselves and their clothes in a mikveh (ritual bath). They have
three days to prepare themselves. On 6th Sivan, (a Shabbat,) the Children of Israel awake to loud claps of thunder.
Streaks of lightning and smoky fire add to the atmosphere. The sound of a shofar grows louder and louder and terror
grips the hearts of the people. Suddenly the entire mountain is uprooted and Hashem holds the mountain over the heads
of the People of Israel. The dirt and rock turn to crystal and they look up through the transparent terrain. The Heavens
are ripped open and it is plain to see that there is none other than Hashem, ruler of all creation.
Hashem calls out; "Either you accept the Torah or else you will be buried here!" The Children of Israel are so frightened
that each person repents for every sin they have ever committed. Then in one voice they cry out "Na'aseh V'Nishma" we will do and we will hear." Hashem sends angels to heal the wounds that many of the people sustained during slavery,
crippling them.
In a single utterance Hashem gives the Jewish people all ten commandments at once. The heavens and earth tremble,
trees fall over and rivers reverse their course. Once the people regain some composure, Hashem slowly repeats the first
of the Ten Commandments. The words of Hashem fill the souls of the Children of Israel with such joy that their souls
leave their bodies and they fall to the ground dead. Hashem directs these elated souls back to their bodies and at once
they come back to life. Hashem says the second commandment, and the same thing happens again.
The Torah tells us that the people saw the sounds, and this frightened them. Rashi says; they saw the sounds; they saw
that which is usually heard, that which was impossible to see usually. Although they yearn for the voice of Hashem again,
the people beg Moshe to be the middle-man again. Hashem tells Moshe the other eight commandments and Moshe
repeats them to the Children of Israel.
Discussion Points;
What exactly happened at Mount Sinai?
Which aspects to you find most remarkable?
How do you think it would have felt, being there?
igniting your shabbat services
We hope you find our guide to Shavuot useful.
Be sure to look out for exciting Tribe
programmes in your shul.
Good Yom Tov!
The Tribe Education Team
t: 020 8343 5656
e: [email protected]
www.tribeuk.com
igniting your shabbat services
Shavuot
second Day
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Shavuot
Hello and welcome to Spark!
Spark is a new idea from Tribe, aimed at facilitating the smooth running of Toddlers’ Services,
Children’s Services and Youth Services across United Synagogue communities.
Firstly, thank you for offering to run a Children’s Service in your local shul. The US is very proud
of the numerous Children’s services that are run every week across the UK, and we would not
be able to do this without you!
Spark has been designed in order to help you run your Children’s Services. Obviously, every
Children’s Service is different, in terms of how many children there are; what their age range is;
how long it is for; and how knowledgeable the children are likely to be of this week’s parasha.
Ideally, where possible, a Children’s Service should consist of some time used to discuss the
weekly parasha, and some time devoted to davening. Spark is aimed at the parasha part of
the service. It gives you an overview of what happens in the weekly parasha, and then a song,
activity, discussion or Dvar Torah to run with the children – depending on their ages.
After the parasha summary on the next page, Spark has been split into 5 sections. Larger
communities may have 5 different Children’s / Youth Services running concurrently. Each of
these will be able to use one section for their relevant age group. If your shul does not have as
many groups, then you should use the section that best suits the age range of your participants.
It has been created in a way to be flexible, so that it can be run in 10 minutes, if you have a
short service, or longer if you have the time. If you also look at sections for other age groups,
you may even find that you would like to use the ideas and information from more than one of
the sections.
It is important to note that Spark should help you to run Children’s Services, but it does not
completely run it for you. It is not designed to give to one of the children to read out to the
group for them to run themselves. You are running the Children’s Service, and Spark is here to
help you do it.
Largely, no props will be needed, but ideally you should read Spark before you start the
Children’s Service, so that you can think of further ideas to complement it.
We hope that you and the children in the Children’s Service will benefit from Spark, we thank
and congratulate you for doing it; and as always we welcome your feedback.
