Counting Down, Taking Account

We’re in a season of counting down, towards something else. Students (and the instructors) are counting how many sessions remain. Visions of summer vacation, time off.

The Jewish calendar actually has us counting upward toward Shavuot: In the Torah — an early summer harvest festival; in the rabbinic calendar, a celebration of the gift of Torah. The Revelation is our people’s conversion moment. Our ancestors left Egypt as liberated slaves. At the foot of Sinai, they were transformed into a people with Torah.

Summer timing puts Shavuot in a challenging spot — folks are heading into a break from it all. But when you think about it you realize that Shavuot, spiritually speaking, is a big deal. Passover tells us who we were, and it drives home the lesson that we never want to find ourselves staring at a cruel Pharaoh in the mirror. So what is our mission? Shavuot speaks to the paths of holiness and community. The people of the book, the romance with the word. Shavuot drives home the lesson that we never find ourselves lacking in curiosity and passion for Torah, that our Jewishness is about what we can say and learn and do in our quest for holiness and blessing. Why count upward toward? Because a life of learning and doing challenges us to up our game.