Shavuot Day 2024 is on Monday, June 3, 2024: Does anyone have a good davar torah on Shavuot?

Monday, June 3, 2024 is Shavuot Day 2024.

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Shavuot

On Shavuot we have a custom to stay up all night learning for the Jews "slept in" on the day they received the Torah and had to be woken up by Hashem.

What does one gain by staying up all night learning?

The Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) writes (Mishneh Berurah 494;1): "Know that whoever does not sleep at all on this night and is involved in learning Torah, is promised that he will complete the year and that no harm will befall him."

How important is it to stay up all night and learn?

Many commentators write that Shavuot is the day of judgement for the amount of Torah that each person will merit to produce in the year to come. The Gemara (Pesachim, 68b) states: R' Yosef said, "were it not for what this day accomplished (Rashi: What I accomplished on this day--Shavuot), how many Yosefs are there in the marketplace! (Rashi: there would be no difference between me and all other Yosefs)."

We therefore see the great benefits and importance of staying up and learning all night on Shavuot...But how could one night of learning basically change your whole upcoming year?

The Gemara (Shabbat, 127a) states: "The study of Torah is equal to the sum total of all other mitzvot." Therefore, quite simply, the answer could be that since there's nothing greater than learning Torah, one could receive unlimited rewards for staying up all night and fulfilling this mitzvah.

However, the Gemara (Avodah Zarah, 17b) states: "One who only engages in Torah is like one who has no G-d." Therefore, although the study of Torah is equal to all the other mitzvot combined, we must still perform all the other mitzvot...So by simply learning all night, one day of the year, how is it that were able to guarantee ourselves a year full of life and Torah?

The Gemara (Nedarim, 41a) relates that R' Yosef fell sick and forgot his learning. His student Abaye then taught him all the Torah he had forgotten. However, even after he had forgotten his learning, he was still considered a Torah Scholar...And why is that? R' Yosef relates (Menuchos, 99a) that even though the first set of tablets broke, still, nevertheless, they were placed in the ark along with the second pair of tablets. We learn from here, the Gemara relates, that whenever a torah scholar forgets his learning by accident, we still treat him with the ultimate amount of respect (for even though the first set of tablets broke, they were still treated as though they had never broke--for they were placed in the ark). Similarly, even after R' Yosef forgot his learning, he was still considered a torah scholar, above all the other Yosefs in the marketplace.

However, why exactly was R' Yosef still considered a torah scholar? Granted, it's clear that others were still obligated to respect him...Why, however, was he still considered a Torah scholar if he had forgotten all his learning?

I think the Torah is teaching us the importance of loving Torah. Perhaps we can say that the reason R' Yosef was still considered a Torah scholar, even after he had forgotten his learning, is that he still retained his love for learning. Quite simply, his strong love for learning was equal to those of other Torah scholars, and because of that factor, it could be that he was still considered a Torah scholar.

I think we can now answer our original question as well. By learning all night on Shavuot, even though it's just one night of the year, we are able to guarantee ourselves a year full of life and learning...And how is that? Because by learning on Shavuot (the day we received the Torah) we show our true love for Torah, and at the end of the day, if we truly have love for Torah, then there's nothing that will be able to harm us and stop us from learning.

Summary: The purpose of Shavuot isn't to try and learn the whole entire Torah in one night. Rather, the purpose is to make a connection and build a love for it. Everyone forgets some of their learning...but our love for learning must never go away! If we truly love the Torah, then we are guaranteed on Shavuot that nothing will harm us and that we'll be able to learn for the whole year.

Is megillat Ruth read on the first, or second day of Shavuot?

On the second day - except in Israel where the holiday is only one day long and it is on the first day by default (though there are some Jewish communities who don't read megillot at all on the major festivals, in which case the answer is neither ;)

Is megillat Ruth read on the first, or second day of Shavuot?

It is read on the morning of Shavuot, so it is the first day.