Progressing from Pesach: it's the Torah that counts

For many of us, the lead-up to Pesach is one of the busiest and most intense periods of our year. Culminating in the retold narrative of the exodus from Egypt, the rich symbolism of the seder and often bringing family and friends together, it can make great demands on our physical, spiritual and emotional resources. Once we get through the first night, it is tempting to heave a sigh of relief and think to ourselves “Phew! We got there in the end!”

In truth we must resist this temptation. There is still a mountain to climb. Exactly seven weeks after we reach Pesach, we celebrate Shavuot, the festival that marks the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Linking Pesach to Shavuot is the mitzvah of sefirat ha’omer, when we nightly count the 49 days from our redemption to our acceptance of the Torah.

The Torah tells us the story of our emancipation from the slavery and our ascent to a level at which God deemed us fit to be His chosen people and keep His laws. But there is also a baraita in Pirkei Avot that tells us about receiving the Torah. Avot 6:6 lists no fewer than 48 things that enable us to acquire Torah. The Jewish Bible explains how we received the Torah as a nation. Pirkei Avot explains how we can receive it personally, as individuals.

There is almost a one-to-one correspondence between the 49 days of sefirat ha’omer and the 48 means of acquiring Torah. This means that we can focus each day between Pesach and Shavuot on another way to learn, internalize or deepen our understanding of Torah. But what can we do when we reach erev Shavuot, when we still have one day to count but there is no corresponding device for enhancing our Torah knowledge? 

Happily, there is an answer. There is something else we need to do if we are to acquire Torah thoroughly—but it’s not on the list of 48. This “missing” element is chazarah, revision. Whatever we learn in Torah, once is not enough. We should go over our learning again to make sure we truly understand it. So, when Shavuot is almost upon us, we know what we must do!

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Heard from Rabbi Eli Brunner, who heard it from Rabbi Elya Lopian.