So Perhaps you heard that joke about the typical Jewish holidays: “They tried to destroy us, G-d saved us, so let’s eat!” (that applies to Pesach, Purim and Chanukah). But even though no one tried to wipe us out on the occasion of the holiday of Shavuot, which is coming up at the end of the week, food is still an important part of the holiday. It could be summed up playfully as “Hashem gave us the Torah, so let’s eat!” And that is exactly what seems to happen at shul. Men, women, children and even the smallest babies are brought to the synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments and what happens after this holy reading? Everyone goes to the back of the shul and starts eating cheesecake, blintzes and quiche!
Now, how can that be holy? But believe it or not, it is. Food is serious business in Judaism, and actually, sacred business. The mitzvos (commandments) of the Torah penetrate our daily life even to mundane things like cheesecake. Someone asked me, why are there so many laws in Judaism? I mean, why does G-d care about what you wear, what you eat and what you wear on your head.
But isn’t it great that G-d does care? I think that’s the point. I can’t pretend to understand all the really deep concepts of the Torah, but Judaism is about the highest spiritual ideas taking shape in physical objects, even food, prepared for the sake of observing commandments.
So where does the cheesecake come into it? We eat cheesecake to commemorate our ancestors who ate dairy after the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. Why did they eat dairy? The Torah had just been given and they realized they didn’t have any kosher pots and pans for preparing meat. They also were told to eat kosher meat that had to be slaughtered in a certain way, but they were not yet sure how to slaughter the meat. Because they accepted the commandments but were not yet sure how to carry them out, they ate dairy foods, to be on the safe side.
I suppose the image of dairy might also correspond to the idea of Israel as “the land of milk and honey.” I tried making a milk and honey cheesecake the first year I came to live in Israel, but honey doesn’t spread as easily and cherry pie topping!
In any case, may you accept the Torah on Shavuos with joy and inner peace.