Shavuos and the Space Mission
This week Mike Massimino, together with Atlantis crew members, went on a space mission. Their job was to meet up with the Hubble Space Telescope. In a series of space walks the team installed fresh batteries, redesigned and repaired space instruments, all this while in orbit. They spent over 35 hours space walking and working. The plan is to have the Hubble Telescope work for another decade.
What makes the space mission interesting is that Mike took along a mezuzah in memory of a previous mission that was not successful. It was the Shuttle Columbus that blew up killing all the astronauts that included a Jewish one, Ilan Ramon.
Another Jewish astronaut, Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, was the first astronaut to log over 1000 hours in space and has space traveled over five times, plus was on a mission to fix the Hubble. On his trips he took matzah for Passover. On Chanukah he took along a little Menorah and a dreidel. At one time he took along a kosher miniature Torah complete with a yad – Torah pointer and breastplate.
Garret Reisman is an occupant of the International Space Station. He is the first Jewish resident living in the Space Station. All in all we have Jews living in space or just traveling in space. There are also all these Jewish objects that go along with the astronauts.
When I think how remarkable this is I think of the first real astronaut. It was none other than our first and most important prophet, Moses – Moshe Rabaynu.
The Bible – Torah tells us that Moshe went to heaven for 40 days and 40 nights. His souvenir was the Ten Commandments. Strange as it sounds he traveled without a shuttle and made the trip safely.
On Friday, May 29th, we will celebrate the time honored holiday of Shavuot; marking the time that Moshe went up Mount Sinai to heaven and received the Torah. He didn’t spend 35 hours. He spent 40 days and 40 nights. Now that was a miracle.
The highlight of this holiday is the gathering of many families at places of worship. They are told the story of G‑d giving the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, to the Jewish people. It is read in Hebrew from a hand–written scroll.
The Shavuot holiday is the birthday of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition it was some 3313 years ago that the Jewish nation received the Torah. This Torah is now called the Hebrew Bible and is considered by all religions as the most influential book in human history.
As we celebrate the holiday of receiving the Torah it will do us good to remember that we should bring heaven down to earth and combine the physical with the spiritual.
Rabbi Eli Hecht is vice–president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and past–president of the Rabbinical Council of California. He is the director of Chabad of South Bay in Lomita, CA which houses a synagogue, day school, nursery school and chaplaincy programs.