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Yehudah ben Hadasah Hinde Malka
The shocking but textually apparent conclusion that Abarbanel and some other commentators take is that Shavuot is actually not a holiday whose point is to commemorate the giving the Torah (although we mention it in tefilla and laining). This is not to say that it is not important to remember that miraculous and formative event. In fact, the Torah requires preserving the collective memories and forbids forgetting them (Devarim 4: 9-10; see Ramban, ad loc.). But on Shavuot, that is not the stress, just as on Rosh Hashana, we do not stress the anniversary of the creation of the world.
The question remains why we would not stress these crucial ideas? The Akeidat Yitzchak says two complementary ideas. The first boils down to the fact that the matter of the giving of the Torah is so basic that there is no separate mitzva to contemplate and commemorate it. He continues with a second idea that the giving of the Torah is to be considered an ongoing event, not one that we see as a one-time historical occurrence.
It is interesting to note that the p’sukim that we referred to before (about remembering the giving of the Torah) are applied by Chazal not to the event but to the words of Torah that we personally learn (see Avot 3:8 and Berachot 22a). We are supposed to learn Torah in such a manner that it is a continuation of that sacred encounter. Apparently, if too much explicit stress would be put on the one event, we might not see our involvement in the study as a continuation of the process that only began on Har Sinai.
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Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
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Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
