בס"ד
A popular song on Shavuos is וְעַתָּה בָנִים (V’atah Banim). It takes its name from the first two words of its lyrics which are, “And now sons sing to the king with intense beauty. And happy are His servants who make heard the sound of His praise”. These lines are taken from a poem which is part of the optional liturgy for the holiday. It's four stanzas and can be found in the machzor (special prayer book - מַחזוֹר) for Shavuos in the additions (יוֹצרוֹת) to the blessings on the שמַע.
The theme of the piyut is the beauty and joy that comes through serving G-d by means of the precepts in the Torah. The sages of the Talmud reckon Shavuot as the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and by extension all of the mitzvahs. There are those that say that all of the mitzvahs are commentaries on the Ten Commandments particularly the first one which is to know G-d.
The goal of the Tanakh is to bring out the best in a human being and the human race and it is in fact what makes us a human and not a savage animal. Beauty (פאֵר), bliss and fortune (אוֹשֶר) are considered in Jewish thought to be very lofty characteristics, rewards for good behavior, and proofs that a person’s actions were correct.
In ancient times when a person wanted to give a gift to G-d, which could take the form of a burnt offering, or a donation to the Temple especially to the priests. A bull was considered the most distinguished sacrifice. People would also donate objects made of gold with exquisite workmanship.
Others would bring to the Holy Temple items of their own craft which were the best that they could produce. The idea was to make the highest use of the best of a person’s abilities. This is the answer to questions like when does a person wear their best clothes, finest jewelry, serve the best food, and do the best job that they possibly can. However the ultimate gift a person can give the HaKadosh Baruch Hu is himself. This is done by living according to G-d’s will.
So we would know what G-d’s will is, He revealed it openly in the Torah and particularly during the revelation on Mount Sinai. In fact a person should do some soul searching before all the holidays. However we also want to express our appreciation and love of the Creator of all especially for the many blessings He has showered on us. A great way to do this is to sing beautiful and meaningful songs in our houses of worship on the holy days.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment