Even with outdoor minyanim already populating our parking lots and backyards, one part of Shavuos will be quite different this year. We will not be able to have all-night learning at Shul, everyone will have to study at home. This will present challenges with our beds so nearby, not having the stimulation of being part of a larger group engaged in study, and not having the typical smorgasbord of Torah classes and all you can eat buffet (with both dairy and pareve options of course!).
As with all the challenges we have faced while riding the corona roller coaster, never quite sure if the next turn will take us up or crashing down, there are unique opportunities for growth. Here, too, we are presented with a special opportunity to bring Torah learning into our homes.
This change has incredible value in two ways: it emphasizes one of our core beliefs as Jews, and it embodies a powerful way of teaching Torah values to our children.
The core belief which is emphasized by this change is embodied by the words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Many years before the world knew of COVID-19, Rav Hirsch wrote something, as if he was writing it for what we are experiencing today. In his introduction to Horeb (“Introduction by Translator” to Horeb, “The Classification of the Mitzvoth,” p.lxix), he wrote:
“If I had the power I would provisionally close all synagogues for a hundred years. Do not tremble at the thought of it, Jewish heart. What would happen? Jews and Jewesses without synagogues, desiring to remain such, would be forced to concentrate on a Jewish life and a Jewish Home. The Jewish officials connected with the synagogue would have to look to the only opportunity now open to them – to teach young and old how to live a Jewish life and how to build a Jewish home. All synagogues closed by Jewish hands would constitute the strongest protest against the abandonment of the Torah in home and life.”
We certainly do not want our Shul to remain closed for a hundred years, but we can appreciate the point Rav Hirsch is making. It is all too easy to become “Shul Jews”; Torah and mitzvos are for Shul, and when we are at home we focus on other things.
This year we have brought Shul-life into our homes, davening at home, Pesach at home, Shabbos at home. As we celebrate Shavuos, the time that we received the Torah, it is particularly important to focus on bringing the Torah into our homes, through study (all night, or as long as you last) and practice.
This idea speaks to the essence of accepting the Torah. Our acceptance of the Torah is a 24/7 commitment. Unlike other religions, Judaism does not stay in the Sanctuary. Torah and mitzvos, the manifestation of our relationship with our Creator, play a role in every time and place in our lives.
There is another benefit to this approach, about transmitting Torah to our children, that we can learn from the Talmud. The Talmud (Bava Basra 21A) teaches of the greatness of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla, of whom it is said, “For if not for him the Torah would have been forgotten from the Jewish people. Originally, a child who had a parent capable of teaching Torah would have the opportunity to learn Torah, and a child that did not have such a parent would not learn Torah at all. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla placed teachers in Yerushalayim (and created the first school system). This still posed a problem for children who could not make it to Yerushalayim to study, he therefore established teachers in every providence…”
Tosfos in Bava Basra comments on why Yerushalayim was chosen as the first place to establish Torah schools. “The children would see the great holiness (of Yerushalayim) and the kohanim doing the avoda (service in the Beis Hamikdash) and this would stir their hearts to yiras shamaim (fear of Heaven) and Torah study. (Likewise) Ma’aser Sheni is great for it must be eaten in Yerushalayim, and while the owner remains in Yerushalayim he sees everyone busy with spiritual pursuits and he too is inspired to yiras shamaim and Torah study.”
Those of us who have had the privilege to visit Yerushalayim, or study there, can relate to this Tosfos. To witness a culture that is focused on Torah and mitzvos more than anything else, with people who genuinely value it and enjoy it, is a life changing experience which leaves a powerful impression!
The Talmud teaches us that Rabbi Yehoshua be Gamla felt this practice of going to Yerushalayim was important for children of all ages. This is a concept well-known both in education and parenting. Modeling is one of the most important ways to teach. Lectures and memorization aid in mastery of knowledge, but modeling is transformative; it molds the child’s character.
On a personal note, I have seen the value of learning at home. My son will chant the words of the Talmud that he hears me say with the classic Talmudic chant, as he plays with his Lego nearby, without understanding at all what he is saying. I do not intend on abandoning the Beis Midrash for the rest of my Torah-study career, but I have learned that Torah study at home is critical even when it is not with the children. They need to see that this is how a Jew lives; Torah and mitzvos encompass one’s life all of the time, not just in shul.
It is my blessing that the reopening of our country, our state, our community, and our Shul should continue without any “bumps” in the road. As we experience what will hopefully be the last phase of this virus, Hashem should help us learn new things, grow in our Judaism, and emerge from isolation stronger than we were before. May we accept the Torah anew this Shavuos, renewing our dedication to make our homes Jewish homes, Torah homes.