A Shavuot to Remember

In a recent study by Shira Smiles titled Shavuot and Ruth: Inner Dimensions, she touched on something I had never thought or heard before. She said that Shavuot was the only Chag that the Torah and HaShem commanded us to prepare for. "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day that you bring the Omer as a wave-offering, the counting shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days, so that the souls of your people Israel may be cleansed from their defilement." Not only does this counting cleanse us it is a cleansing and repair for all of Israel
It is tradition to study and prepare for a holiday starting the month before. Chazal say that just as Rosh Hoshana is a repair for our material world, Shavuot is a repair for our spiritual world.
Beloved today is a very special day - this Shabbos is a very special Shabbos - YOU are very special. Today is 45 days in the counting of the Omer, less than one week until we celebrate Shavuot – the season of the giving of our Torah.
This is a very special day, for on this day we were "like one person with one heart".
Enjoy the teaching below, Shabbat Shalom, Elisheva Amaris

In the Tanya the Alter Rebbe teaches us to meditate on Hashem's love for us. By meditating on how every moment of life, every breath and every cell of our being is a Divine gift- our love for Hashem is naturally aroused as well. Taking this a step further we realize that Hashem's love also strengthens our faith and trust in Him, and further enables us to love one another fully and even altruistically.

Meaningful Life – Meaningful Living:
A Parshas Bamidbar Pre-Shavuot Meditation
Visualize yourself in the desert, present with your family, with your tribe and with your people as Moshe Rabbeinu conducts the census. When it will be your turn to pass in front of Moshe Rabbeinu and his brother Aharon, the Kohen Gadol you contribute your half-shekel, and state your name and the name of your parents. Visualize yourself in the presence of the holiest and most humble person in the world- your Rebbe - Moshe Rabbeinu, the servant of Hashem. You are elevated and you feel so worthy; you realize that you are unique and that you have a unique and purpose in the world. You are now aware and can honestly say "the world was created for my sake."

But you don't feel haughty. Instead you feel exalted and humbled at the same time and you sincerely pray that Hashem will help you fulfill your purpose and mission.

You also realize that every one else is also unique and that everyone has a special holy purpose in the world. You count no less than and no more than anyone else – Hashem desires every one of you and all of you.

Meditate on this and try to learn a lesson in humility. Learn how you too can make someone feel really important! Understand that only by your being fully present and your embracing every one else's presence, will the Shechinah dwell in our midst; and so be present and unite, sincerely and joyously with all your brothers and sisters

'Lispor' And 'Lifkod'

Sefer Bamidbar, the fourth book of the Torah, is known as "Chomesh Hapekudim" in the Talmud. Translated this means the 'chumash* of the counting'' [*the fourth book of the Five Books of Moses] and hence the English name for this book of the Torah is Numbers.

Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue, Hebrew, is a very beautiful language. There are two Hebrew verbs which mean to count: and.
Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon were commanded:

"se'u et rosh" – to take a census - [literally 'lift the head']
'lifkod' – to count and appoint them according to their divisions
'lispor' – to count their numbers by counting the coins they contributed
In studying the verb 'lifkod' we discover that is used in at least four different ways meanings which are in fact all related.
'Lifkod' (inf.) means:

'to count' – [you count]
to appoint – [you have a purpose and mission]
'to remember' – [Hashem is mindful of you]; and
'to command' – you are commanded to fulfill your purpose and mission; you are endowed with a spark of His holiness- with this energy you are to bring His presence into this world
"THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR MY SAKE"

Let's learn a Mishnah. This Mishnah is in Sanhedrin and deals with what the judges would tell the witnesses before they testified in cases that involved capital punishment. Note especially the last statement, "THEREFORE EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS OBLIGATED TO SAY, 'THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR MY SAKE."'

We need to understand what a person is supposed to think when he/she says "The world was created for my sake". Surely the Rabbis were not suggesting that we be egocentric. Saying that the world was "created for my sake," means that everything that has taken place since the beginning of creation until now was done for my sake. How are we to understand this? Actually it seems to be beyond our comprehension.

