Rabbi B - The Month of Sivan

[music] [laughter] [music] >> Hi there. Chodesh Tov. Happy Chodesh Sivan. It's a brand new month. Wow. And happy Chodesh Sivan to you, Kugel. Chodesh Tov to you, Rabbi B. You know, Kugel, I wonder if you could tell us some of the wonderful things that happened during the month of Sivan. Sure. The month of Sivan is a very special month. It is the third month from Chodesh Nisan and the ninth month from Chodesh Tishrei. The month of Sivan is always 30 [music] days long. The greatest event for the Jewish people was the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai. And that happened in Chodesh Sivan. The Jewish people arrived at Har Sinai on Rosh Chodesh, the first day of Sivan. Then, on the second day, Hashem said to Mosha that the Jewish people will be [music] His chosen people. They then received the Torah on the sixth day. Therefore, the sixth and seventh days of Sivan >> [music] >> are Yom Tov and called Shavuot. Other events in the month of Sivan include the day of passing of the Baal Shem Tov [music] on the sixth of Sivan and the passing of David Hamelech on the seventh. >> [music] >> The 23rd of Sivan is the day when Mordechai wrote [music] the royal decree protecting the Jewish people from Haman's attack. It's actually the first time Hodesh Sivan is mentioned. >> [music] >> Rabbi B, you'll like this one. The 28th day of Sivan is when the Lubavitcher Rebbe arrived in America in 1941. [music] The 29th of Sivan is the date that Moshe Rabbeinu sent the Maraglim spies >> [music] >> to tour the land of Israel. Yes, the month of Sivan is truly blessed and has many special dates to celebrate. Wow, that's fascinating. So many wonderful things to celebrate in the month of Sivan, especially the receiving of the Torah. What an incredible month. Well, Hodesh Sivan tov. Happy Hodesh Sivan. Bye-bye, everyone. >> [music] [music] >> Sivan. Sivan. [music] Sivan. Hodesh Sivan, the month of Sivan. >> [music] >> Hello and welcome to Rabbi B Live, a hard-hitting and investigative journalism show with some incredible individuals and history makers. Today's guest, all the way from the Sinai desert, we are joined by Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai, are you there? Yes, Rabbi B. I'm here. Well, thank you, Mount Sinai, for joining us today. Now, you're the mountain that Hashem chose to give the Torah on. How do you feel about that? Well, now I feel really great. I really blossom since that day. But before Hashem chose me, well, that was a different story altogether. Well, please let us know what happened. Well, as you may or may not know, the Sinai desert has many mountains, and Hashem was trying to decide which mountain to use. >> Well, let me let me just stop you right there. Now, you say Hashem was looking in the desert. Why a desert? You know, why not somewhere with an ocean view or at least a kosher restaurant? I'm sure Hashem wanted to choose somewhere nice, but Hashem had to choose a place that the people could get to easily. An ocean would have been a hard place for the Jewish people to gather. Plus, the Torah does not want to get wet. Also, remember, they had just come out of Egypt, and they were on their way to Eretz Yisrael. So, the Sinai desert was on the way. >> Well, that's very interesting, but now, why a desert of all places? >> [snorts] >> A desert is ownerless. Hashem had to make sure the location was not owned by anyone at that time. Imagine if Hashem gave the Torah in New York City. Then the people of New York would think that they are the only ones who own the Torah. So, you're saying it's because a desert is ownerless. But there are other ownerless places in the world. Like, what about a jungle? True, but Hashem also wanted to show what the Torah was meant for. The desert is empty and has very little life at all. The Torah has the power to make things come alive. A world without Torah would be a desert, empty of meaning and life. >> That's very true. You know, I can't even imagine my own life without Torah and mitzvahs. You know, every morning I jump out of bed for the opportunity to put on tefillin and davening and learn Torah. It really makes life so beautiful and meaningful. It did that for me, too. I was a regular mountain with just rocks and stones. Pretty boring. But when the Torah was given on me, I became covered with flowers and grass. >> Yes, you truly are a beautiful mountain, Har Sinai. Thank you. But please remember that my beauty only comes from Hashem's blessings and kindness. I'm thankful every day that Hashem chose me to give the Torah on. >> Oh, Har Sinai, you are very humble. I think that's also why Hashem chose a desert to teach humility. To show that in order to learn Torah, you have to be open and humble before Hashem. Someone who is too proud or a show-off will not be able to learn Torah properly. >> Well, well, that brings me to my next question. Why a mountain at all then? Why not just in the desert? >> Well, for starters, we are not allowed to put the Torah on the ground. That would be very disrespectful. That's true. I heard that if a Torah does fall on the floor, Has v'shalom, the people would have to fast and pray for forgiveness. So, Hashem needed something to put the Torah on, like the bimah at shul. Ah, so the mountain's kind of like the bimah. You're right, that's a good example. But there were so many mountains to choose from, as you mentioned. Why do you think Hashem chose you? Well, if a mountain was too tall, it would have taken Mosha a long time to climb up. And if the mountain was too wide, the Jewish people would be too spread around to hear the Aseres Hadibros. Well, Har Sinai, that sounds very practical, but is there any other reason why Hashem chose you, Har Sinai, over the other mountains? Yes, I heard that it was also because of my humility. Of all the mountains, I am the one who did not show off. I was just thankful to be created by Hashem, just the way I am. >> That sounds like another great lesson from you, Har Sinai, on how people should learn Torah. Not everyone is on