Rabbi David Stav, Rabbi of Shoham and head of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, explains the deeper meaning behind the upcoming holiday of Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks), traditionally associated with the giving of the Torah to the Children of Israel.
"Shavuot is an amazing holiday," he says, "We don't know exactly what happened or when. We know only that on the first day of the third month, the nation came to rest at the foot of Mt. Sinai."
"Why is it so important to mention that 'they came to rest'?" Rabbi Stav asks. "Our Sages extrapolate from the verse the phrase 'they came to rest - as one man, with one heart'. The Sages explain that being so united is the fundamental precondition for being given the Torah."
"If we instead of being united with one heart, we begin to look at others and say 'he doesn't deserve the Torah, and he is wicked, and I'm the most righteous one here," Rabbi Stav cautions, "That is the wrong preparation for the Torah. The Torah can only be given when the nation is united - as one man, with one heart - and ready to receive it as one."