Saturday, August 30, 2014 Elul 4, 5774 Posted In   How Is
Shavuot Like Parenthood?  Monday, May 13, 2013 Enlarge Image »
Dear Readers,  Tuesday night marks the beginning of Shavuot,
seven weeks since we started counting the Omer during Passover.
Last year, I wrote about Shavuot traditions and why people don't
celebrate the holiday as much as, say, Passover. This year, I
found myself contemplating the following question at 2:30 a.m.
and decided to share my answers with you.  How is Shavuot like
parenthood?   1. Staying up all night: Sure, this is a gimme
answer, but new parents never get tired of talking about sleep
deprivation. On Shavuot, we stay up all night learning in order
to make up for our ancestors' lack of preparedness for receiving
the Torah. Our lack of sleep shows our commitment to Torah and
our readiness for revelation. As new parents, our lack of sleep
shows our commitment to our children and our readiness for sleep
as soon as humanly possible. Seriously, though, one's views on
life are differe