Let us speak of matters related to the festival of Shavuot. The day on which the Torah was given to us, some three thousand three hundred years ago. And we are already preparing for the festival through study, that we may merit to receive the Torah in awe and in love.

A simple question: how can one "make" a soul? Human beings are not made — they are born. So what were Avraham and Sarah "making" in Charan?

Resh Lakish opens a door for us. Avraham and Sarah taught Torah to thousands. Every person they taught — they "made." They created him anew. They took a person born into an idolatrous environment and made of him a person of Torah.

This is not poetic language. It is a halakhic statement. One who teaches Torah — creates a soul.

But there is another source, bolder still.

Hear it. If you keep the Torah, the Holy One says to you: "I regard you as if you had created yourself."

This changes everything. Without Torah, a Jew is a child of his Father in heaven. A minor. Dependent. With Torah — the Jew becomes an autonomous self. He reaches the status of "creator of himself."

And here rises the secret question of the festival.

The Gemara paints a dramatic picture. The end of time. The Holy One sits in judgment. A Sefer Torah in His lap. And one call: "Whoever engaged with it — let him come and receive his reward."

And here — the great difficulty.

There is a well-known halakhah: "a close relative is disqualified as a witness." A father cannot testify for his son. A husband cannot testify for his wife. Because closeness creates a conflict of interest.

God is our Father. Israel are His children. So how can the Holy One offer to testify for His children? He knows the halakhah — He gave it!

The nations of the world add exactly this argument: "You are their Father — You are disqualified!"

This is a secret reversal. The Holy One publicly "concedes" that He is disqualified — in order to reveal that Israel is the only people who studied Torah and became autonomous in their existence.

So why did the nations not accept the Torah? Because they wanted to remain dependent on the Holy One as dependent children. They wanted blessing without effort. They wanted a Father without Torah. But God does not want children. He wants partners.

The nations do not give up. They protest again. The Holy One says to them:

Behold the beauty of the move. The Holy One says: "I will give you a second chance. One light mitzvah — sukkah. Build it."

Each of them runs to build a sukkah on the roof of his house. And then —

Why the sukkah? M. Himi explains: because the sukkah is the purest expression of faith. A person leaves his house for an unsealed room, exposed to wind and rain. He sits there because the Holy One said so. Without benefit, without profit, without rational explanation.

The Jew who sits in his sukkah in the rain does not kick his sukkah. Why? Because he knows that "one who suffers is exempt from the sukkah." If the rain is heavy — he leaves with dignity. But he does not kick. The sukkah is sacred in his eyes, even when it is not comfortable for him.

The gentile who receives a "light" mitzvah and immediately the environment turns harsh — does not see the sukkah as sacred. He sees it as a tool. He kicks.

The three sources connect. Avraham and Sarah "made souls" in Charan — they created human beings through Torah. Israel at Sinai "made themselves" — they created themselves by receiving the Torah. And at the end of days — God will prove that this is true creation, that Israel are not merely His children, but His partners.

And this is the gift of Shavuot. Not only learning. Not only knowledge. Creation.

Every time you learn Torah — you create something. Yourself. Your children. The entire people of Israel. And when history ends and the great book is opened — the Holy One will testify for you. Because He can testify. Because you are no longer merely His son. You are the person you created.

Chag Sameach. May you merit to receive the Torah in awe and in love.