The Weekly Sedra – Shavuot: The Destination

A professor once lamented to the Lubavitcher Rebbe about the depravity of human nature. “While most people,” argued the academic, “seem very nice and charming on the outside, beneath the surface we all tend to share the same ugly essence. We are all selfish, arrogant, and egotistical. Why should the intrinsic character of man be so abhorrent?”

The Rebbe responded with a parable: “When one strolls in the street one sees lovely houses, green lawns, flowery trees, paved roads and shiny cars. But when one takes a hoe and digs beneath the surface he exposes nothing but dirt and more dirt, all the surface beauty is gone.”

Not realizing where the Rebbe was heading with this, the professor found himself nodding in agreement. The Rebbe was actually affirming his point.

“But,” the Rebbe continued. “If one were not to give-up so quickly and were to continue digging even deeper, you know what he is likely to find? Water, minerals, perhaps even diamonds.” To encounter the inherent goodness in man one must be willing to dig a little deeper.

The period between Pesach and Shavuot is the season of the counting of the Omer; a time for self- discovery and refinement.

Recalling this divine promise to Moses, “When you’ve led the people out of Egypt, they shall serve G-d on this mountain,” (Exodus 3:12) the Jews have eagerly counted the days, from the moment of Exodus, until they reached Mt. Sinai. Ever since then Jews continue to count these 49 days from the second day of Pesach until the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates our receiving of the Torah.

The sequence of Pesach, Sefiras HaOmer, and Shavuot is more than a chronological commemoration of our early beginnings. Each of these events corresponds to a stage of spiritual development in the life of each individual Jew, similar to what transpired upon our birth as a people.

Pesach marks the first stage. Before the Exodus, the Jewish people were enslaved – dominated body and soul by the Egyptians. Their spiritual state is described as “naked and bare.” They could never have been freed from slavery on the basis of their own merit. Only through G-d’s benevolence was the Exodus possible. He revealed Himself and redeemed them, despite the depths to which they had sunk.

The fact that the redemption from Egypt did not result from their own divine service affected the manner in which they responded to the freedom they had not earned. They fled. The reason they fled, as noted in Chassidic philosophy, was because the evil within them was still vibrant.

Lacking personal refinement the Jewish people feared that the evil, which still lurked beneath the surface might rear its head and take control over them again, therefore they fled. Their desire was to escape the defilement of Egypt and cling to G-d.

Most people are aware of the presence of both good and evil impulses within their hearts. Even an individual who wishes to serve G-d, may struggle against the part of his nature that opposes this wish and seeks personal gratification instead. As a result, he might feel compelled to “flee from himself;” to repress his identity in order to commit himself to G-d.

Rejection of evil, however, is only a preliminary stage in our service of G-d. The ultimate goal is to bring together all the aspects of our personalities in the service of the Almighty, which is what the holiday of Shavuot represents.

This level of service can only be achieved through a consorted effort. The seven weeks of Sefirat HaOmer, are devoted to this endeavor. The 49 days of Sefirat HaOmer, correspond to the 49 emotive attributes within the human character. Each day is related to the elevation of a different trait, as we systematically refine our characters.

This process of refinement allows us to resolve the conflict between our good and evil impulses. On Pesach, our individual identity and our spiritual goals may be separate from each other, or even in conflict. The spiritual labors of Sefirah, however, enable us to refine ourselves – allowing for the integration of our spiritual and individual identities on Shavuot.

May we utilize the final days before Shavuot – to dig a little deeper into our souls and uncover the vast treasures that we each possess. Through our careful and deliberate efforts in discovering our essential beings we will surely arrive at the holiday of Shavuot in a state of genuine harmony and balance both personally and communally.