We continue on to Har Sinai, the giving of the Torah, and then to the Land of Israel. It’s a progression, a journey. And this journey is reflected in the connection between Yom Kippur and Shavuot.
So why the shofar on both holidays? The shofar is a symbol of both repentance and joy. On Yom Kippur, it signals the end of a day of repentance and fasting, while on Shavuot, it marks the giving of the Torah and the celebration of the first fruits.
The shofar reminds us of our journey from sin to repentance, from sadness to joy, from Har Sinai to the Land of Israel. It is a unifying symbol that ties together the themes of both Yom Kippur and Shavuot.
In conclusion, the shofar on Yom Kippur and Shavuot serves as a reminder of our spiritual journey, our connection to the Torah, and our ultimate goal of returning to the Land of Israel. It is a symbol of repentance, joy, and the eternal bond between the Jewish people and their heritage.
So, in conclusion, sin is not the end of the road in Judaism. It is actually the beginning of growth and becoming holier. Repentance is about fixing what we did wrong and moving forward. Yom Kippur focuses on freedom from the physical world, while Shavuot celebrates freedom within the world, living according to the moral code given to us by God. True freedom is about responsibility and choosing the moral path. Let us embrace this freedom and strive to live a life of meaning and purpose.
That’s what Shavuot is all about.
Both shofar soundings symbolize the idea of freedom, but their two freedoms are very different.
One freedom is the idea of separating from this world, and the other freedom is the idea of connecting to this world, but in the way we are supposed to.
What’s also interesting about all the holidays is their connection to Israel. (As mentioned before) Eretz Yisrael is center game. [We have bringing the Bikurim on Shavuot to the Beit HaMikdash in Israel, even though Matan Torah of Shavuot was outside of Eretz Yisrael.]
What is an indigenous people? It’s not about people who were [physically] born in a certain place.
I was born in America, but I am not an indigenous American. Indigenous Americans are the Native Americans, the Indians. I was a Jewish American, I was a Jew living in America, my nation is not “American”.
When I say I am indigenous to the land of Israel it doesn’t mean I was born here. It means that my whole religion, history, laws and culture are dependent upon the Land of Israel. All our holidays are centered around the Land of Israel. All our prayers are centered around the Land of Israel. We pray towards Jerusalem. There is not another nation or religion in the world who sees Jerusalem as its only religious city.
The entire Jewish religion has to do with the Land of Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. Our culture, our blessings, our prayers, our traditions, everything is about the Land of Israel. We cannot do this anywhere else. By definition, we are the people of this Land.
As an aside, the UN has a definition of indigenous people, and we Jews met that definition. So what did the UN do? They added two more clauses. One clause is that an indigenous people must be living under another people. Do you see how ridiculous that is? If an indigenous people actually win back their land, they are no longer indigenous.
So the UN will do what they do. Maybe that’s their job, to keep keep us in check. To remind us that now that we have come back to the Land of Israel, we have a responsibility to know how to act in the Land of Israel. If we don’t, there are powers around us that are going to try to kick us out.
So instead of worrying about the world and what they think about us, let’s start to worry about what we should be doing here in the Land of Israel and how we should be acting.
What responsibilities should we be keeping up? What are we doing here? Who are we? And realize need to take care of ourselves
Chag Sameach.
Signing off from the beautiful hills of Judea, Israel