Shavuos Night Reflections

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Shavuos Night Reflections

Receiving Torah Where We Are

✨ Opening Reflection

בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָיִם
 (Pesachim 10:5)
 “In every generation, each of us must see ourselves as if we personally left Mitzrayim.”

Because Mitzrayim isn’t just behind us.
 It’s anything that narrows us, confines us, or convinces us we can’t change.
 And the journey out — even in 2025 — is part of how we prepare to receive Torah again.

The Alter Rebbe taught in Tanya:

וְעַל תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה רַבָּה זוֹ אָמְרוּ שֶׁזְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כְּזָכִיּוֹת.
 (Tanya, Chapter 7)
 “When Teshuva comes from deep love, even past sins become merits — because they led to this love.”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe takes it a step further:

והעבודה שממנה יש להקב״ה תענוג — היא העבודה בדברים התחתונים ביותר דוקא.
 ()שיחת שבת-קודש פרשת קדושים, ו׳ אייר תשכ״ה — בלתי מוגה

“The work that brings Hashem the deepest joy is specifically the work done in the lowest places.”


We’re not here tonight because we all took the same path.
 We’re here because each of us carries a story,
 Our own leaving of Mitzrayim,
 and our own 49 days of Sefiras Haomer.
 Some days were filled with conscious Avodah. Some just passed in the push to keep going.
 Some came with light. Others with struggle.
 But they all brought us here.
 Still reaching.
 Still showing up.
 Still open to receive.
 and now, we stand together at the mountain - וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר.

👣 The Five Voices

The Torah speaks of four children by the Pesasch Seder— not as labels, but as inner voices we all carry:

  • The Wise asks with depth — How can I live this in a real way?

  • The Rebellious asks with pain — What if I’ve been hurt by all this?

  • The Simple asks with sincerity — What does this mean to me?

  • The One Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask feels something — but has no words yet.

And the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke of a fifth child,
 The one who’s normally not at the table.
 Maybe no one made room. Maybe they walked away. Maybe life just got heavy.

But tonight, by Matan Torah, every Neshama was there. Past, Present and Future.
Maybe for the people. Maybe for the snacks. Maybe just to be near something warm.
 And they’re quietly wondering:

“I’m here… still figuring out why. Is there a piece of this that could be mine?”

This guide is for all five voices.
 Each commandment includes five reflection prompts.
 You can read through them, or pick one that speaks to you.
 There’s no right way — just your way.

As Rashi explains: "כאיש אחד בלב אחד" — "Like one person with one heart."

Not because we’re all the same, but because we’re all here. Each with our own voice. Each bringing something real.

🌟 The Ten Commandments: Reflections for All Five Voices

Each commandment has five prompts, inviting reflection from the lens of:

  • Wise

  • Rebellious

  • Simple

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask

  • At the Table — the one who showed up tonight, still exploring what this means

1. I am Hashem your G-d — אָנֹכִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ

  • Wise: What’s one way I’ve experienced G-d in a way that feels real to me?

  • Rebellious: What makes it hard to trust or feel connected to G-d?

  • Simple: What does it mean to me that there’s something bigger than me?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What part of this feels too big or too distant to even start with?

  • At the Table: What’s something — an experience, a moment, a feeling — that quietly points me toward something greater?

2. No other gods — לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹקִים אֲחֵרִים

  • Wise: What distractions or “false gods” pull my attention away from what matters?

  • Rebellious: What have I turned to for comfort or escape that left me emptier?

  • Simple: What helps me realign when I feel pulled off center?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What even is a false god in my life — and how would I recognize it?

  • At the Table: Is there one thing I’ve been chasing that maybe isn’t serving me anymore?

3. Don’t use G-d’s name in vain — לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם ה׳ לַשָּׁוְא

  • Wise: Do I speak of G-d, Torah, or values with honesty and care?

  • Rebellious: How has spiritual language been used against me — or weaponized?

  • Simple: What words feel sacred to me?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What feels confusing or distant about religious language?

  • At the Table: What words feel real or meaningful to me — even if they don’t sound “religious”?

4. Remember the Shabbos — זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ

  • Wise: What helps me honor the spirit of Shabbos — not just the rules?

