What do Limmud and Cheesecake have in common? They both make a perfect complement to Shavuot.
In these days of counting the Omer, we ascend spiritually from the narrowness of Egyptian slavery to the birth of our modern Jewish peoplehood and identity. And as the days trickle down to the final moments before we commemorate the reception of the Torah, we do something particularly special. We spend the evening learning, together.
A whole room (or zoom screen!) of Jews studying Torah and Talmud and politics, history or theology. Tikun Leyl Shavuotis what most Jews around the word call it. But we know it by a shorter name.
We call it Limmud!
The Erev Shavuot traditional evening of learning restates our Limmud vision. Any Limmudnik will tell you this is what Limmud does best, and what we do throughout the world and throughout the entire year.
So why is Limmud’s modus operandi so similar to the Jewish celebration of the revelation at Sinai? Because Limmud understands that learning is a process, not an achievement. And like the Torah itself, learning evolves with us and means different things to different Jews at different times. The essence of Limmud is that we are all learners and we are all teachers. Let the spirit of this season remind us that just as we were all there at Sinai, we are also obligated to learn and grow with the Torah over our lives.
So to celebrate Shavuot this year . . . commit to attend your next Limmud event!
