On Shavuot, the Israelites received the Torah on Mount Sinai.

• Illustrative image // Photo: Haim Tuito

On Shavuot, also known as the giving of the Torah, Israel received the Torah in Sinai. The love of the Torah is reflected in the centrality of study in our lives and the incorporation of verses from the Torah into various prayers and ceremonies in this year's circle. We also express our love for Torah in body language, for example, in the practice of kissing the mezuzah and the Torah scroll transmitted in the synagogue. 

The conditions and the Amorites who wanted to express their fierce love for the Torah, likened her to a beloved woman. They call her "Goddess of Lover and Gemstone" (Proverbs 19:10) whose love is renewed every day. They also read the verse, "And in love forever" (ibid), similar to the dreamer's dream of his beloved and pondering it throughout the day. The description of the Torah in the image of a beloved and revered woman allowed the Sages to express a whole set of feelings and feelings toward the Torah: a longing for connection and love, admiration for beauty, and much appreciation and respect. 

The great Pythian of Eretz Yisrael, Rabbi Elazar Birbi Clear, who lived in the seventh century, also uses feminine imagery to describe the Torah. In a series of piyyutim composed in honor of the day of the Torah, he describes her as a respected and precious king of pearls. In one of the poems, the Torah speaks in the first person, describing how God entertained it and played with it in high spirits: I have been in the air for years in the ranks of the Ranim "(Shulamit Elitzur edition, p. 242). 

The image of the Torah for a beloved daughter or wife explains the difficulty of giving the Torah to Israel, which is one of the central motifs in the Sages' Midrash regarding the status of Mount Sinai. In one of the parables, the status of giving Torah today is the beloved king's marriage to the heart of choice. The invitees come from afar and far away: And rejoice in the king and his daughter in harps and violins, while the close guests who know the king's daughter personally and close acquaintance find it difficult to rejoice in her marriage.They cry because they realize that they will now have to say goodbye when she leaves the palace and move into her son-in-law's house. 

Just as the wedding is a covenant between the couple, so the status of giving Torah is described in this parable as a covenant and mutual obligation between Israel (the bridegroom) and the Torah (the bride). Alongside the joy of the heavenly dwellers in her marriage, there is also sadness about the separation from the beloved Torah that has so far lived in high places. They may fear that the Torah will lose its ideal glow when it becomes part of the human world and will be used in legal debates, arguments and ideological struggles. Despite the mixed feelings, the change that takes place in the king's life is presented as part of a healthy and proper maturation process. The married daughter has to say goodbye to the palace where she grew up, much like the celestial teachings passed on to Israel.  

In another parable of giving Torah, which also deals with the king's marriage, the state appeals to the king not to marry his daughter with an out-of-state groom. They claim that the king's great praise is that his beautiful daughter will live beside him. The king, however, does not accept their words and answers his subjects, because it is precisely because of this that he gives her to a groom from another place. When it is close to them, only the locals enjoy its virtues. If she marries another country, her husband will recognize her dignity and beauty, and she will be greatly appreciated elsewhere as well. By doing so, her father will also be crowned king in Hod and splendor for his daughter. This parable shows the difficulty of the angels to separate from the celestial Torah. The Almighty replies that they now want the Torah to illuminate its beauty and exclude the people of the land, and so the Almighty will be blessed with its beauty. 

The portrayal of the Torah in the image of a beloved and revered woman by sages and poets makes her glow with precious light in our eyes too.

Dr. Tamar Kadri is the dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and lecturer in Midrash and Legend