We are a few hours away from the holy Chag Shavuot, and I felt there was a lot of confusion about exactly what we are celebrating. Everyone said, of course, it’s Matan Torah—we’re receiving the Torah, the anniversary of our receiving the Torah. It’s all beautiful, but a simple observation is that many of us study every day and go to shul every day, each at our own level, and we have kind of already accepted the Torah. Why did I go to shul this morning? Why did I study yesterday? Why do we observe all the mitzvot (commandments)? Isn’t it because we received the Torah? So really, this reflection: we’re going to receive the Torah. What are we going to receive the Torah for? Is there anything extra we’re going to get by receiving the Torah again? If we’re doing the mitzvot, if we’re trying our best because we already received the Torah, what are we receiving on Shavuot that we didn’t receive a day or two or a week before?
I’d like to share a thought that I think is important. We know that our nation has 12 tribes. The 12 tribes, the 12 shevatim (tribes), are not just 12 sons of Yaakov Avinu doing the same thing. Each of the tribes has a different philosophy in Judaism, a different way of serving Hashem. Take the Levi’im (Levites). The Levi’im dedicate their whole lives to the service of Hashem. They do not do that. Then you have Yissachar and Zevulun. Zevulun is through monetary acquisitions and a connection with God in that respect. Yissachar is through the study of Torah. Yosef has a very different Avodat Hashem (service of Hashem) from Yehuda. Yehuda sins, but then he shows the way back. He’s a Baal Teshuvah (one who repents). Yosef is a tzaddik (righteous person). Yosef is a tzaddik. He doesn’t sin. Each one is a different personality, and each one has a different way of serving God. Each of the shevatim, of course, comes from one of these 12 individuals, who become the 12 different tribes of Klal Yisrael (our nation).
Those tribes have different ways of serving God. Competition is many times healthy, but many times it can turn toxic. Competition between the different factions of Judaism can sometimes involve some degree of animosity. Who is right? Who is better? My Avodat Hashem could be better than yours. Your Avodat Hashem could be better. Your Avodat Hashem could be better than mine in certain aspects. Sephardim (Sephardic Jews), Ashkenazim (Ashkenaz Jews), Hasidic Jews, Modern Orthodox, this faction, that faction, Mizrahi Jews in Israel, and so on. There are a lot of different paths and ways of serving Hashem. Many times, although it’s very important to have different ways of serving Hashem, it can turn into thinking we’re better than others. This competition can sometimes become a little too much. Who is right?
When the 12 tribes were camping in the desert, they had different placements: some to the north, some to the south, and so on. But there was something extraordinary there. Right in the middle, you had the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and around the Mishkan was Shevet Levi, the tribe of Levi. Why is that so important? It was to remind everybody that although we are different, we have one common goal. That common goal is to serve Hashem; it is the Mishkan, the Torah, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu (God). When you constantly remind yourself that the competition is really about how to serve the same God and how to use my own talents and originality for the same purpose, that is the same goal, so it’s a guarantee that the competition does not turn toxic.
It turns toxic when I forget that. I saw a beautiful mashal (parable) about the army. There are different branches of the army, and one branch could be better than another. I’m sure there’s some teasing going on between the different branches. But the only reason they don’t fight against one another is that there’s the flag of the country—the United States of America, in this case—above all the different flags. That’s the unifying factor for all the different branches of the army. When you take that into consideration, Bnei Yisrael also needed that. Who is better: Shevet Shimon, Shevet Dan, or Shevet Gad? They’re all different, but they’re all fighting for the same cause, because at the end of the day they had a constant reminder: in the middle of the camp there was a Mishkan, and Shevet Levi would represent HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
That suggests that perhaps Shavuot is just that. Shavuot is the reminder that throughout life we’re very different and have different Avodat Hashem, each going in different directions. It’s good to think that we have the best Avodat Hashem, but sometimes that can turn a little toxic. You look at other people in the community, people in other communities, and say, “My way is better than theirs.” There is good and bad in that: sometimes it’s good, but it can also turn negative. We need that constant reminder, maybe once a year, when we remind ourselves that all this is because we want to serve Hashem. I think I serve Hashem the best way; you think you serve Hashem the best way, and we tease each other about who is better, who is right, and who is wrong. Fine. But once a year we need to remember that we all got this Torah together, we all got the same Torah at the same time on Mount Sinai, and that one Torah is the unifier. We need to remember that, to remind ourselves when we do Avodat Hashem, so that this Avodat Hashem doesn’t turn toxic. We all heard the same words, we were all holding hands when this happened, we were all at the same mountain, and we’re all from the same God, the same Torah, the same place. When we remind ourselves of this, it’s like reminding ourselves of one big flag above us that reminds us we’re not fighting against each other. We are different, and that’s okay. We can be diverse, as long as we understand that we have the same mission and the same goal.
I’d like to end with something that happened. I’m from Surfside, Florida. About two years ago, we had a terrible tragedy when the Champlain Towers South fell. My wife and I were very involved with the IDF soldiers from Tzahal (IDF), feeding them and spending time with them for the two, three weeks we were there. At Shabbat lunch, some IDF soldiers were present. My wife and I were there, along with some people from Hatzalah and some from Chesed Shel Emet, and there were all kinds of Jews at that Shabbat table. You had us, the Sephardic Jews; the Ashkenaz Jews; Hasidic Jews; Chabad guys; and the IDF soldiers. Some were Shomrei Shabbat (Shabbat-observant), and some were not. It was a very interesting table. A Chabad man was sitting next to me, and I don’t remember his name. He told me, “Look what it took for all of us to be sitting at the same table.” I said, “You’re right; it’s very sad. So why can’t we really have that kind of table without having a disgraceful situation like we are in?” He said, “But do you know why we’re not arguing and talking about our differences? Because now the mission is clear. The goal is clear. We are all here for one thing: to try to save people who are trapped in this building.” When the mission is clear, we don’t focus on our differences.
I’d like to take this message and say that Shavuot is just that. Let’s reiterate and remember that when the mission is clear, we don’t look at our differences, but at what unites us. That’s what Shavuot is about. We came from the same source. Continue being different; that’s okay, but with respect and with values, with highness, and with class. Being different is okay. But we come from the same place, and once a year we remember: we heard the same words, we’re fighting for the same cause, and we all have the same mission. Tizku Leshanim Rabot, Ne'imot VeTovot, Chag Sameach.