Shabbat shalom,
The Tribe Education Team
festival summary
Shavuot
Good Yom Tov! Welcome to a special Shavuot edition!
Did you know…
nn The period from Pesach to Shavuot is a time of great anticipation. We count each day; 49 days which
make 7 full weeks, hence the name of the festival: Shavuot means weeks. The counting reminds us of
the important connection between Pesach and Shavuot: Pesach freed us physically from bondage, but
the giving of the Torah on Shavuot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality.
nn Although Shavuot has a fixed date now, this was not always the case. This is because Shavuot is not tied
to a particular calendar date, but rather to a counting from Pesach. As the lengths of the months used to
be determined by observation, and therefore slightly variable, Shavuot could occur on the 5th or 6th of
Sivan. However, now that we have a mathematically determined calendar, Shavuot is always on the 6th of
Sivan (the 6th and 7th outside of Israel.)
nn In 1967, the Six Day War ended just a few days before Shavuot. Israel had reclaimed the Western Wall,
and for the first time in 19 years Jews had access to the area surrounding the Temple Mount, Judaism's
holiest site. On Shavuot itself, the Western Wall became open to visitors, and on that one memorable day,
over 200,000 Jews journeyed by foot to the Western Wall.
nn In subsequent years, this ‘pedestrian pilgrimage’ has become a recurring tradition. Early on Shavuot
morning – after a full night of Torah learning - the streets of Jerusalem are filled with tens of thousands
of Jews walking to the Western Wall.
nn It is noteworthy that the festival is called the time of the giving of the Torah, rather than the time of the
receiving of the Torah. The sages point out that we are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah,
that we receive it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that
makes this festival significant.
nn On the first night of Shavuot, Jews throughout the world observe the centuries-old custom of conducting
an all-night vigil dedicated to Torah learning and preparation for receiving the Torah anew the next
morning. One explanation for this tradition is that the Jewish people did not rise early on the day that
Hashem gave them the Torah, and it was necessary for Hashem Himself to awaken them. To compensate
for their behavior, Jews have accepted upon themselves the custom of remaining awake all night. It is
customary to stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study Torah, and then pray as early as possible
in the morning.
Pre-nursery to Reception
Tots
On Shavuot we celebrate the time when we were
given the 10 commandments;
(To the tune of ‘The wheels on the bus’)
Hashem gave us the 10 commandments
10 commandments, 10 commandments,
Hashem gave us the 10 commandments
And this is what they say
Listen to your Mum and Dad, do what they say
Have a nice rest on the Shabbat day
Never take other people's things away
It's all in the 10 commandments
Shavuot
YEAR 1 & 2 & YEAR 3 & 4
Shavuot
The Book of Ruth is read on the second day of Shavuot. It is a
very important story for all age groups to know about. (It can
be looked at with more detail with older children though.) It is
read on Shavuot specifically, for several reasons;
Shavuot is the birthday and yahrtzeit of King David, (great
grandson to Ruth and Boaz.)
nn The scenes of harvesting described are appropriate to the
Festival of Harvests.
nn Ruth was a sincere convert who embraced Judaism. On Shavuot
all Jews were converts - having accepted the Torah and everything
in it.
The story of the Book of Ruth;
nn In the days when judges ruled Israel, the children of Israel were not observant
in Torah laws, and as a punishment, a famine ravished the land.
nn Elimelech was a wealthy man who was not used to hunger. In order to escape
the misery, he took his wife Naomi, and their sons, and moved to Moab.
nn Ruth (a Moabite princess) befriended them and began comparing their way
of life to her own. As her admiration for Jewish laws and customs grew, she
became more dissatisfied with the idol-worship of her own people. When one
of Naomi's sons asked her to marry him, she was happy to accept.
nn She did not regret giving up her life of luxury or her royal title. She was so happy
to now become Jewish, as she saw her own people as selfish and merciless.
nn Time passed and Elimelech and both his sons died. Naomi was left a poor widow,
not knowing what to do or where to turn. She turned to Ruth and to her other
daughter-in-law Orpah (also a Moabite):
YEAR 1 & 2 & YEAR 3 & 4
Continued
Shavuot
nn "My daughters, I must go away. I have decided to return to Israel. I am a poor woman
with no means of supporting you, and there is no reason why you should suffer too.
