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I was never satisfied with the reasons given for our tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot, although quite satisfied with the cheesecake. Gematrias of chalav (=milk) equaling 40, which amazingly enough corresponds to the days Moses was on the Mt...feh! We could have used the same letters to spell chevel (=rope) and required that we tie each other up in ropes to symbolize our bondage to God.But recently I read something interesting on the Aish site. The tradition for eating dairy symbolizes our recognition that all our needs in this world are provided for by God just as a mother gives of herself to her child. What is milk? It is the most elemental form of sustenance for a newborn. It has everything that the baby needs to flourish. On this holiday, our fledgling nation is given the Torah, the spiritual sustenance that will nourish it and allow it to grow to spiritual heights.
And we stay up all night, like babies, to milk it for all it's worth.
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