We all want to serve from love. So why is fear needed?
It’s that time of year again: cheesecake and blintzes, flowers and greenery. The weather is mild, there’s no stressful deep cleaning or construction prep, no tense discussions about Chol Hamoed trips. Shavuos is something of an oasis in a year’s worth of labor-intensive Yamim Tovim.
Moving beyond the surface details, the deeper spirit of the day also meshes well with this positive, upbeat approach to Shavuos. Hashem gave us the ultimate gift, the Torah, and we happily accepted it with an emphatic “naaseh v’nishma.” He issued us two crowns, adorned the mountain with flowers, and we sailed into the spiritual sunset.
There is another account of Matan Torah, though, that appears less idyllic.
“ ‘And they stood at the base of the mountain.’ Rav Avdimi bar Chama says, this teaches that HaKadosh Baruch Hu held the mountain over them like a barrel and said: ‘If you accept the Torah, good. If not, there (under the mountain) will be your grave.’ ” (Shabbos 88b)
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