The holiday of Shavuot, which takes place this Saturday night, is such a special evening. It is the holiday that is known as Shavuot. The profound nature of this evening is one that the ancient kabbalists wrote about in such length that to study the depths of its meaning is something that could take most of us a lifetime. If the night could be encapsulated, however, in a single word, I would say that word is: Revelation. For tonight is the time at which the metaphysical Torah was revealed, the totality of the Creator was revealed, and through the work we have done in the last 49 days of the Omer we have built the capacity to receive that totality. The energy that was revealed on this day is one that has existed since the dawn of humankind, and as such it is an energy that we can tap into this evening by connecting as a community to the awesome Light of this powerful spiritual tool.
It is written that when God wanted to give the Torah to the people, the angels became angry and said to God, “Why would you want to give the Torah to people? To finite beings that are corrupt, mean and do all the negative things that finite beings do?”
And God answered the angels, “My beloveds, you were put into this world to do my bidding, with no free will of your own. These finite beings which I have created were given the ability to choose between Light and darkness. This is a tool I have given to them to bring their soul back to me, so that they may appreciate the harmony that can exist in the total unity of the Creator and the created.”
The night of Shavuot is a time when we can feel, know, and understand the total unity that can and does exist between ourselves and the Light. As human beings, we may sometimes fall. We may find ourselves doing things that we are not so proud of. We may sink into the depths of darkness and despair. Yet, as long as we are breathing, we have that spark of God within us. It is there to guide us, to inspire us, to motivate us to become better. Perhaps most importantly, it is there to remind us that it is where we came from, and it is where we all have an opportunity to return at any given moment. With this understanding, and with the taste of this bond which we will experience tonight as we connect in our local Centres and around the world as a global community, we can even in the darkest of moments remember the Light that exists inside of us and all around us always.
I hope that this night is a beautiful experience for you. God bless, and Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday).
Karen Berg
