Achdus in Avodah

Image from here.

 At Neilas Hachag, the Rebbe, shlit"a, spoke about making a point of seeing every single person as a potential teacher. Everyone has something they do well that we can learn from. Maybe they excel in a midah that we have difficulty with. Whatever it is, one must exert himself and give special attention to finding something - even the smallest thing - that he can learn from the other person. Achdus is a prerequisite to Kabalas Hatorah, as we see that Klal Yisroel camped as one - ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר - and Chazal say כאיש אחד בלב אחד, as one person with one heart. But, the Rebbe said, the key to such unity is the ability to see good in our fellow. The word "vayichan", which literally means "and he camped", can also be understood to mean "and he made favorable", from the word "chein" - חן. We must find the grace and favor in each other. Viewing every person as someone to learn from and seeing their maalos is what creates real unity amongst people. 

The Rebbe then urged everyone to become part of a chabura. Learning Torah with others - not just a chavrusa, but with groups - is a different Torah. The Rebbe also emphasized davening as a chaburah. The idea is to take create that unity and then use it for more meaningful and impactful Avodas Hashem.

LIVE Shiur For Shavuos

LIVE EXCLUSIVE:
 Thursday at 2:25 pm (Milwaukee time) the Rebbe will be delivering a preparation shiur for Shavuos.

NOW AVAILABLE!

(Audio only)

This was a review of the Rebbe's Shabbos afternoon shiur.

Preparation Shiur For Shavuos

In preparation of the first Kabbalas HaTorah on Har Sinai, Hashem told Moshe: וקדשתם היום ומחר - v'kidashtem hayom umachar - "And you shall hallow them today and tomorrow." There are various interpretations found in the Medrashim regarding the nature of this particular sanctification. This past Shabbos, the Rebbe, shlit"a, spoke about five of these approaches, what they represent in avodas Hashem and how they apply to each and every one of us as we get ourselves ready for Shavuos. Here are my notes from the first two:

Don't Forget To Take With The Bikurim

Written by the Rebbe, HaRav Michel Twerski, shlit"a, in 1989/5749

(Turning Pages, pgs. 113-114)

I would suspect no one needs to be reminded that the holiday of Shavuos commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. A few of us might need to be reminded that Shavuos is also the holiday of "bikurim", which revolves around the agriculture of Israel and the bringing of the first fruits to Jerusalem for presentation to the Kohanim in the Bais Hamikdosh. According to the Talmudic descriptions of the merriment surrounding the transporting and offering of the bikurim, Shavuos was one of the most festive and celebratory events of the Jewish religious calendar. A word on the significance of this unique joy will hopefully enable all of us to better prepare for the forthcoming Shavuos holiday.

Shavuos: Choosing To Be Chosen

Written by the Rebbe, Harav Michel Twerski, shlit"a, in 1987/5747
(Turning Pages, pgs. 109-110)

The following paragraph may read like a paid commercial, but it is intended to be a serious exercise, and I would urge that we deal with it candidly.

Do we feel put upon by our religion? Are there times that we resent having been “chosen" by G-d to bear the responsibility of Torah and its demanding disciplines? Do we sometimes find ourselves thinking, feeling, or actually saying what Tevye expounds in Fiddler, “Dear G-d, I know we’re the chosen people, but every once in a while, couldn’t you choose somebody else?" Is Jewish "guilt" getting to us? Can we discern part of us saying, "Oy! S'iz shver tzu zein a yid (Oy, it's hard to be a Jew)"?

Yahrtzeit of the Baal Shem Hakadosh (belated)

The Rebbe, shlit"a, at the kever of the Baal Shem Hakadosh

There has always been some controversy as to when exactly the yahrtzeit of the Baal Shem Hakadosh is. It is well-known that he was niftar on Shavuos but whether it happened on the first day or the second day has always been a mystery.

I recall hearing in the name of the Rebbe's brother, HaRav Shloime of Denver, ztz"l, that the Baal Shem Tov was indeed niftar on the first day of Shavuos, but since it was Yom Tov they could not bury him until they found goyim to help with the malachos of the burial. Turns out that the Baal Shem Tov was buried on the second day, hence the beginning of the confusion. Apparently as the years went on, some remembered when he was actually niftar, while some remembered (correctly) when he was buried and confused it with the day he passed away.

In corroboration with this mesorah, I came across a mekor that proves without any shadow of a doubt that the Baal Shem Tov was niftar on the first day of Shavuos. The famous talmid of the Baal Shem Tov, the Toldos Yaakov Yosef, had a son named Rav Avrohom Shimon of Rashkov who was also a student of the Baal Shem Tov. Within the last few years, his handwritten siddur was discovered. By Birkas Kohanim he wrote a certain kavanah that he heard from his rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov. When attributing it to the Baal Shem Tov, he adds "who in our many sins passed away on the first day of this past Shavuos." Below is the page where this line is written (in the box).

613 Roses

The Rebbe's shul was decorated with 613 roses in honor of Shavuos and Kabbalas HaTorah. Click any picture to enlarge.

Photography courtesy of R' Yosef Aryeh Schlussel (mshb"k).

Checking Our Vital Signs

This past Shabbos (Parshas Nasso, Sivan 2, 5771), the Rebbe, shlit"a spoke about the importance of constantly "taking our vital signs", even ad nauseum. We need to be sure that we are alive. As preparation for accepting the Torah on Shavous, we need to ask ourselves if we are any different and in what have we grown since the "surgery" of yetzias Miztrayim.

In Parshas Nasso, the Torah enumerates three types of ritual impurity that render a person unfit to remain within the various camps of Klal Yisroel until they become pure again. One is tzoraas, a form of leprosy wrought upon one who has issue with any one of a number of midos. Lashon hara, haughtiness and anger are just some of the more well known transgressions that are the cause of this tumaa. Are we any better in our midos then when we left Egypt forty-nine days ago?

Another form of tumaa mentioned here is that of a zav. This impurity is generally caused by overindulgence in various appetites. Have we taken any steps in the right direction in this regard? Have we been successful in curbing some of the hedonistic tendencies that we so often ignore and allow to go by unchecked?

The third impurity that we must face before we are ready to re-accept the Torah is tumaas meis, a person who has come in contact with a dead body. Have we given up on any part of ourselves? Is there some aspect of our personality or fault in our character that we have come to terms with the fact that we will not grow or change in that regard? Are we alive? Are we responsive? When we have consigned any part of ourselves to stagnancy and death, then we become tamei meis.

 

In anticipation of Shavuos, we must answer these questions. Sefiras Haomer is intended to be a constant, at least daily, check-up of where we are with our spiritual health. When we can say we have indeed done something decisive to restore our purity and return to the camps of Klal Yisroel, that is when we are ready to answer will conviction "naaseh v'nishma", we will do and we will hear.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.