When our ancestors stood at the foot of Sinai, they had no such reluctance. As Moses read the law in their presence, they responded with one voice, "All that Hashem has said we will do and we will listen!" (Exodus 24: 7) Their response seems to defy logic. Why would they say, "We will do," before they had listened to what Hashem would say? It would seem the wiser course would have been to listen, study, evaluate and then decide. Our rabbis and sages have commented of this strange verse for centuries. While I make no claim to being a "sage," I share with you a few thoughts below.
Begin with trust.
One of my teachers once said, "We accept the authority of Torah out of loyalty to Hashem." This is not blind loyalty. G-d forbid. Our ancestors experienced the trustworthiness of Hashem personally. Despite their fears and misgivings they were delivered from Pharaoh's army at the Sea of Reeds, been provided with sustenance throughout their journey to Sinai, saw the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night. Only a people who had learned to trust G-d completely would dare to declare obedience so completely.
Listen and Learn.
One cannot expect to do things properly unless one is willing to study, learn and practice. Our ancestors did not say, "We will do," and not pledge to listen and learn. When my father asked me to help him with some project around the house, I usually responded positively. I knew that to accomplish whatever Dad wanted me to do, he would teach me the necessary skills that I might lack. "I will do and I will listen." I promised to do what he asked of me and then agreed to learn. It is not enough to blindly charge ahead without being willing to learn. Study and practice are needed to accomplish G-d's will. On the first night of Shavuot, it is customary in many communities to spend the night studying Torah. In some communities this study literally goes on all night. (Tikkun Leil Shavuot)
Renew the Covenant
On Shavuot it is customary to read the Book of Ruth. Some people think of the Book of Ruth as a love story. In a sense it is, but not the shallow romance that passes for "love" these days. Ruth expressed her love for Naomi, for her people, for Hashem not with sentiment but with commitment. "Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your G-d, my G-d. Where you die, I will die and there will I be buried." Ruth's famous declaration is profound and strong. For those of us who have come to Judaism through the door of conversion, it has a special meaning, for this is the very commitment which we made when entering into the Covenant. Shavuot is a time for all of us - born Jew and new Jew alike - to reaffirm our commitment to Hashem, to Torah, to our people. Not in sentiment alone, but in a deep, personal determination to live, learn and demonstrate Torah every day.
Torah brings us closer to each other and to G-d. May we find the blessings of community and covenant in this "Season of the Giving of the Torah."
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