In a special lecture held in Nes Tziona, Rabbi Yoel Pinto – son and spiritual heir of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto – explored the deeper meaning of Shavuot through the symbolism of dairy foods, and spoke about hope, transformation, and faith in the Jewish people even in times of darkness.
Hundreds gathered on Tuesday evening for a special lecture by Rabbi Yoel Pinto in Nes Tziona ahead of the holiday of Shavuot. As the son and successor of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, Rabbi Yoel Pinto delved into the spiritual roots of the festival and its unique customs.
According to Rabbi Pinto, beyond the halachic and kabbalistic interpretations passed down through generations, lies a profound central idea: milk represents the power of transformation.
“Throughout the year, nearly every holiday is accompanied by festive meat meals. Only Shavuot stands out – it’s the one holiday where dairy foods take center stage,” Rabbi Pinto explained. “Why dairy? Because it symbolizes a complete reversal. Blood – impure, forbidden, one of the gravest prohibitions in the Torah – is transformed within the animal’s body into milk: pure, white, sweet, and permitted. That is the deepest form of transformation, and it happens from within.”
Rabbi Pinto emphasized that this very process – where something severe and forbidden becomes a source of life and blessing – is at the heart of Shavuot.
“This is the message we take from the holiday: even if your life right now feels bleak, painful, or stuck – everything can still turn around. Just like blood becomes milk.”
Later in his lecture, Rabbi Pinto linked this idea of transformation not only to dairy foods, but to the very reason God chose the Jewish people to receive the Torah. He referenced Pharaoh’s infamous decree: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the Nile,” and described how, even amid death, fear, and despair – hope was born.
“Logically, when Jewish mothers knew that their newborn sons would likely be thrown into the Nile – why would they rejoice at birth? Why bring children into such a world? But reality was different: every birth was celebrated. The people of Israel believed – maybe this child will survive, maybe he will be the redeemer. This was a level of faith God had never seen in any other nation. And that, said Rabbi Pinto, is what made Israel the chosen people.”
He went on to say that the Israelites of that generation didn’t just live that faith – they passed it on.
“Even when the future seemed dark, they had the ability to see the light within. That’s why they merited receiving the Torah. God said to them – you are My people, I can trust you with My covenant, I can rely on you to uphold it even through hardship.”
Rabbi Pinto concluded his lecture with a contemporary message:
“Shavuot is not just a historical commemoration – it’s a call for us to believe in the power of change. To believe that light can emerge even from the deepest darkness. Every person, every soul – can transform. Blood to milk. Despair to hope. That is the essence of the giving of the Torah.”
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel