The Special Mitzvah of Shavuos

Every Yom Tov gives us obligations and opportunities to fulfill special mitzvos. We hear the shofar, take the arba minim and sit in the succah, and meticulously carry out each of the mitzvos of the Seder.

But then comes Shavuos, and there seems to be no special mitzvah to fulfill. Certainly, we delight in learning Torah in the beis medrash all night, we enjoy reading Megillas Rus on Shavuos morning, and we uphold the minhag to eat dairy foods throughout Yom Tov. But there is no unique biblical or rabbinic mitzvah designated for Shavuos proper.

Or is there? The Rambam writes in hilchos Yom Tov (6:18):

When a person eats and drinks [on a Yom Tov], he is obligated to feed converts, orphans, widows, and others who are destitute and poor. In contrast, a person who locks the gates of his courtyard and eats and drinks with his children and his wife without feeding the poor and the embittered is not indulging in the rejoicing associated with a mitzvah, but rather in the rejoicing of his gut.

Regarding such people, the pasuk (Hoshea 9:4) states that their sacrifices will be like the bread of mourners, and all that partake of it shall become impure, for they kept their bread for themselves alone. This happiness is a disgrace for them, as the pasuk teaches (Malachi 2:3): “I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your festival celebrations.”

Here the Rambam teaches that an essential obligation of every Yom Tov is to bring joy to those who are less fortunate. How can we enjoy the physical bounty of Yom Tov and not look out for those who are less privileged? How can we eat and drink and not ensure that others have those similar delicacies? How can we ignore the plight of those who once had more joy or those who currently struggle to experience joy?

On most Yamim Tovim, we have a good answer to these questions. We’re so busy fulfilling our own obligations first that we have barely any time to consider the plight of others. During Tishrei, we try to catch our breath while preparing for the Yamim Noraim, focusing on our personal mitzvah of teshuvah, and then somehow finding time to build our succah and procure arba minim, all while trying to keep up with our responsibilities and ensuring our family members are properly prepared for Yom Tov. As we usher in the month of Nissan, we are hyper-focused on cleaning for Pesach, shopping, cooking, and preparing ourselves and our family for the busy Yom Tov ahead.

These are largely fair points and plausibly answer the challenge of reaching out during the busy seasons. (I do think we need to see if we can do more, but suffice it to say that these are valid responses.)

Enter Shavuos, and none of these answers apply. There is no succah or Seder, no matzah or minim, and we are not as busy shopping, cooking, cleaning, preparing, and so on. So as we prepare for Shavuos, we must seriously contemplate how to fulfill the ultimate mitzvah of the Yom Tov — bringing joy to others. Now is the time, and this is our opportunity.