the same level, but people learn better than others, but we should always try and do our best to learn on our own level. And we should be very thankful to Hashem for the talents and abilities that we do have. And I think that is another reason why Hashem chose a small mountain, to remind us that while we should be humble and not show off, we must also be proud of who we are and how Hashem made us. Right. Right. I'm always proud to say that I'm Jewish and I love learning Torah and teaching Torah and performing music all around the world for kids. But I know it's all a bracha from Hashem. And if someone else had the same blessing as me, well, they could probably do the same or even better than me. For a pile of rocks, I sure have been so blessed. Oh, Har Sinai, now you're just being humble. Well, that's our time for today. I want to thank Har Sinai for joining us all the way from the Sinai desert. And I hope you at home are proud to be yourself and that you use Torah and mitzvahs to make your life more beautiful and more alive. Bye-bye. >> [music] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> Hey Devorah, it looks like you're going to play a really fun game of match the mitzvah. You're going to pull out of that mitzvah bag a mitzvah item and we have to help you match it with one of the mitzvah pictures at the top of the page. Ready? Pull out a mitzvah item. Hmm, that [clears throat] looks like a mezuzah. Do you know where a mezuzah goes, Devorah? That's right. Mezuzahs go on doorways, right on the door post on the right side. Well done. Okay, Devorah, pick something else. Oh, looks like you have a hand that has a tzedakah coin. Uh-oh, I think I just gave it away. That's right. That coin goes in the tzedakah box. Great job. All right, Devorah. Looks like you pulled out a negel vasser cup. Oh, you're right. The girl could wash negel vasser, but I think there's a mitzvah there that we have to wash our hands before we Ah, that's right. Before we eat the challah. Great job. Those go together. All right. You pulled out a candle. Hmm, I think this one's going to be pretty easy. Oh, you're right, Devorah. Young girls and women light shabbos candles every week. And candles on yom tov, too. But that candle fits very nicely with that candlestick. Great job. Okay. Oh, looks like you pulled out a young boy. Is there a mitzvah he can do? That's right. He can wear his kippah and tzitzis so proudly. And the last picture, Devorah, is a young girl and it looks like she wants to give a great big hug to her friend. That's the mitzvah of ahavas Yisrael, one of my favorite mitzvahs. Great job, Devorah. You're amazing at matching the mitzvahs. You know, there is a perfect story for the month of Sivan and it doesn't come from a storybook. It actually comes from the Tanakh. Tanakh is the whole Torah, Nevi'im, the Prophets, and Ketuvim, the Writings, all together in one book. Tanakh. And in the Tanakh, there's a story about a lady named Rus. And the whole sefer is called Rus. And some people have a custom to read it on Shavuos. So, I think I'll tell you the story of Rus myself. Long ago, there was a kind woman named Rus. Rus was not born Jewish. She came from a land called Moab. Rus was married to Naomi's son, but after some time, Naomi's husband and son died. Naomi was very sad and decided to return to the land of Israel. Naomi told Ruth that she should stay behind with her own family, but Ruth loved Naomi very much and did not want to leave her alone. >> [snorts] >> Ruth said, "Where you go, I will go." Ruth chose to stay with Naomi and become part of the Jewish people. When they arrived in Israel, Ruth worked very hard in the fields collecting leftover wheat so she and Naomi would have food to eat. A kind man named Boaz saw how caring and loyal Ruth was. He made sure she had enough food and treated her kindly. Later, Ruth and Boaz were married. They had a family and Ruth became the great grandmother of David, who grew up to become the great David Hammelech. People read this story on Shavuot for many reasons. For one thing, Ruth became Jewish just like we did on Shavuot. The story of Ruth takes place during the harvest, which happens during Shavuot time. And her great-grandson David Hammelech passed away on Shavuot as well. So, lots of amazing connections between Sefer Ruth and Shavuot. When Hashem gave the Torah on Har Sinai, it was a lot like a wedding. Think about a wedding. A chassan and kallah stand together and promise to love and care for each other. [music] At Har Sinai, Hashem and the Jewish people also made similar promises. [music] The Jewish people were like the kallah and Hashem was like the chassan. The mountain over them was compared to the chuppah. The Torah was like the kesubah, the marriage contract that explained how the relationship will work. At a chassana, everyone celebrates with joy, music, and excitement. At Har Sinai, there was thunder, a shofar blasting, fire, and lots of people gathering together at that very special moment in Jewish history. And just like a good marriage needs love, trust, and communication every day, our relationship with Hashem grows every time we daven, learn, and do mitzvahs. So, the giving of the Torah was not just about the rules, it was the beginning of a loving relationship between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem. Mazel tov! Welcome to rabbib.org, [music] your one-stop shop for everything Rabbi B. On my site, you can [music] find out more about me, watch the latest video, or check out past episodes. Check out all of Rabbi B's books, albums, upcoming concerts, and events. I even have activities and coloring pages, too. Easily contact me with a question, comment, or [music] just to say hi. And you can do all that with the comfort and safety of [music] one website. rabbib.org, let's make being Jewish fun and exciting. [music] Rabbi B loves hearing from fans. Please send any fan mail, drawings, or questions to [email protected]. >> [music] >> Chow chow chow [music] chow video chow chow chow chow video chow chow chow chow video