Coffee, cheesecake, Torah, more coffee, and more Torah. All these successfully describe the experience of Shavuot, when we celebrate the receiving of Torah. There is a beautiful tradition called Tikkun Leil Shavuot in which we stay up all night studying the breath of our tradition. We keep our minds and hearts awake in hopes of receiving a taste of Torah’s wisdom, just as our ancestors experienced at Mount Sinai many years ago.

But Shavuot (which takes place this year from the evening of May 21 through the evening of May 23) does not commemorate a single historical event. Quite the opposite! Shavuot is a reminder that we receive Torah every day. Each day brings an opportunity to tap into the breath of our tradition and its wisdom. This is put ever so eloquently by Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel and a paragon what it means to live an embodied Jewish life. Rav Kook writes:

“The blessing recited before studying Torah concludes with the words ‘Who gives the Torah,’ in the present tense, though the Torah was given on Mount Sinai three thousand years ago. In reality, God is constantly giving the Torah anew. In every age, the Torah flows constantly within the interior of the soul.” – Olat Re’iyah, vol. 1, p. 61, trans. Rabbi Bezalel Naor in The Koren Rav Kook Siddur, p. 10.

Torah’s wisdom, and the breath of our tradition, is given every day. But we can only accept Torah’s constant flow “within the interior of the soul” if we are paying attention. I invite you to pause, learn from others, and listen to that still small voice within you: notice Torah around you even now. And may this Shavuot be full of joyous learning and awareness!