Weekly Torah Portion

Memorial Day is often circled on people’s calendars, as it announces the official start of summer – a time for people to slow down, have some well-deserved R&R and unwind. But there is a second event that is circled upon the Jewish calendar, one that I always look forward to: Shavuos, the annual Chag/Yom Tov (holiday) when we celebrate the gift of receiving the Torah and becoming a nation.

Getting the Torah is much more than a singular moment in Jewish history. The Sefer Hachinuch (written 800 years ago, describing meaning and purpose behind each mitzvah) writes that the Jews were more excited to receive the Torah than to be freed from slavery in Egypt. That is a wild statement when you think about it. But a game-changing concept when you think about it some more.

Being freed from the physical slavery of Egypt – from being beaten, torn down, abused, downtrodden, whipped and tortured – was something for which the Jews were longed for hundreds of years. We all know people who are in difficult situations, and all they want is to be free – free from the abusive spouse, free from the crushing financial burden, free from the horrible boss, free from the stresses of their current situation.

But that’s really only half of the equation. As highlighted by the Sefer Hachinuch, we want freedom in life, but we need to ask ourselves: freedom to do what? The Jews were more excited to receive the Torah than be released from captivity and oppression, because it gave meaning and purpose to their life. We all want freedom, not to just relax all day, but to have the flexibility and ability to live a life of meaning.

We all imagine a life without stress and difficulty. But even if we can remove those obstacles, will we have true freedom? We can relax on the beach all day, but will that bring us joy? Or, as Shavuos highlights, does true happiness really stem from the ability to live a life of purpose, meaning and connection?

So yes, let’s have an enjoyable and relaxing summer. One with less stress, filled with enjoyable memories that allow us to recharge and gear up for an epic year. But let’s make sure we don’t miss the second part of the equation, asking what is going to give my life meaning and purpose.

We want freedom, but we want it to result in lasting happiness. Shavuos is a great time to try and delve into those questions and find out what resonates with you.