Shavuot is the only holiday with no concrete mitzvot. No matza, no sukkah, no shofar, no fasting. And yet, it may demand more of us than any other day in the Jewish calendar. While we do have some Shavuot customs – staying up late learning Torah, eating dairy, and enjoying cheesecake – these traditions are not halachic requirements; they emerged over time, rather than being formally mandated as mitzvot are for other holidays.

This absence of specific mitzvot for Shavuot is puzzling. Furthermore, in the Talmud (Pesachim 68b), they debate how, in general, one should appropriately celebrate the holidays. Should holiday celebrations be completely focused on God? Should they be focused on physical enjoyment? Perhaps it should be a combination of both? The unanimous conclusion is that Shavuot cannot be purely spiritual; it must also be experienced in the physical realm.

On the surface, the Talmud’s conclusion is surprising; why on the day that we mark the receiving of the Torah, the source of our holiness and spirituality, is the emphasis on physical experiences? Surely our engagement in the physical should pale in comparison to the majesty of the Torah, especially on such a day. This paradox is exactly the........

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