What happened to staying up all of Shavuot night to learn? Leil Shavuot programs contain numerous food breaks and seem to be centered around giving people a pleasurable physical experience. How did the day centered around accepting the Torah, the ultimate spiritual experience, become centered around the complete physical act of eating and drinking?
The Gemara in Pesachim 68b brings down a discussion between Rabi Eliezer and Rabi Yehoshua on how much time one should spend on physical pleasures vs. spiritual endeavors on Yom Tov. Rabi Eliezer says one should spend all day eating or all day learning - you can’t have both. Rabi Yehoshua says one should divide his day into two and spend half the day eating and half the day learning. However, even Rabi Eliezer agrees that by Shavuot, one must spend some of his time eating and drinking. Besides being a source for an ice cream break this Shavuot, what is the Gemara coming to teach us? Is the day we accepted the Torah supposed to be centered around physical pleasures? Furthermore, Moshe Rabbeinu didn’t eat for 40 days when on Har Sinai, so why should we, at least in principle, maybe not practicality, indulge in the physical pleasures of food?
Rashi gives one explanation for this perplexing Gemara. Rashi explains that we must eat on Shavuot to show how pleased we are with accepting the Torah. Rabbi David Nachbar connected this Rashi with a startling Gemara. The Gemara in Shabbat 88a states that Hashem lifted Har Sinai over Bnei Yisrael’s heads and proclaimed that if Beni Yisrael doesn’t accept the Torah, then the mountain will crush them, and Har Sinai will become their graves. Tosafot (ad. loc.) explains that despite Bnei Yisrael’s declaration of Na’aseh Ve’Nishma, Hashem raised the mountain over their heads to ensure that Bnei Yisrael wouldn’t turn away after experiencing the powerful flames of Matan Torah. Every year we must eat and drink in celebration to show that we accepted the Torah, not just because we were quasi forced, but because we love it. Rabbeinu David (ad. loc.) elaborates and explains that by celebrating with a meal, we show that the Torah isn’t a burden upon us but rather a privilege. He adds that we are obligated to eat on Erev Yom Kippur for the same reason. Eating on Erev Yom Kippur shows our joy and excitement in having our sins forgiven. The celebration with a meal reveals our true feelings about the impetus for the meal.
Additionally, the notion of a meal in the context of utmost spirituality may reflect upon the nature of spirituality to permeate the physicality. Rabbi Nachbar explained that we must include the mundane at the pinnacle of religious experiences to show that the apex of spirituality isn’t an apex but rather a life endeavor. By eating on Shavuot, we express that we want the Torah to affect us, not only at the highest levels of learning all night but even in our everyday meals. Rav Yosef in Pesachim 68b would convey this message by eating a fine third-born calf on Shavuot. He explained that had it not been for Shavuot, how many Yosefs would be in the marketplace? The simple understanding is that the Torah makes Rav Yosef different from all the other Yosefs. Thus, the day we accepted the Torah is a cause for celebration for him. However, it may also be that Rav Yosef is saying that even in the marketplace, the Torah makes him stand out; the Torah affects not only our spiritual ventures but even our time in the marketplace. Thus, on Shavuot, we eat to express that even our meals are elevated by the precious gift we received, the Torah. Whether in Rav Yosef’s marketplace or at your dining room table, the Torah should upraise us and connect us to Hashem Yitbarach.