The Taste of Kabbalas HaTorah in Three Dimensions

While cheesecake steals the show, the kreplach might be telling the authentic story.

Recently I came across a minhag to eat three-cornered kreplach on Shavuos. Normally, we only think of kreplach on days when we strike something. On Purim - we strike out Haman, on Erev Yom Kippur - we beat our chests in viduy and on Hoshana Rabbah - we hit the aravah against the floor. In each of those moments, the act of striking carries intense meaning. The meat hidden under dough reminds us that even in the hardest moments, there is strength wrapped in gentleness.

Shavuos is different. What are we striking? We are celebrating that we received the Torah. So what is the connection to this dish, filling hidden in dough, shaped into three corners? The shape reflects the fact that the Torah was given in threes, which we’ll explore shortly. Regarding the ‘striking’, Chazal teach us, “בָּרָאתִי יְצַר הָרַע, בָּרָתִי תּוֹרָה תְּבַלִּין.” “I created the evil inclination; I created the Torah as its antidote.” If the Torah beats the yetzer hara, then on Shavuos our three-cornered kreplach remi…