It's true that we got the Torah for the first time on Shavuot, which is a holiday of celebration. So why do we wait months until Simchat Torah to celebrate finishing it and immediately starting it over again?
The answer is about having a second chance.
On Shavuot, the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai.
Everything was perfect, and God gave them the first set of Tablets (the
Ten Commandments). They promised to follow the Torah completely.
But a short time later, they made a big mistake: the Golden
Calf. When Moses came down the mountain and saw this, he broke those first
holy Tablets. The perfect connection they had with God seemed to be lost.
For many months, Moses pleaded with God to forgive the
people. Finally, forgiveness was granted, and on Yom Kippur, Moses came
down the mountain with the second set of Tablets.
So, while Shavuot marks the day the Torah was first given
during a time of perfection, Yom Kippur marks the day the Torah was truly received
after forgiveness, repair, and a fresh start.
Simchat Torah, which comes shortly after Yom Kippur,
celebrates this permanent, forgiven, and renewed connection—the one that lasts
forever! That's why we dance and celebrate the completion and the immediate
restart on this special day.
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