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This email dedicated by: Mr. Ed Clark To dedicate an email, click here Sivan 4, 5771 · June 6, 2011 Editor's Note: Have you ever wondered why the very first of the Ten Commandments isn't really a commandment at all? "I am the L‑rd your G‑d who took you out of the land of Egypt." Okay. True. But what exactly is the commandment? And yet, that first commandment says everything, encompasses everything, and is our foundation. Firstly, G‑d is clearly reminding us who is Boss. And just in case we weren't sure, it was He who redeemed us from slavery. We did not leave Egypt, we were taken out. But He is telling us something much greater. Our Creator is telling us that in our lives, each and every one of us may experience states of Egypt, times of darkness and limitation. We may feel trapped and rejected, and possibly abandoned. But we are never alone. He is letting us know from the get-go that when the going gets tough—and it may—He will be there for us. And He will take us out. For He is the L‑rd our G‑d, the One who took and will take us out of our Egypt. He is our Father and will always be there for us. Let's be open to receive the Torah again this Shavuot—and internalize its lessons for life! Sara Esther Crispe, on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team This Week's Features Printable Magazine Creator or Liberator? Understanding Shavuot By Yaakov Paley Shavuot Thoughts to Expand the Mind Creator or Liberator? Understanding Shavuot When introducing Himself to His people in the great event at Sinai, why did G‑d choose to understate His achievements? By Yaakov Paley A Merging of Metaphors Understanding Shavuot is there a way in which we can have our nut and eat it too, so to speak? By Rachel Gordon The Day That Nothing Happened After weeks of anticipation and preparation, would everything come to a halt merely because the people were weary? Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe The Most Precious Gift On Shavuot we were given the Torah. Does it all boil down to bragging rights? Does it really matter who “owns” the Torah? By Naftali Silberberg Nitzevet, Mother of David The Bold Voice of Silence The secret story behind the mysterious circumstances of King David’s birth . . . By Chana Weisberg For Real Life Keep Your Balance The right tablet contained 146 words; the left tablet, only 26 words. How did 26 words equal the space of 146 words? By Yossy Goldman A New Definition of Fun My connection to Shavuot Between work and managing a home, there was a part of me that craved something additional. Something I knew I possessed . . . By Rochel Pritsker Recognizing All I Do Being a Mommy I tell him, frustrated, on the verge of tears, “I didn’t do anything this morning!” By Elana Mizrahi Why Do We Send Our Children to School? Don’t they have the right to know? Kids have a right to know the objective of the hours they spend in school. Sadly, often the message they get is misleading. By Baruch Epstein Stories to Share Yisroel Yisroel stood in the doorway, snow encrusting his thick brown bangs. “My mother is still not here, and I’m frozen. Can I wait inside?” As told to Rochel Yaffe The Ruin in the Forest Rabbi Chaim led Moshe Meshel and the coach driver to a clearing among the trees that seemed to be a ruin of some sort . . . By Yitzchak Buxbaum Receiving the Torah Anew The poritz immediately launched preparations for a huge party for all the aristocrats in the region, with a “highly amusing surprise.” By Yerachmiel Tilles A Pillow Full of Feathers In a small town somewhere in Eastern Europe lived a nice man with a nasty problem: he talked too much about other people . . . By Shoshannah Brombacher Info Please! What Did the Tablets Look Like? We read in the Torah that Moses came down from the mountain with two tablets of stone, but what did they look like? By Menachem Posner Shavuot Re-accept the Torah A quick guide to Shavuot traditions, celebrations and customs. Shavuot Videos The Milky Way Customs of Shavuot Some unique customs associated with the holiday of Shavuot, along with practical and spiritual explanations. By Mendel Kaplan  Watch (1:03:54) Torah Scholarship: Not for Men Only The Rebbe’s annual pre-Shavuos address to women In this era, women–even very little girls–study parts of the Torah that in the past they would not have learned.  Watch Parshah Picks The Parshah in a Nutshell Behaalotecha—Numbers 8:1–12:16 The menorah . . . a second Passover . . . desert encampments . . . complainers . . . G‑d appoints prophets . . . Miriam speaks ill. Lighting Up a Soul Five on Five—Behaalotecha An insightful video on how to light up the life of another. By Chana Weisberg  Watch (2:32) The Legendary Second Chance Is all lost if I have lapsed in my Jewish observance? By Mendel Kalmenson Spiritual Space The deeper meaning behind the menorah’s spatial alignment inside the Temple, and the identity of its miraculous “western lamp.” Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe