Shavuot is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. At that time G-d uttered the Ten Commandments, that represent the foundation of all of Judaism.
Of all the Ten Commandments, our sages tell us, the Jewish people actually heard only the first two. After the first two, they were so overwhelmed that they asked Moses to transmit the remaining commandments to them. The fact that they only heard the first two commandments directly from G-d, dictates that these two commandments represent the foundation of all the others, and actually include within them all 613 commandments of the Torah..
Even more fundamental is the very first commandment, which states that “I am the L-rd your G-d who has taken you out of the Land of Egypt.” All of Judaism, the Talmud declares, rests upon this one mitzvah, of belief in G-d.
Kabbalisitc thought goes one step further. If the first commandment is the foundation of all the others, then it stands to reason that the first word — Anochi [“I”] is the foundation of the first commandment and, therefore, the first letter of that word, “Aleph,” is the foundation of the first word, and, by extension, of all of Judaism.
What is it about the letter aleph, that is so fundamental to Judaism?
The letter Aleph has, at least, three meanings. It means “master,” “mentor” and “mystery.” This reflects the three aspects of
G-d’s relationship with our world, upon which all of Judaism is founded.
The first aspect of the Divine that we encounter is the realization that the world cannot exist without a master. Even the most primitive mind can appreciate the role of a Creator who is responsible for our very existence and for everything that we have.
We can easily comprehend why this is the foundation of Judaism. Without the recognition that there is a Master who is responsible for everything, we would not have the notion of responsibility and accountability. Everyone would be their own master and the world would degenerate into anarchy. All of Judaism’s’ practices would be irrelevant since there is no authority to whom we must answer.
But, recognizing that the world has a master does not suffice. Beyond this realization one must also gain the awareness that this G-d is more than just a Master, He is also our Mentor and Guide. He provides us with a Higher consciousness, just as a teacher introduces the student into a new world, totally foreign to the world to which the student has heretofore been exposed.
Similarly, G-d, through the Torah, introduces us to a level of consciousness that transcends anything the world could appreciate on its own. Whereas recognition of a Higher authority and Master can come from one’s own observation, the knowledge that G-d imparts to us as our Teacher and Mentor can only come from Divine revelation.
Beyond these two aspects of the Aleph, there is a third and even higher manifestation of the Divine represented by the rearranged spelling of the word Aleph that reads Peleh, and means wonder or mystery There is an aspect of G-d that is absolutely unknowable and unfathomable.
No matter what level of comprehension we might have of G-d and His Torah, we must recognize that there is infinitely more that we cannot possible comprehend. This approach will always keep us on our feet and whet our appetite to go higher and higher, while it will simultaneously, add a sense of excitement because of the elusiveness and mystery of G-d.
Our sages have pointed out that the Hebrew word for exile is Golah, while the Hebrew word for Redemption is Geulah. In the original Hebrew both words share the same four letters, of Gimmel, vov, lamed and hei. The sole difference between the two words is that Geulah (redemption) also has an Aleph inserted in it.
In the context of what has been explained above, we can appreciate the contrast between exile and redemption. In the state of golah or exile, the world does not instinctively recognize that it has a Master and Mentor. In many places society has degenerated into anarchy.
Society has also chosen for itself other “mentor-g-ds” such as the media and popular culture. We certainly do not see the mystique and beauty of G-d. In the state of redemption, however, all of existence will be permeated with the three m’s of G-d; that He is Master, Mentor and Mystery.
Shavuot is the appropriate time to relive the experience of hearing G-d teach us our first Aleph!