Timeless Torah

G-d loves us, His human creatures so much that He gave us colorful butterflies, and sunsets so multihued they take our breath away. He also furnished us with majestic mountains for climbing…cool breezes…tiny sweat glands…leafy forests…and various wildflowers. You can even pick some for your spouse. Of course, they will thank you for your thoughtfulness, but did you thank Him for His?

After hiking some more you might come across a stream and decide on a swim. Here is another opportunity to be appreciative of Hashem’s never-ending gifts. Feel the silt between your toes, brush up against a fish and remember that before you were born you also were trapped in a watery womb...but since then He has broadened your horizons. Think about the salmon and their ability to swim upstream, and be conscious that the Creator has endowed you with the same power.
Of course, you might be wondering how all of this applies to you, a city slicker who will never be humbled by the sight of the Grand Canyon or a giant sequoia tree. Still don’t be too hasty to dismiss the great outdoors, even if all you can glimpse of its wonder is through the window in your living room.
First of all, be grateful for glass. It alleviates the claustrophobia and allows you to see the sunshine. P.S. Don’t overlook the marvel we call sunshine which is just enough to warm our planet without burning it up.
I see you are a tough nut to crack...what happens if it’s cloudy or nighttime you say? Well you can still thank Him for the clouds which provide us with life sustaining rain, while the moon and stars are always good for navigators, or a little romance.
By the way, since I mentioned nuts, you might as well feel slightly indebted to He who fashioned their protective peel. We must also mention teeth, custom-made to suit every species on the planet, and our stomachs with their 36,000,000 acid-producing glands which digest a steak but don’t touch the stomach’s own lining. But as amazing as your digestive system is, it pales when compared to the circulatory system. Imagine an integrated organization which reaches every one of three trillion cells, and knows exactly what to deliver to every one of them. Can the postal system deliver like your Heavenly Designer? Not quite.
We will not have adequate time or space (by the way, two very vital components of our existence we should acknowledge) to detail the several million other features of our own bodies we will never notice. Still I hope you will not deny the need to say Todah for your bright smile which usually earns one in return, and your floppy ears which can distinguish the difference between noise and music. And while you are cataloguing the reasons to say Gracias let us include your abundant hair (which some don’t appreciate until they lose it), saliva (try swallowing a cracker without it), opposable thumbs (indispensable for sandwiches), and even physical pain (which alerts us when something is wrong).
To be honest, if we were to number the items that demand our constant merci it would be greater than the two 127,000,000-pixel cameras positioned in the front of our heads (our eyes). The list would take into account laughter, nachas from children, chocolate cake, friendship, the color blue, the feel of a baby hugging you, mangoes, a good book, healthy parents, rainbows, buttercups, splashing waves, a much needed weekend nap, the perfect cup of coffee, family time, and of course, love.
The above is true for all His people. But there is another list, one that demonstrates G-d’s love for specifically the Jewish people. This special affection is why He structured 613 ways for us to bond with Him, allowing us to act out our gratitude. This private Jewish list discloses what He really wants from us, offering us a fool-proof path for our own spiritual perfection.
In truth, this is more than a filing cabinet of 613 cards of mitzvohs, it is His secret blueprint of all creation: a way to fix the world, not just ourselves. As such, it is a Kabalistic system which mysteriously works to our benefit even when we don’t understand how.
This classified manual that we Jews alone are privy to is an inexhaustible well of Divine wisdom. One might even be bold enough to say that it is a peephole into the Mind of G-d. No wonder it has been viewed as an eternal testimony of His love for us. Indeed, G-d Himself calls it His unbreakable marriage contract with the Jewish people.
So what is this gift for which we should be more thankful and appreciative than any other? It is the Torah. and it’s uniqueness lies in the fact that when He graciously gave it to us we received more than a gift, we obtained the Giver Himself. Therefore this Shavuos, be sure to thank Him for the cheesecake, blintzes, and....TORAH.