Our sages derive from the Talmud (Pesachim 6a) that there is a mitzvah to study the halachos and hashkafos related to the yom tov 30 days in advance. This is so that we can appreciate the objectives of its observance and achieve greater spiritual heights.
There is also a discussion in the Talmud (Pesachim 68b) between R’ Eliezer and R’ Yehoshua whether there is an obligation to eat and drink on yom tov. R’ Eliezer maintained that there was no specific mitzvah to eat on the festival, while R’ Yehoshua suggested that the day be divided, half for eating and drinking (which he held was obligatory) and half for Torah study.
R’ Elazar states that all agree, though, that on the holiday of Shavuos, we are obligated to eat and drink because it is the day on which the Torah was given.
R’ Shimshon Nachmani, the renowned Zera Shimshon, notes that this conclusion seems paradoxical. We would think that the day commemorating the giving of the Torah would be dedicated solely to spirituality, to Torah study.
The Zera Shimshon cites the Talmud (Shabbos 89a) which describes Moshe Rabbeinu’s defense to the angels when they protested against the Torah being given to humans. He argued that unlike human beings, the angels, as Heavenly creatures, were unable to fulfill written therein, such as honoring parents, stealing, or committing murder. Therefore, says the Zera Shimshon, it is certainly appropriate for us to celebrate with food and drink on this day, establishing our merit to get the Torah which is filled with mitzvos having to do with food and drink.
The great rosh yeshiva, R’ Meir Mazuz, further elaborates that, unlike other religions, Judaism utilizes every means to sanctify the physical world. Our mission on this earth is to elevate ourselves spiritually while we simultaneously enjoy the physical world as human beings. A life of Torah does not negate eating and drinking, as we learn (Avos 3:17), “if there is no flour there is no Torah.” In fact, continues R’ Mazuz, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 26b) tells us that Torah study weakens the strength of a person. Therefore, those who are immersed in Torah study need to make sure that they eat and drink to maintain their strength. He points out that the numerical value of Shavuos is 784, which is 28 times the numerical value of koach, to teach us that one needs much strength to study Torah.
Along those lines, R’ Yehuda Tzadka writes in his Sefer Kol Yehuda, that when a boy becomes bar mitzvah there is a festive celebratory meal, because the occasion is comparable to standing at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah. It is a pivotal day in his life, as he strives to find a balance between the spiritual and physical aspects of his life so that they complement and enhance each other.
Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 32) comments that, unlike Avraham Avinu who was no longer called Avram after his name was changed, Yaakov Avinu kept his original name from birth as well as the name Yisrael that Hashem gave him. Yaakov, from the word meaning “heel,” alludes to the lowest part of the human being, i.e. humility; Yisrael denotes the superiority of the Jewish People. This is to teach us that one has to constantly strive to seamlessly synthesize the physical and spiritual elements of his being.
A woman who sold elegant exclusive baked cookies and cakes for simchos and special occasions related the following:
One day she took an order for an elaborately designed cake. She worked on it for many hours to meet the specifications of the order, and it was a perfect masterpiece when she finished. She put the cake aside to be delivered the next day to the family who had submitted the order.
That evening, when her son returned from yeshiva, he excitedly reported that the class would be making a siyum on Mishnayos. He asked his mother if she could send along one of her specialty items for the siyum. The mother consented, of course, and she quickly prepared a beautiful cake for the siyum.
The next morning, when her son was ready to leave for yeshiva, he found the elaborate special cake in the refrigerator and thought that was for him. He took the cake, leaving behind the cake for the siyum which he hadn’t even noticed. When the mother came down to the kitchen and saw the siyum cake in the refrigerator, she had to start from scratch to recreate the original masterpiece.
While she was working, her son called her from yeshiva to report on the excitement and delight of all his friends who had participated in the siyum and enjoyed the cake. In truth, most of the students in the yeshiva had never before seen such an impressive cake. She refrained from saying anything other than, “For a simcha, for a siyum mishnayos, it’s all worth it.”
R’ Fishel Schachter noted that a number of years later, when this boy grew up, he was not successful in yeshiva. Things were not going well and he had to be transferred to another yeshiva where he joined up with a rough group of boys.
One day, this group of new friends decided to travel somewhere that could negatively impact this young boy for life. At the airport, as the group was ready to board the plane, the boy suddenly decided that he was not going with them. Although they begged him to change his mind, he steadfastly refused and told them to stop wasting their time because “I have made my decision not to go with you.”
When he returned home, he explained to his parents what had made him change his mind. He said that when they arrived at the airport, a huge screen displayed a picture of an elaborately designed cake, with many layers, that looked like an exact duplicate of the cake that his mother had spent so many hours preparing and which she had gladly contributed to his siyum, when he took it in error.
The flashback to his cheder days awakened intense feelings within him. At that moment, he grasped the extent of his mother’s love for him – her enthusiasm for his accomplishments, her heart, her kindness and encouragement. He realized how much his parents were willing to give up for his Torah learning. Some food – a cake, granted it was not just a plain cake – had become the means of saving the spiritual future of a little boy.
