The Weekly Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Ki Savo

The Rebbe says:

1. Before the festival of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and the festival of Shavuos (the giving of the Torah) we read the “Tochachah” (the consequences or curses enumerated in the Torah for rejecting G-d’s word). The “Tochachah” before the festival of Shavuos is found in Parshas Bechukosai, and the “Tochachah” before the festival of Rosh Hashanah is found in Parshas Ki Savo (this week’s Torah portion).

2. The Rebbe explains the reason for reading the “Tochahah”:

Our Sages tell us that the “Tochachah” is actually not a punishment; it is a purification and cleansing process. In other words, hearing the Torah enumerating the harsh consequences for disobeying G-d’s word is a sobering experience where we shake off all our “dirt”.

Therefore, before we receive the great revelations of Rosh Hashanah and Shavuos, and we need to be a proper vessel to receive this, we first read the “Tochachah” to cleanse ourselves. This can be compared to someone who wants to place a rare and precious jewel into a box for safekeeping that first cleans and scours the box to be a proper container for the jewel.

In other words, even though the bottom line is that for a small amount of time the person is suffering, never the less, Hashem who is our “Merciful Father” still decided that it is worth going through this so that we can receive the “precious jewel” afterwards.

3. The Rebbe now begins explaining the difference between the “Tochachah” which is read before the festival of Rosh Hashanah and the “Tochachah” which is read before the festival of Shavuos:

In the “Tochachah” which is read before Shavuos there are forty nine curses whereas in the “Tochachah” which is read before Rosh Hashanah there are ninety eight curses which is double as many curses as the “Tochachah” read before Shavuos.

Moreover, bearing in mind the previous explanation that the “Tochachah” is a preparation for a great revelation, we can understand that the more cleansing there is, the greater the revelation is going to be. Consequently, Rosh Hashanah, which has a preparation of double as many curses as Shavuos does, must have double as great a revelation than Shavuos does.

4. The Rebbe continues explaining how the revelation of Rosh Hashanah is greater:

The revelation on Shavuos is the level of “Or Yashar”, which is a gift from Hashem from above to below. This is as our Sages tell us that at the time of the giving of the Torah the Jewish people had the status of a convert who is like a newborn child; just like a newborn child has a clean slate and does not work for Hashem (in the classic sense), so too the giving of the Torah was a present from Hashem without our having to work for it.

The revelation on Rosh Hashanah is the level of “Or Chozer”, which is through our work, and this is a greater revelation than “Or Yashar”.

This also fits with the type of months of preparation which take place before these festivals:

The Hebrew months of Nissan, Iyar, and some of Sivan, are the preparatory months for the festival of Shavuos, and these months represent the service of Tzadikim (righteous ones) which is the service of “from above to below”. As our Sages tell us, the verse, “My Beloved (Hashem) is to me, and I am to my Beloved (Hashem)”, refers to the months of Nissan, Iyar, and the beginning of Sivan, because during these months Hashem comes close to us as a gift first- “My Beloved (Hashem) is to me”, and then we work on coming close to Him- “And I am to my Beloved (Hashem)”. Therefore it is fitting that these months are the preparation for Shavuos which is a gift from Hashem from above to below.

On the other hand the preparation for Rosh Hashanah is the month of Elul which represents the service of Balei Teshuvah (people who repent). As we know, the Hebrew name for the month of Elul is an acronym for the verse, “Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Lee – I am to my Beloved (Hashem), and my Beloved is to me”,; in the month of Elul there must first be “I am to my Beloved”- us returning to Hashem, and only then is it “And my Beloved is to me”- Hashem coming close to us. Therefore it is fitting that Rosh Hashanah comes right after the month of Elul because Rosh Hashanah is also the service of from below to above.

Additionally, the type of month also fits with the levels of revelation that we discussed earlier:

Our Sages tell us that a Tzadik (righteous man) cannot stand in the place of a Bal Teshuvah (someone who repented). So too, the month of Elul and then Rosh Hashanah, which represent the service of the Bal Teshuvah (as we just explained), has a greater revelation than Shavuos and the months preceding it which represent the service of the Tzadik.

Translated and adapted by Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos volume two, second Sicha.