Humble Cheesecake
By: Larry Gordon
My dad was fond of expressing what he believed were the unique distinctions between the various Jewish holidays. He usually noted that on Sukkos, we were able to dine on whatever we wanted but could not eat wherever we wanted. That means we were required to live as much as possible in our sukkah.
Then there was Pesach, as he used to point out, where we could eat wherever we wanted but not whateverwe wanted. That meant no bagels, no Dunkin’ Donuts, no Krispy Kreme, etc. Those foods are chametz and prohibited on this special yom tov.
On Shavuos, the third of our Shalosh Regalim, the main focus of this two-day yom tov is receiving the Torah at Har Sinai. It’s a complicated dynamic that was recounted in last week’s Torah reading of Parashas Behar. One of the puzzling aspects is why the parashah is called Behar instead of Behar Sinai.
It’s an interesting and thought-provoking question. We’re taught that the reason why Hashem chose Har Sinai to give the Torah was because it was the lowest of all the mountains in the Sinai desert. If that’s the case, why give it on a small mountain altogether? Our commentators say it was to teach us a lesson in humility. But if the point was humility, as the second Gerrer Rebbe asked, why not give the Torah in a valley? If ever there was a lesson in humility, a lowly valley would be it.
I’m sure there are numerous observations on how this scenario unfolded. My favorite is a comment by Rabbi Meir Kahane, z’l, who said on this subject that the Torah was given on Har Sinai, a small mountain, to teach us that a Jew should be humble—but not too humble.
Kahane was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in New York City in 1990. Before his untimely death, he was fond of saying things like, “I prefer a powerful and proud Jewish State that is hated by the entire world than an Auschwitz that is loved by one and all.” He insisted that if Jews were ostracized and attacked, that it would be proper that they fight back.
So, yes, it’s time to relearn the lesson of why Hashem gave us the Torah on the smallest of mountains. We should remember that it wasn’t a valley that people can walk through and trample over. It was rock solid and majestic like a mountain.
While dairy treats are indeed a focus of the chag, there’s much more to the upcoming holiday of Shavuos than cheesecake and a Mishpacha magazine.
Here in the Five Towns, a grassroots initiative developed by Naomi Berger, Chaya Sara Genack, and Faigie Warshawsky communicates to the widows of our community that they are not forgotten as yom tovapproaches.
The three women undertook this activity in memory of loved ones. In the case of Naomi Berger, the chesed is being done in memory of her husband, Shlomie, whose fourth yahrzeit is this summer. I grew up with Shlomie on Montgomery Street in Crown Heights and I can tell you he was a man of great sensitivity who cared deeply for others. Ms. Warshawsky is doing what she does in memory of her son, Immanuel, who passed away in 2022. The idea of delivering cheesecakes [partially sponsored by Immanuel’s Gifts, l’zecher nishmasImanuel, a’h, ben Chayim Mendel Meir Sasson] to widows is just a nice thing to do. Naomi and her friends tell me they are dealing with 100 widows here in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway.
No one I spoke to is complaining, but all too often once a trauma occurs in a person’s life, such as the loss of a spouse, the reality is that life changes dramatically. And that is especially noticeable during holidays due to the absence of their loved ones.
Cheesecakes and other dairy items like cheese blintzes are particularly reminiscent of another important aspect of Shavuos. Some say that when the Jewish people received the Torah on Har Sinai, they were not yet well-versed in the laws of shechita, ritual slaughter. As such, they had no choice but to consume dairy foods—hence the cheesecake.
No one could have anticipated what this custom would evolve into. To some, the very essence of Shavuos is about Hashem giving the Torah, but somehow it became about eating cheesecake, blintzes, etc. Of course, that would be a serious miscalculation in view of the fact that one of the hallmarks of the holiday is staying awake through the first night of the yom tov studying Torah until the sun rises.
Our commentators relate that when the Jewish people gathered at Har Sinai to receive the Torah, instead of staying awake on the first night, they went to sleep because they wanted their souls to leave the physical world and ascend to a higher spiritual plane to receive the Torah.
But that was an error. The idea of both Creation and the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Har Sinai was about us being Hashem’s unique creation, a combination of body and soul, and the way we achieve it is by balancing both aspects to achieve lofty heights in the study of Torah and the vital aspect it plays in our lives.
So, maybe cheesecake is the simplest, most elementary part of the chag. Whatever it is, it’s nice to know that there are people out there who are thinking of others and want to spread some joy and achdus. And all it takes is a small cheesecake and a smile. Pretty simple and tasty.
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
