The Rebbe responded with a parable: “When one takes a stroll down 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. The surface beauty is all 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 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.
Shavuos – The Deeper Self
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 (politically correct) 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 takes a stroll down 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. The surface beauty is all 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 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 Moshe, “When you lead 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 observance of Pesach, Sefiras HaOmer, and Shavuot is more than a sequential 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 again take control of them, therefore they fled. Their desire was to escape the defilement of Egypt.
Most people are aware of the presence of both good and evil impulses within their hearts. Even someone who wishes to serve G-d may struggle against a part of himself that opposes this wish and seeks personal and animalistic gratification instead. As a result, he feel the need 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. We cannot base our entire Judaism on a negative – the flight from something we do not desire. We cannot, for example, base our entire Judaism, as some would have us believe, on the fact that we are not Christians.
The ultimate goal is to cleave to positive – to bring together all the elements of our personalities in the positive 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 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 – this Shavuot – uncover the deeper dimensions of our souls and realize the vast treasures that we each possess, achieving thereby a genuine state of harmony and balance.
thanks
great story!
Jese E. Hamilton II, Esq.
May we enjoy Shavuos, commemorating G_Ds giving of the Ten Commandments and its implications to the World.
There will be the ultimate unity when everyone gathers in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. May G_D bless the 60th anniversary of Israel and its G_D given boarders.
Jesse E. Hamilton III, Esq.
New York State
Democratic District Leader
43rd Assembly District