The festival of Shavuot is the time of the giving of the Torah. One of the customs on this special day is to study Torah all night. The Midrash tells us that when God was going to give the Torah, He had to "awaken" the Jewish people, who had fallen asleep since the previous night.
Imagine that God brought us out of Egypt 49 days ago after ten awe-inspiring plagues, parted the sea for us, gave us manna, provided water from a miraculous well, surrounded us with clouds of glory, and a pillar of fire guided us through the desert. Then He says to us, "Prepare yourself in such and such a way because I will appear to you and give you the Torah": how could we possibly fall asleep?!
One explanation is that the Jews believed that the Torah is only linked to the spiritual, therefore, to properly grasp it one must detach oneself from the world in which we live and rise up, as if "falling asleep".
However, this is not the case. The Torah is a practical teaching for the daily life of all people (Jews and non-Jews). The Torah does not require a person to "ascend to heaven" to obtain it or observe its laws.
Here, now, the Torah is as relevant as it was in the desert 3318 years ago. And perhaps even more so, because back then the people weren't bombarded by a society lacking values and principles, a violent and arrogant society, as we are today.
The secret to our continuity is holding fast to what is ours, to the first and only source of blessings, principles, values, and good conduct. This is Shavuot.
May we receive the Torah with joy and internalize it.