According to rabbinic interpretation, the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish People on Mount Sinai on the sixth day of Sivan. Thus, in addition to being a thanksgiving for the wheat harvest, Shavuot has also became a celebration of the Torah. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish People.
Ten Commandments
On Mount Sinai, the Jewish People received the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments range from the belief in one God to basic laws which every society needs to enforce.- I am the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt.
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- Do not murder.
- Do not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Do not bear false witness.
- Do not covet.
Torah: Written and Oral
Moses received two forms of Torah on Mount Sinai - both the written law and the oral law. The written Torah contains the Five Book of Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings. The oral law, which explains and clarifies the written law, was passed down from generation to generation orally and until it was eventually written down in the Mishnah and later interpreted in the Talmud.Throughout the generations, Jews have studied the Torah and used it as a guide for everyday living. Torah has been the chain which has linked the Jews who received the Torah at Mount Sinai to Jews throughout history to Jews today. Adherence to the Torah is the reason that the Jewish People have survived for thousands of years despite the lack of political independence. Torah is our heritage and our essence.
