Shavuos – What Does Kabbolas HaTorah Really Mean?

Back when I learned in Lakewood Yeshiva, I remember how much was said about Shavuos being a “Kabbolas HaTorah,” up to the joyous dancing at the end of Yom Tov that lasts well into the late hours of the night. As a kollel yungerman, I was able to connect with the feeling, being able to spend my days fully engrossed in limud haTorah.

Now that I am out of kollel, it’s more difficult to connect with it. What does Kabbolas HaTorah really mean? Is Shavuos meant for us “working guys”, or is it just for the bnei Torah who don’t do anything else?

The truth is, being out of kollel gives one a unique opportunity at doing an authentic Kabbolas HaTorah, one that just isn’t possible for those in kollel or even those in chinuch.

One of the most famous Medrashim we retell on Shavuos is how Hashem brought the Torah to all the nations of the world, asking them to accept it, which they all refused to do, except for the Jews. We accepted the Torah blindly, without knowing all that it contained, because we accepted Hashem’s total mastery over us, even though no other nation was willing to do so. Thus, true Kabbolas HaTorah means to do so even though no one else is doing so, and even though it is not easy to do so.

Someone whose job it is to learn, whether as a Rebbe or as a kollel yungerman, there is no great need for Kabbolas HaTorah because they are already there. Sure, they need the commitment to continue doing so, and to strengthen their learning while they are doing so, but nevertheless there is no new yoke to accept upon themselves.

On the other hand, those who don’t learn for a living, Kabolas HaTorah takes on a whole new meaning. It means accepting upon oneself to learn while no one else seems to do so. It means making sure the learning that one does is meaningful and lasting – not just sufficing with a poor excuse of Daf Yomi. While the rest of the world (and many of our friends) spend their nights socializing, partying, and just wasting their time, you have a serious seder limud with a chavrusa.

If you are in that situation, every day requires a new Kabbolas HaTorah. It’s all too easy to fall back into the default mode of “not learning” just like so many of your friends. It requires determination, strength, and the complete submission to Hashem’s mastery. Thus, a Kabbolas HaTorah exactly the way it was done back in the year 2448.

So let’s get out the paper and pen, and before Yom Tov arrives write down our personal Kabbolas HaTorah. We are going to commit to a serious seder, and choose our limud wisely. Most importantly, we will have a specific goal in mind. By this coming Simchas Torah, exactly 135 days from now, we will have completed a milestone of some kind – whether it is a messechta, a perek, or a particular topic. On this coming Simchas Torah, when we dance hakafos, we won’t just be rejoicing at our brothers’ simcha, instead the joy will be our own for having captured a true Kabbolas HaTorah.

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Filed Under: Limud HaTorah

Tags: chinuch • daf hayomi • kabbolas hatorah • lakewood • learning • shavuos • yom tov