Take my advice and go back to your parents' home. Your husbands are dead, and
perhaps if you remain in your own country, you may find other men to marry. I have
lost my sons forever, but you are still young, you can get other husbands."
nn Orpah sadly kissed her mother-in-law and bade her good-bye. But Ruth clung
tearfully to Naomi and begged her to allow her to go with her. She implored her;
nn "Entreat me not to leave you and to return from following after you; for wherever
you go, I will go, and where you dwell, I will dwell; your people are my people, and
your God is my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do
so to me, and more, if anything but death part you and me."
nn Naomi had reminded Ruth of the difficulties that confronted the Jew at all times,
yet Ruth was unshaken in her determination to follow her mother-in-law and cling
to the faith she had adopted, that had become so dear to her.
nn It was harvest time when Ruth and Naomi came to the land of Judah. They were
both weary from their journey, and Ruth let Naomi rest while she went out into the
fields to see what food she could find to sustain them.
nn Ruth entered a field where many men were busy working. Hesitant yet spurred on
by her and her mother-in-laws hunger, Ruth went into the field.
nn The owner of the field (Boaz, who was a Jewish judge) said "God be with you,
stranger! Come along into the field. Do not be bashful! Gather some ears of grain
and satisfy your hunger!".
nn Ruth thanked him and plucked some ears of grain. As she was about to leave, Boaz
urged her to stay a while and gather the;
YEAR 1 & 2 & YEAR 3 & 4
Continued
Shavuot
¤¤Peah –when a field’s grain is cut, we are obligated to leave a corner of the field
for the poor/ needy / strangers.
¤¤Leket - if a reaper misses some grain with his scythe, he must leave the grain
which he either failed to cut, or dropped, and this is left as `gleanings' for the
poor and the strangers.
¤¤Shikchah - When the owner of a field is taking his grain to the granaries, if he
forgets some sheaves in the field, he must leave these forgotten sheaves for the
poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.
nn Ruth was so happy with her good fortune. Naomi was happy that Ruth had been
successful and had found favor in the eyes of Boaz the noble land-owner.
nn Boaz made inquires about the stranger who had captured his heart with her
modesty and piousness. Boaz asked Ruth to marry him, and Naomi urged her to
do so.
nn And so Ruth was unexpectedly rewarded with wealth and happiness.
nn Ruth and Boaz had a son named Oved who became the father of Yishai. The
youngest son of Yishai was David, who became Hashem’s anointed and beloved
king of all the Jewish people.
Activity;
Split the children in to small groups, and ask each to act out a portion of the story to
the rest of the group.
Discussion Points;
nn What can we learn from this story?
nn Why do read it today specifically?
nn What would it be like to have Kings and Judges for the Jewish people now?
YEAR 5 & 6
Ages 9-11
Shavuot
On Shavuot we read the 10 commandments. Some people would say that one of the hardest
commandments to keep is honouring our parents. Read the following 2 stories and then
discuss them:
A distraught father once came to the Baal Shem Tov. ‘Rabbi what shall I do?’ the man asked.
‘My son is drifting into evil ways. ‘You must love him’, replied the Rabbi. ‘But Rabbi,’ the man
continued. ‘You don’t understand. He lies and cheats. He works on the Sabbath. He even
steals.’ ‘Oh that’s different,’ said Rabbi Israel, ‘in that case you must love him even more’.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------During the time of the Second Temple, it happened that certain gems of the breastplate of
the High Priest needed to be replaced immediately, but it was difficult to find such rare gems
on such short notice. Someone suggested that a certain gentile named Dama bar Nesinah
might have the required gems, and a delegation of Sages went to his home to investigate the
matter.
“We are told you have these gems,” they said after explaining their predicament. “Is this
true?” “Oh yes, indeed, I have them,” said Dama. “Come back tomorrow, and we will talk.”
“Tomorrow is much too late,” said the Sages. “We need them immediately. We are prepared
to pay handsomely - six hundred thousand shekels!” Dama gasped at the mention of the
exorbitant sum. Then he shook his head sadly.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you,” he said. “You see, the gems are in my strong room, under lock
and key. And the key is in my father’s room, under his pillow. My father is sleeping now, and
I cannot possibly get the key from under the pillow without waking him. I am sorry. There is
nothing I can do.”
The following year, Dama was again visited by a delegation of the Sages. “We need a parah
adumah, a perfect red heifer to use in our purification ritual,” they said to Dama. “This is a
very rare animal, and we are prepared to pay a fortune for it. Six hundred thousand shekels!
We have heard that just such a red heifer was born in your herd. Is this true?” “Indeed, it is,”
he replied. “Can you bring it to us without waking your father?” “I certainly can.” “Then the
money is yours. Hashem has rewarded your righteousness.”
Discussion Points:
nn Is this mitzvah hard to keep? Why?
nn Our parents have given us everything – shouldn’t it be so easy to respect them, that we don’t even
need to be told it?
nn Why do relationships between parents and children sometimes break down?
nn Why might this be less common where Jewish values are upheld?
Youth service
Ages 12-18
Shavuot
Dvar Torah
The Maggid of Dubno was famous for answering all questions with a parable. Even when he was asked why he
always answered with parables! He was once asked why there is a need for both of the two Jewish Festivals of
Simchat Torah and Shavuot as they seem to have the same function. Why don't we condense them into one
grand Holiday? He answered with one of his most famous stories.
Once there was a King and Queen who were without children for many years. In desperation they visited an
old wise man who gave them a potent blessing with one caution attached. If the child would be a girl, no man
must see her until her wedding day, or else she would die! When the Queen gave birth to a baby girl a secluded
island was prepared for the Princess to live on where she would be raised in the finest royal style with all female
educators.
When the Princess came of age, the King approached a handsome nobleman and offered his daughter’s hand in
marriage. "Sure" was the response, "let's meet her!" After the King explained that his daughter was not to be
seen before the wedding day, the nobleman declined. Time after time the King was confronted with the same
frustrating reaction. "Let's see her!" "If not, then how do I know what I'm getting myself into?" Finally, the last
worthy man told the King that he was greatly honored by the offer. If the princess had the attributes of her royal
parents then he would be delighted to marry her even without seeing her until the wedding day.
A date was set and the whole world was invited to the celebration. Everyone came to dance and rejoice. A
marvelous time was had by all...except the groom! He was overcome with anxiety. He had hidden his inner fears
over not having even met his bride. Even after the wedding he remained apprehensive. He anticipated that,
although she was beautiful, somehow her ugly side would eventually surface. After months of happy marriage,
he came to appreciate more and more profoundly, her wonder, beauty, charm and wisdom. Each day another
wondrous facet was revealed.
The Prince then became upset that he had withheld himself from joyful expression at his own wedding. He
approached the King and admitted that although now he was delighted beyond measure, at the time of the
wedding he had been filled with inner turmoil. A decision was made that a new party would be arranged. All
the guests would be invited back but this time only one person, the Prince himself, would dance, to express his
intense delight.
The Maggid explained that when the Torah was offered to the world there were questions about its contents.
However, when the Jewish nation was given their turn to answer, there was a clear consensus that they were
committed to do it, even before understanding all that it contained. (This was Shavuot.) The goal though of total
trust, was not yet complete. The mind can know what the heart cannot yet accept. After living with Torah and
experiencing what King Solomon described as "All its ways are pleasant and all its paths are peace", then the
Jewish nation is ready on Simchat Torah to express even more intense joy over Hashem’s precious gift.
igniting your shabbat services
We hope you find our guide to Shavuot useful.
Be sure to look out for exciting Tribe
programmes in your shul.
Good Yom Tov!
The Tribe Education Team
t: 020 8343 5656
e: [email protected]
www.tribeuk.com