Last Thursday, I stood at the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. I had just finished the morning prayers and was just ‘taking it all in.’ Thousands of years of Jewish history and thousands of Jewish people from all over the world.
As I was standing there, one group after another of Bar Mitzvah boys were marching out of the covered synagogue area to the Kotel plaza with Torah scrolls in hand. Escorted by a small entourage, each group was joyously singing and dancing as they brought the Torah to the bimah.
Mostly, they were Israeli boys. None seemed to be from observant families. But, the celebrations were electrifying.
(If you are ever in Jerusalem on a Monday or Thursday morning, you really should visit the Kotel. Hundreds of these Bar Mitzvah celebrations are held. Each one lasts about 30 minutes and many are held simultaneously. It’s a real sight to behold).
At one point, I stopped a couple of them and conversed with them. I was curious if they understood what they were celebrating. Would it be different than the average American Bar mitzvah boy? After all, they didn’t need to spend months learning to chant a foreign language. Nor were they clueless as to the meaning of the words they were reciting. Perhaps, I thought, Israeli Bar Mitzvah boys really understood the depth of what they were celebrating.
One newly-minted 13-year-old told me he was excited because he finally could do a mitzvah and it would count. I looked him up and down. I scanned his family members. By no means did they appear to be the religious type.
“Are you planning on doing lots of mitzvot?” I asked.
He looked me up and down and kind of demurred. “So, why are you so excited?”
He simply replied, “If G-d is excited that I’m able to do a mitzvah, then I’m excited that I’m able to do a mitzvah!”
Wow!
***
On Sunday we will celebrate Shavuot. In a sense, this is the collective Bar Mitzvah of the Jewish people. We received our mandate from G-d.
You would expect it to be a serious day.
Yet, the Mystics insist that the key ingredient to reenacting the Revelation at Sinai is joy. Not devotion. Not discipline. Not study. Not introspection.
To be sure, those are all good and necessary. But, the main focus on Shavuot should be joy.
Why?
Perhaps, this Bar Mitzvah boy in Jerusalem has the answer for us.
If my celebration is all about what I have accomplished or what I understand, it will never be truly joyous. I might have the best value system. I may embrace the ethics of Judaism with all my heart. I can be a person of outstanding character.
But, if all of those virtues are done simply because it feels right to me, then I will never experience true joy. As noble as they are, they become another feather in my cap. For some, their feathers are money, honor and power. For others they are knowledge, compassion and volunteering. It’s better to be affiliated with the latter than the former. But, neither achieve the true purpose of my existence.
At Sinai, G-d introduced a new dynamic. He said he is interested in us. And we said we are interested in Him.
At that moment we became excited to do something for each other. And, that’s the only true joy, selfless joy.
Have a joyous Shavuot!