There is a well-known Midrash about Hashem demanding a guarantor before He consented to give the people of Israel the Torah. They offered the forefathers or the prophets but Hashem rejected the offer. Finally the offered the children and Hashem accepted. And so the children are our guarantors for all generations.
Interestingly there is no age threshold for this. We don’t say that the child must be of a particular minimum age in order to serve in this role. Indeed in another context our sages talk about the heritage of Torah belonging even to a day old child. The verse states, “The Torah that Moses commanded to us is an inheritance for the congregation of Jacob.” In Jewish law even a newborn can be a legal heir. So this inheritance belongs even to an infant.
Last Friday night, as we celebrated the birth of our son, Yosef Nadiv, our friend, Flora Radding, pointed out to me that he was born just in time be a guarantor for the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot. Indeed this little fellow will be the youngest underwriter our family has even had.
On Sunday morning as we read the Ten Commandments and re-experience the giving of the Torah, let’s make sure that every Jewish man, woman, and most importantly, child – even the newborns – are present to hear it. After all we need to have the relevant parties present, especially the guarantors. And by the way, the Kiddush afterward is pretty awesome too. Blintzes, cheesecake, ice cream and other dairy delights are all on the menu. You can start dieting on Monday. But on Sunday all Jews are lactose TOLERANT. Join us at Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie for this special occasion.
See y’all in Shul.
Congratulations to Torah Academy alumna Chaya Schreiber upon her graduation from Yeshiva University’s Stern College with a B.S. in Biology.
Have a good Shabbos and may we experience a meaningful and joyous Season of the Giving of Our Torah!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin