The
Message at the Mountain: A Teaching for the Festival of Shavuos
Dear
Friends,
When
the Children of Israel camped at Mount Sinai, in preparation for the
giving of the Torah, Hashem told Moshe to convey the following
message to the people:
"You
have seen what I did to Egypt, and that I have borne you on the wings
of eagles and brought you to Me. And now, if you hearken well to Me
and observe My covenant, you shall be to me a segulah
from all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine." (Exodus
19:4,5)
Our
mandate is to be "a
segulah
from all the peoples." What is the meaning of the Hebrew term
segulah?
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, in his commentary on this verse,
explains that the term segulah
refers to a possession which is a special property of one sole owner,
such as the treasures of monarchs; it is a unique treasure over which
the owner alone has the right of disposition. And Rabbi Hirsch adds:
"By employing this expression to define our relationship with
Him, Hashem basically demands that we must belong to Him, completely
and exclusively, with every aspect of our nature, with all our being,
and with all our aspirations. He asks of us to make all our existence
and all our aspirations dependent upon Him alone, to allow Him to
shape them all and to permit nothing and no one else to direct our
lives or to influence our actions."
The
purpose of our being a "segulah", notes Rabbi Hirsch, is
mentioned in the verse itself, as it is written, "for all the
earth is mine." Rabbi Hirsch states that through these words,
Hashem is conveying to us the following universal message:
"The
relationship into which you are to enter with Me is in fact nothing
exceptional; it is merely to begin the restoration of that normal
relationship which all the earth should really have with Me. The
whole of humanity - every nation in the world - is destined to belong
to Me."
The
Children of Israel, explains Rav Hirsch, are to be the segulah
of
Hashem in order to remind the world that each and every nation is
meant to become the segulah
of Hashem, for "all the earth is Mine."
One
of the mitzvos through which we convey this message is the mitzva of
Shabbos; in fact, the mitzva to remember and to keep the Shabbos is
the fourth of the Ten Commandments which were proclaimed at Mount
Sinai. Through observing Shabbos, we become a segulah
-
one which serves as an example to all the nations that the earth
belongs to Hashem. In this spirit, there is a custom to sing the
following words during the Shabbos day meal:
"Behold,
the redemption will come, if you keep the Shabbos Day; for then you
will be to Me a segulah."
(Shimru Shabbsosei)
During
the Temple period, we were able to fulfill another mitzva which
serves as a reminder that the earth belongs to Hashem: the mitzva of
bringing the first-fruits of the harvest to the Sanctuary. The season
for bringing the first-fruits begins with the Festival of Shavuos,
and the offering is brought from the seven species for which the Land
of Israel is praised in the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs,
pomegranates, olives, and dates.
The
Mishna describes how the first-fruits were brought to Jerusalem
during the Second Temple period. According to the Mishna, the people
would gather in the central city of their district, and they would
spend the night in the city's public square. At dawn, an official
would proclaim: "Rise and let us go up to Zion, to the House of
Hashem our God!" And the Mishna adds:
"An
ox walked before them, its horns covered with gold, and with a crown
of olives on its head. The flute was played before them until they
reached the vicinity of Jerusalem. Upon coming close to Jerusalem,
they sent word ahead (of their coming) and decorated their
first-fruits. The governors, chiefs, and the treasurers went forth to
meet them...And all the craftsmen of Jerusalem used to rise before
them and greet them, saying, 'Our brethren, people of such and such a
place, you have come to shalom!' The flute was played before them
until they reached the Temple Mount." (Bikurim 3:2-4)
Upon
arrival at the Temple, each farmer would say to the Kohen (priest):
"I declare today to Hashem, your God, that I have come to the
Land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us." The Kohen
would take the basket from his hand and lay it before the Altar of
Hashem. The farmer would then say the following declaration:
"An
Aramean tried to destroy my forefather (Jacob). He descended to Egypt
and sojourned there few in number, and there he became a nation -
great, strong, and numerous. The Egyptians mistreated us and
afflicted us, and placed hard work upon us. Then we cried out to
Hashem, the God of our ancestors, and Hashem heard our voice and saw
our affliction, our travail, and our oppression. Hashem took us out
of Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great
awesomeness, and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place,
and He gave us this Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And
now, behold! I have brought the first-fruit of the ground that You
have given me, Hashem!" (Deuteronomy 26:1-10)
May
we merit once again to bring our first-fruits to the Temple - the
Sanctuary that will be called "A House of Prayer for all the
peoples" (Isaiah 56:7).
A
Chag Samayach - a Joyous Festival!
Yosef
Ben Shlomo Hakohen
"Hazon
- Our Universal Vision" is a study program which explores the
universal vision of the Torah for Jews, humanity, and all creation.
