As a child, the feast of Shavuot was always a unique experience for me. Since we don't currently live in a mainly agricultural society, I had no idea that Shavuot was supposed to be a day of celebrating the new grain harvest. But what I did know was that on this particular holiday, my mother always commissioned two huge loaves of Challah to be made. And by huge, I mean that they were upwards of 10lbs each!
It was always a delight to see these challah loaves, which I customarily saw on Shabbat, in gargantuan form. Then, when we had our celebration service, these loaves would get passed around for people to wave before the Lord, as an offering. As a little girl, it made me giggle to see all of these grown-ups dancing with the bread, like they were doing choreography from my favorite Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. I was just waiting to see the bread get up and dance on its own one day. As I got older, it soon became my responsibility to hunt down someone who had an oven big enough to make these loaves. Over the years I found professional bakeries that could make them bigger than any home baker, but they honestly didn't taste as good. I believe that part of the reason for that is the heart with which the bread was made.
When you're creating, you're emulating the Creator. In that act of emulation, you honor Him and the gifts He instilled inside you! So, when my sisters bake bread, I can taste the gift of creation that God has given them in each bite. When I look at a painting that someone has made in honor of God's goodness, I am moved to tears because I can see the gratitude in each brush stroke. When I eat a meal crafted with love and care, I can taste the sincerity in it. Each act of creation displays our innermost beings. Which is why I believe that God asks us to create.
In Luke 6:45, Yeshua says:
"Out of the good treasure of his heart the good man brings forth good, and out of evil the evil man brings forth evil. For from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks."
Whatever is contained in your heart is what will come out of it. Especially when being creative. If there is nothing but sorrow and horror in someone's heart, then that's what will be produced. With one look, such pain and torment is easy to see. But if there is gratitude, honor, and faith in someone's heart, beauty comes forth from it.
Which is why I am encouraging you to take stock of your heart today! Take these next couple of days before Shavuot begins and truly examine what lies within, before its time to bring out the Big Bread. Because whatever is within you, is what will be presented to God as we celebrate our appointed time of meeting with Him.
In the meantime, from our family to yours, have fun bringing out the Big Bread!
