Rav Kook on Shavuot
Rav Kook on Shavuot: Rav Kook on Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot is celebrated as the holiday which commemorates the giving of the Torah. Interestingly this is not mentioned in the Torah. Perhaps, even more interestingly, the Torah does not tell us the date of this holiday. Rather than telling us the date of this holiday, the Torah tells us that after counting 49 days of the Omer we celebrate on day 50 (Vayikra 23:21). What is this holiday about? Why is a holiday called “Weeks”?
Rav Kook zt”l wrote about the essence of Shavuot in a short passage in the siddur עולת ראיה which contains many of his teachings. The passage is short but is very rich in allusions to many ideas. I hope that when we study this passage together we will gain some insight into this holiday.
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman graduated from Yeshiva University in 1980 and the dental school of Columbia University in 1985. In 1989 he began studying and teaching at Yeshivat Hamivtar and now studies and teaches at Yeshivat Machanaim in Efrat. He has rabbinic ordination from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.