by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Life C ach

Smile and Say Cheese – Cake

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

Did you realize the holiday of Shavuoth was only one day in Israel? That seems unfair to them! When do they get to make up the night’s sleep they lost from the whole night of learning and still get a whole day to consume endless cheesecake?

No wonder Israelis are so much thinner than us!

Somehow, I just thought this would be a two-day holiday in Israel, just like outside of Israel. After all, it’s the big one – We are celebrating receiving our Guidebook for life.

And anyway, since it’s not on a specific, designated date, but rather 50 days after whenever Passover comes out. Why is it not that once we figure out Passover’s date, we can’t just get Shavuot’s date accurately? The whole thing seems kind of confusing.

Not that I mind an extra day. Who doesn’t like pizza, lasagna, blintzes, quiches, ice cream … you know what I mean!

I’m just wondering: shouldn’t they have the same two days in Israel? Just to absorb the greatness of the event of Shavuot the way we do!

Can it be because they are closer to the source of where the Torah was given and therefore the energy seeps into them faster?

Look, I know there are real reasons that all the holidays are a day longer outside of Israel, including Shavuot. I’m just feeling like without getting the Torah, none of the holidays would be understood or celebrated. It’s our source of life information! Wouldn’t you think G-d would want this guiding document and its messages to be driven home longer everywhere?!

But only one holiday has two days both out of and in Israel. And that one is Rosh Hashanah.

So why that one?

It’s a time we get to recognize our great luck – that of having the “right relative” in high places. G-d, we reiterate the whole holiday, is “our Father and our King.” Talk about having a great “in” with the Boss!

Talk about mazal!

Then, on Rosh Hashanah, our only job, the whole two days of the new year, is to decide if we want to own our personal mission in our Dad’s world.

The messages we get on Shavuot is that we got the Torah. We can access it all year round. So, one day, two days, three, four, etc. – the length of that holiday does not really make the real difference. The Torah is here to stay!

We can recognize we were freed from slavery in one day or two days of Passover. No real difference there.

We can recognize G-d gives us security, not ultimately our vulnerable homes, in one day or two days of Sukkot.

We can even recognize that G-d gave us the Torah in one day or two days of Shavuot.

But when we are being judged as to whether we should be given another year of life to carry out our personal purpose here – we may feel quite fortunate to get an extra day. G-d’s message to us on Rosh Hashanah is: “I care about you. I want your connection, so I’m giving you extra time before I judge whether you get another year of life.”

That certainly seems a lot more important for everyone to have an extra day for than for eating their fill of cheesecake! (Though, if you ask some true cheesecake lovers, they may actually disagree with you!)

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Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.