The parasha of Emor is a major source in the Torah for the holidays of the year. After explaining Shabbat, the Torah proceeds to describe all the chagim beginning with Pesach. Each holiday’s date and basic requirements are outlined.

 

There is one notable omission: the date for Shavuot. The Torah – neither in Emor nor anywhere else, furnishes a date for the Shavuot holiday.

 

Of course, we understand how we get to Shavuot. We begin counting the Omer on the second night of Pesach and continue for seven weeks. When we arrive at the 50th day we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot.

 

But, still, why no date for the holiday? And nowhere does the Torah call it Z’man Matan Torah’taynu as we do throughout the Kiddush and davening on Shavuot. Why this notable omission? The Ibn Ezra on Vayikra 23:11 explains the mitzvah of counting the Omer. In the midst of his lengthy commentary, the Ibn Ezra writes: Ve’hee’nay ermoz lecha sode sh’kol ha-moadim teluim be-yom yadua may-ha-Chodesh, ve’lo neh’ehmar be-chag haShavuot yom moed…veHazal heh-ey’tee’ku ki chag Shavuot hayah Matan Torah … - And now I will hint to you a secret…All other holidays are tied into a month and date, but not Shavuot. And it was Hazal who identified Shavuot with the giving of the Torah.

 

We can explain the Ibn Ezra as follows: The Torah had a concern. If a specific date were given for Shavuot perhaps people would develop the wrong attitude toward its observance. People might say: The rest of the year the Torah is not relevant. Come that one special day – let’s call it Torah Day – then I will observe the Torah. But, the rest of the year, the Torah shifts into the background.

 

Obviously, the Torah did not desire that approach. The Torah gives us a way of life for the entire year. Instead, we have to do a little homework. We must make a nightly effort. We have to count the 49 days of the Omer – and then you know when to celebrate Shavuot In fact, in ancient times, when Rosh Chodesh was established al pi re’ee’yah (by visual observation) the date of Shavuot fluctuated from year to year depending on the number of days in Nisan and Iyar. The Torah requires no specific date, only that it be the 50th day after the start of counting the Omer.

 

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Enjoy the day!

 

There is nothing wrong in presenting a card to one’s mother (I do it every year). It is very nice to make it a special day for one’s mother. But, if Mother’s Day is the only day that one does things for one’s mother; if it is the only time that a son or daughter is concerned about his or her mother – then the lesson about the date for Shavuot is not understood.

 

Yes, al titosh Torat eemecha – Do not forsake the Torah of your mother (Proverbs 1:8) – all year ‘round. Also, do not forsake your mother. The Torah’s mitzvot devolve upon all of us at all times. Yet, a main focus of Vayikra is the laws related to the Kohanim. Emor and its Haftorah also focus on the Kohanim. But the Haftorah seems to send a discordant message. In the last verse of the Haftorah, Yechezkel states that Kohanim may not eat the beast or fowl that dies on its own or is torn to pieces. Do these regulations apply only on the Kohanim? Surely, every Jew must refrain from eating meat not ritually slaughtered or non - kosher meat. Did Yechezkel mean that they were to be the religious professionals? Was it to be their sole responsibility?

 

There were periods in Jewish history when the Kohanim stood out as guardians of Jewish tradition. For example, Aaron tried to resist attempts to make an idol at Mt. Sinai. Mattityahu led the rebellion against the Syrian-Greeks and the Hellenists. Yet, sadly, there were times when the Kohanim led the people away from G-d. The prophets railed against the Kohanim during the First Temple. The House of Tzadok mentioned in this week’s Haftorah was the backbone of the Sadducees who sought to undermine Jewish life during the Second Commonwealth.

 

Yes, the Kohanim were to lead by example. But, by no means were they to be the sole practitioners of Jewish observance. Rather, this was the responsibility of all. In Emor, the Kohanim are directed to educate their young. Only then could they inspire the people. Likewise, educating the young is necessary for all segments of the Jewish nation. It is not merely for Kohanim or professionals, but for everyone. Parents today must often make decisions about their children’s well being.

 

The most important decision a parent must make about a child’s education is - to which high school to send him or her. More important than a yeshiva elementary or Day School education is a high school education. We know both statistically and anecdotally, that the high school years make the biggest impact on a youngster. No boy or girl is immune to outside values and pressures.

 

A child must have a rich reservoir of Jewish values to draw from as he or she begins to make critical life style decisions. We are accustomed to our young people receiving a college education – and beyond. Jewish education and the ability to inculcate its values in life cannot lag behind. Studies show us that a child who receives a Jewish education through high school is more likely to live a Jewish life and far less likely to intermarry.

 

 If a Jewish high school education is followed by a year of study in Israel – then the intermarriage rate drops dramatically. In a time when, painfully, the rates of intermarriage and assimilation are above 50%, investing in a Jewish high school education is a modest price, indeed. Rashi explains that the adult Kohanim were warned to educate their new generation of Kohanim. Nowadays we are all Kohanim – “And you shall be to me a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation.”

 

We must all make this commitment. While there are certainly no insurance policies for the future, Jewish high school education is certainly the closest we can get to assure a vibrant Jewish future. A Jewish education, the constancy of the Torah in our lives – not just one day a year - and the Jewish family and home - all year ‘round - are foundations for our future.

 

Shabbat Shalom!