Weekly Story: Shavuos

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

I am posting this week something that I mentioned last Shabbos in a farbrengen about the Baal Shem Tov’s Yahrzeit which was on Friday, the 1st day of Shavuos.

As always, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated and welcomed.

It is well known that the Alter wrote on the title page of the Tanya (Likkutei Maaarim) that he based this Sefer largely on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid (who he refers to them as the Sofrim (scribes). Yet the only place in Tanya that he specifies that he is basing his thoughts on an explanation and teaching of the Baal Shem Tov is in the beginning of the first chapter of Shaar HaYichud Ve’HuEmunah, which is the portion of the Tanya that we learn on the second day of Shavuos of most years.

The question becomes that since the Baal Shem Tov’s yahrzeit is on the first day of Shavuos, why was the division of Tanya made up that we learned an explanation of his on the second day and not the first day?

The explanation given is because the Baal Shem Tov had a special affinity with the second day of Yom Tov of Golus (Exile in the diaspora), as it was extremely precious to him. Being that it held a special place in his heart so in honor of that concept we learn a teaching of his on the second day of Shavuos.

We have to understand what is so significant about the second day of Yom Tov in diaspora, that it’s so special by the Baal Shem Tov?

One of the principles of Chassidus is that the reason Hashem sent the Neshoma down into this Earth is to elevate the world so that it no longer is seemingly separated from Hashem, but it is refined and elevated to the point that you see it’s completely connected to Hashem. And in fact it is not merely connected but it is an extension of Hashem!

The Baal Shem Tov was saying to us, that nothing brings out this concept so vividly as the final day of Yom Tov in the diaspora.
While the second day of Yom Tov this year was on Shabbos, most of the time it is on a weekday. In those situations, every Jewish male over thirteen will be obligated to don Tefillin upon their hand and head, as our brethren in Eretz Yisroel do.

However, we who live in the diaspora, do not put on Tefillin. Furthermore, not only do we not put on Tefillin without reciting a brocha as the Ashkenazic custom is on Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days) of Pesach and Sukkos, but no Jew in the diaspora puts them on at all.

The reason is that the second day of Shavuos is a Yom Tov just like the first day was a Yom Tov. So the second day of Yom Tov attains the exact same level of holiness that Hashem gave the first days. In simple English this means that this regular weekday was elevated and refined to such an extent that it became completely holy. And subsequently, we push off a positive mitzvah of putting on Tefillin this day.

This is in a nutshell the purpose and mission Hashem entrusted us with, that the world itself should declare, I am holy and G-dly.
I concluded that thought by adding, although it is very late, and the assembled have what to do, nevertheless, we will extend the farbrengen past the beginning of the night, so this way we will be extending the Yom Tov into what was supposed to be a regular day, and transform it into a holy day.

A Taste of Chasidus Nosso Ess Rosh Bnei Gershon Likkutei Torah (Bamidbar) p. 20A

In this Maamar the Alter Rebbe explains what was the purpose of traveling with the Mishkan in the midbar (wilderness). In other words, what did it accomplish and more importantly, what can we learn from it and our service to Hashem?

In order to answer this question, we first have to understand what a wilderness represents in spiritual terms.

A wilderness is a place where nothing grows, or in other words it doesn’t give forth any produce. Giving off produce demonstrates that you are not keeping everything for yourself, but you are willing to share with others what you have. This can be accomplished through giving charity, advice, assistance or simply nurturing someone else. This is a symbol of righteousness and holiness.

However, withholding assistance from others is a sign of impurity. So in Chassidic or kabbalistic terminology a wilderness which is a place that doesn’t give off produce is referred to as Kelipa – the source of impurity. Therefore, when the Torah speaks about the Midbar – wilderness, it uses two different descriptions: either it describes it as a place of poisonous snakes and scorpions, or it says it is a place where a man does not live. Our Sages explain this to mean that it is referring to the supernal man, meaning Hashem.

nd the possuk is saying that the wilderness is declaring that Hashem [meaning His Torah and Mitzvos] are not welcomed here or doesn’t dwell here.

