On Shavuot we celebrate the Giving of the Torah. Why? What is so special about the gift G-d gave us? A selection of articles give many answers to this question.
Torah refers to the Five Books of Moses, the entire Hebrew Bible, and the entire corpus of religious Jewish knowledge. Torah is how the Creator shares the purpose, intent, and desire behind all that exists.
While the excited atoms in your flashlight bulb each emit light independently of each other, a laser device stimulates a great number of atoms to emit their light in a single frequency and in step with each other.
Shavuot, the day of the giving of the Torah by G-d, is also called the day of the receiving of the Ten Commandments by Israel. And it would seem to be a natural pairing of concepts. Nevertheless, each has its own particular meaning.
One might reasonably suppose that since oxen and pits are facts of life, the Torah must implement laws to govern their many possible interactions. In fact, the situation is just the reverse . . .
How do you measure the things you own? By the degree of your investment in
them? By the intensity of your desire for them? By how possible it is to get rid
of them?
Make a list of the areas of greatest concern in your life, and for each item on the list, ask yourself the following simple question: Do I look to the Torah as the principal source of guidance in this area of my life?
It is only appropriate that the Torah, which brings peace and harmony to its adherents—and by extension, to the entire world—was given on the Day of Rest.