When I stood under the chuppah with my husband, I chose the following verses to share with him:
“I will betroth you forever;
I will betroth you with righteousness, justice, goodness and mercy;
I will betroth you with faithfulness.”
These verses from Hosea are the same one recites when daily donning tefillin. We daily recommit ourselves to God and the ideals of Torah. Our dedication to living lives immersed in compassion, empathy, goodness and truth must be strengthened through ritual for we know how easily one succumbs to anger, selfishness, jealousy and hatred.
While each morning we offer this mantra to God, Shavuot is considered our annual renewal of vows. An anniversary. The Torah is our ketubbah. In the same spirit of recommitting to a beloved, may we evaluate our own behaviors within the relationship we have with God. Reminiscing over memories, grieving through losses and making space for the shared journey yet to come.
The reenactment of receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai is a reenactment of our own stepping into an eternal partnership with our Creator. May this year’s Shavuot, this year’s renewal of vows be filled with gratitude and thanks for the life we have been given and each subsequent day we are blessed to live in this beautiful world.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
