Synagogue Sermon
Address to College Youth (1968)
The great festival we shall celebrate next week is known by two names. In the Bible it is called Shavuot, “Weeks.” In the Mishnah, however, it is known as Atzeret – which means binding or conclusion or climax. Our tradition tells us that it is called by this name because, like the eighth day of Sukkot, which is known as Shemini Atzeret, this festival of Shavuot is the climax of a long development. Even as Shemini Atzeret is the conclusion of the Sukkot holidays, so, in a sense, is Shavuot the conclusion, and hence the atzeret, of the period begun with Passover. Now, while this is certainly an adequate and reasonably accurate explanation, there is some troubling question about it. Why is it that in the case of Sukkot, the waiting period before the atzeret is but one week, whereas between Passover and its atzeret, seven weeks must elapse?Various answers have been offered to explain this. Now, however, for the first time in history – there is no longer any question! This year, and hereafter for all eternity, Shavuot shall be known as the atzeret after the one-week rededication to the God of Israel! For this is the week between Yom Yerushalayim on the 28th of Iyar, and the zeman mattan toratenu on the sixth day of Sivan.Indeed, as we gather for the first Yom Yerushalayim in Jewish history, let us emphasize specifically those aspects of our present festival for which Shavuot is truly the atzeret, namely, the theme of revelation. There are three types of hitgalut or revelation, which occurred one year ago today, and for which the celebration of mattan torah, the giving of the Torah, is a logical climax. This will require deep thinking on our part, because as Jews we believe that God reveals Himself primarily in historical events; and to see this requires, as Yehudah Halevy called it, an “inner eye,” it makes demands upon our attention and reflection.It is more than a coincidence, I believe, that three forms of revelation correspond neatly to three historic names associat…