  • Rebellious: What part of Shabbos feels heavy, pressured, or performative?

  • Simple: What’s something small that helps me feel more present on Shabbos?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What do I wish Shabbos could feel like — if it weren’t tied to pressure or rules?

  • At the Table: If this is my first time returning to a Shabbos space — what’s something small that feels inviting or grounding tonight?

5. Honor your parents — כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ

  • Wise: How do I honor where I come from, while also choosing who I want to become?

  • Rebellious: What do I do with pain or unmet needs from my parents?

  • Simple: What did my parents give me that I still carry?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What questions or feelings about your parents have never really had space to be voiced?

  • At the Table: What’s one good thing to remember — even if it’s small?

6. Don’t murder — לֹא תִרְצָח

  • Wise: How do I protect and uplift life — physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
    Rebellious: What part of me has been shut down or dismissed — by others or myself?

  • Simple: Where do I want to bring more kindness or protection into my world?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: How do I process dark thoughts, anger, or numbness?

  • At the Table: What’s something that helped me feel seen or safe — even just once?

7. Don’t commit adultery — לֹא תִנְאָף

  • Wise: What does sacred connection look like in my life right now?

  • Rebellious: When have I confused pleasure with connection — and what did I learn?

  • Simple: What helps me show up with honesty and integrity in relationships?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What questions do I still carry about intimacy, loyalty, or love?

  • At the Table: What’s one moment where I felt deeply respected — by someone else or by myself?

8. Don’t steal — לֹא תִגְנֹב

  • Wise: Have I ever taken something — time, trust, presence — that wasn’t mine?

  • Rebellious: What do I feel I’ve been robbed of?

  • Simple: How can I live more honestly with others and with myself?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: What even counts as “stealing” in today’s world?

  • At the Table: What’s one way I can honor someone else’s boundaries — or my own?

9. Don’t bear false witness — לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר

  • Wise: Do my words reflect truth — even when it’s uncomfortable?

  • Rebellious: When have I felt misjudged, misunderstood, or spoken about unfairly?

  • Simple: What helps me stay honest, even when it’s hard?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: Why does truth matter in a world full of spin?

  • At the Table: What’s one truth about myself I’m finally ready to name?

10. Don’t covet — לֹא תַחְמֹד

  • Wise: What helps me feel grateful for what I already have?

  • Rebellious: When do I feel trapped by comparison — and what’s underneath that?

  • Simple: What’s something in my life I wouldn’t trade for anyone else’s?

  • Doesn’t Know How to Ask: Why do I always feel like I’m missing something?

  • At the Table: What’s one thing I have now that I once wished for?

🌀 Closing Round (Optional)

What’s one phrase or kavana you want to carry forward from this night?
 It could be…


  • A line from Torah or a niggun

  • A truth you remembered about yourself

  • A small next step you’re ready to take

  • A feeling you want to hold onto

  • Or just a word that anchors you in this moment


Because the Torah wasn’t only given once.
 It’s given again each time we make space for it.




The Mishnah says:

כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לְעוֹלָם הַבָּא

(Sanhedrin 10:1)

“Every Jew has a share in the World to Come.”


💬 You’re already part of this —

even if you’re still figuring it out,

even if belief feels new, fragile, or far away.

The Baal Shem Tov is said to have taught
 that every soul carries a mission no one else can fulfill:

“Every soul has its own unique role — a part of the world only it can repair, and a spark only it can elevate.”

💬 You’re not here by accident.
 Nobody else has your voice.
 There’s a light in this world waiting for you to uncover it.



✨ Closing Blessing

May we all be zoche
 to receive the Torah — not as something we’re supposed to be,
 but as something that meets us where we are.

To return to it honestly.
 To wrestle with it if we need to.
 To carry it in a way that adds light —
 to ourselves, and to the people we care about.

Whatever brought us here — belief, doubt, habit, hope —
 may we leave with something real.
 Something that stays with us.
 And something we can come back to, again and again.

As the Lubavitcher Rebbe would bless: that we receive the Torah with joy and inner depth.

.לקבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות


 Gut Yom Tov,
 Berke Chein