Now we can understand what the purpose of the 42 travels of moving and setting up the Mishkan in the wilderness symbolizes.

The Torah mentions that Moshe declared when the Aron was moving how Hashem should rise and Your enemies shall be scattered and flee from in front of You. Meaning that the glory of Hashem should not only be present but should penetrate the wall of concealment that the Klipa has established, and weaken it until they become scattered and G-dliness itself can be seen in that area of the wilderness.

Once the Jewish people broke the strength of the Kelipa (even if it is only on the level of Iskafya), that gives us the ability to reveal throughout the generations that Hashem is the source of everything, even of this concealment, and ultimately we will reveal Hashem’s essence throughout every aspect of the universe, and the concealment itself will declare that there is nothing else besides G-dliness!

However, as noted the reason the Torah is informing us of this is because through this Hashem is giving us the guidance on how to implement this guidance in successfully accomplishing our mission of revealing the truth that there is nothing besides Hashem, and the concealment is not really a concealment.

[Chassidus explains this concept (of a concealment not really being a concealment) with a teacher and student. The teacher wants to explain a concept to a student. However, the teacher realizes that at this moment the concept is beyond the student’s intellectual abilities to comprehend it properly. So the teacher conceals certain aspects and reveals or teaches only a few fundamental and basic principles of this concept.

So while to the students the deeper concepts are concealed and hidden from them, the teacher sees or envisions how as the intellectual capabilities of the students develop, they will see the depth in it as well. So to the teacher there was no real concealment.

The same thing is here. From Hashem’s viewpoint, there is nothing besides Him. So just because a human or any created entity wishes and tries to portray themselves as a self-standing entity, that doesn’t mean that they are really an independent entity. As⁵ the truth is that there is nothing besides Hashem.]

Now the Alter Rebbe explains how this is to be applied by each one of us in our daily life and service of Hashem.

As noted elsewhere, the purpose of the Mishkan is that we should make ourselves and this world a dwelling place for Hashem to dwell in it. So it follows to say that we can and should take guidance from the building of the Mishkan to see how we could successfully accomplish this feat. When the Jewish people traveled the first thing to be set up were the walls. followed by the curtains and only then did the utensils arrive and were positioned in their place.

The walls were set up to stand in their place. Standing still/quiet represents the aspect of humility, as we see that we stand by Shemone Esreh, because at that point we came to the recognition that Hashem is the only King, and therefore we bow down and [only after requesting permission,] do we speak quietly. Or as we mention in davening that the angels stand in fear, so when one is standing still that is demonstrating that they humbled and nullify themselves completely. This self-nullification comes as a result of the person’s realization (introspection) that his soul is connected to Hashem, so why should it desire aspects that are not in sync or perhaps even in opposition to Hashem’s will?

Once a person accomplishes this nullification of wayward interests and desires, then we come to the level of placing the curtains as a cover over the walls.

The curtains were made out of six materials, one of them being תכלת – turquoise wool. The word תכלת is connected to the word כלתה )נפשי( which means (my soul) yearns/desires, which is telling us that after one succeeds in stilling their desire for foreign or negative aspects, because of realization of what the source of their Neshoma is, so then their desires are only to become connected to Hashem.

[However, it should be noted that this is the preferred way, but if for whatever reason a person cannot accomplish this and drive out or subdue the evil, then just do positive actions/ mitzvos and a drop of light dispels an abundance of darkness.]

In avodah this translates to mean, we should begin with a level of fear and then progress to a level of love. As our sages explain, first we say Shema Yisroel, accept Hashem as our King, and then accept upon ourselves to fulfill his Mitzvos/ Commandments.
The final component is bringing in the vessels, including the Aron (ark). As we know Hashem’s shechina rested up in the ark, and His voice spoke from between the two Cherubim which were above it.

So too, when we finish our mission and not only subduing the kelipa, but transforming it, that it also desires to serve Hashem, then not only would the shechina come down here, but here will become its permanent residence.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He is available to farbrebg in your community. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.