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Get StartedWhy Is Shavuot Celebrated (Part 1 of 5)
Shavuot Customs & Laws: What's So Exciting About Getting A Bunch Of Laws?
"Shavuot! Laws!!! WOOHOO!!!"...said no one ever. So... why should we be excited about celebrating Shavuot? About the day when we honor the giving of the Torah? A super pious person might say: "We're rejoicing in the obligations that God placed upon us!", and while that sounds really nice and religious, let's get real: those laws are burdensome. So why are we pretending that they're so great?
And when you think about when God imposed these mitzvot on us, you have to ask: Wasn't it pretty lousy timing? We received the Torah fewer than two months after leaving bondage in Egypt. It's like we just got done celebrating our freedom from one master, from Pharaoh, and all of a sudden, God swoops in and says, "It's nice being free, huh? BAM!! 613 laws. You answer to Me now. Say bye-bye to your freedom. How do you like that?"
And... that's what we're celebrating on Shavuot??!
Look, no one's suggesting that we defy God. He's... God. The laws are the laws. But do we really have to be excited about it?
Watch this video and get excited about why we celebrate Shavuot. For real.
Discover other great Shavuot videos at Aleph Beta, including ‘The Origin of Shavuot’, ‘Our Guide To Celebrating Shavuot’, and more Shavuot Divrei Torah & Videos!
Rabbi David Fohrman
Founder and Lead Scholar
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