For
seven weeks after leaving Egypt the Jews wandered in the desert. They were
heading to Israel, where they would have their own country. But before
they could get there, they had to have their own laws. Even free people
shouldn’t go out and lie and steal or forget their past. So, seven weeks
after the Jews left Egypt, they gathered around Mount Sinai to receive the
Torah, the book of laws that would tell them how to live.
After seven weeks (the word Shavuot means “weeks”)
the Jewish people stood around Mount Sinai and God spoke to them: “You
shall not worship idols. Remember the Sabbath. Honor your parents. Do not
kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not become jealous of your
neighbors.” When they heard these commandments, the Jews promised to
obey them. For seven weeks the Jews had been a free people. Now they had a
constitution to prove it.
For
seven weeks after leaving Egypt the Jews wandered in the desert. They were
heading to Israel, where they would have their own country. But before
they could get there, they had to have their own laws. Even free people
shouldn’t go out and lie and steal or forget their past. So, seven weeks
after the Jews left Egypt, they gathered around Mount Sinai to receive the
Torah, the book of laws that would tell them how to live.