In more manageable words it seems to be saying that Hashem does not do anything that is redundant. You and I are not just another two individuals in the world, another number, another statistic. Hashem values our beings tremendously; much more so than we do. This is beyond our understanding and we must accept this on faith.

The Torah teaches us that we must learn to respect and love each individual person. We must try to understand that when Hashem created the world He already 'dreamt' about the time that you and I would be living in it. We need to get in touch with Hashem's dream. We need to find out what Hashem dreamt about each one of us and live our lives to fulfill His dream. That is the ultimate of nobility.

The ultimate of nobility is to truthfully and humbly say 'THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR MY SAKE'; to truthfully and humbly accept that there is noble purpose in my/your existence; to accept that that which I/you am/are supposed to do cannot be done by someone else; to honestly accept that we must make every effort to accomplish our individual and collective purpose.

Hashem commanded Moshe to count the Children of Israel, to let each one know that in Hashem's eyes, the entire Creation is for my sake and your sake; that Hashem is mindful of me and you always, and is waiting for us to actualize our potential and fulfill our purpose and destiny.

The Shabbos Before Shavuot

According to the Jewish calendar it always works that we read parshat Bamidbar on the Shabbos before Shavuot, the holiday of the giving of the Torah. Shabbos is the headquarters of all that is holy and the holiness of the upcoming holiday begins to descend on the preceding Shabbos.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches that this Shabbos is similar to the Shabbos before a wedding, when the 'chattan' is called up to the Torah in spiritual preparation for the wedding. Shavuot is the great wedding between Hashem and B'nai Yisrael, and hence this Shabbos we prepare for our wedding.

The Rebbe explains that the fact that the Torah was given to us in Midbar Sinai, in the wilderness or desert of Sinai teaches us that we are to make a home for Hashem even in the wilderness, even in the desert. Hashem commands us and gives us the strength to build His sanctuary, a true and joyous Torah home and community even in a spiritual desert. Wherever we are we can and must connect to Hashem.

The Slonimer Rebbe teaches that the Shabbos before Shavuot provides us with the spiritual nourishment that we need in order to be ready to stand once again at Har Sinai, together with each other in unity, to receive the holy Torah. Indeed, parshat Bamidbar contains important lessons that we need to learn in preparation for receiving the Torah.

The Individual And The Community

As each individual was counted, or lifted up, they became aware of their uniqueness in the community. Each person is unique and possesses a unique place in the community. No one can take someone else's place. It is so important to know that you really cannot take someone else’s place, to know that 'you' cannot 'be' in someone else’s place. 'You' have to be 'yourself' in 'your place' and I have to be 'myself' in 'my place'; each one of us has to make our unique contributions towards the completion of Knesset Yisrael, the community of Israel, which is the vessel in which we receive the light of the Shechinah. Each one of us possesses a unique gift to contribute to home of Hashem, to the community of Israel, to the holy city of Yerushalayim, to Eretz Yisrael, and to the world.

A community is more than just a collection of individuals living in the same location and maybe even sharing similar beliefs. In the community that Hashem wants to dwell in, every individual person counts, and has their personal identity and unique place. Each individual is encouraged to contribute his or her real and unique talents to the community. Each individual welcomes and values and loves every other individual as well.

This is what we need to read in the Torah on the Shabbos before Shavuot. To receive the Torah, I have to receive it both as an individual and as a complete member of the community of Israel. To receive the holy Torah, we have to be one with each other and one with Hashem and one with the Torah.

May we be blessed that this parsha will stir our memories of living together and standing together 'as one person with one heart', ready to receive Hashem's Torah. May we be blessed that each letter of Torah will bring us together in stronger and closer bonds, that we respect each letter of Torah, that we respect each fellow Jewish neshamah, that we respect all of Hashem's creations and that we respect our relationships with family, friends, community, Hashem and ourselves.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan, Yerushalayim and Shavuot

Yom Yerushalayim:
Mazal Tov! This week we will celebrate Yom Yerushalayim – the day of our re-unification with the holy city. May Yerushalayim always be with us, and may we always merit to be with her and cherish being with her.

Forty three years ago, on the 28th of Iyar, 5727 (1967) after almost two thousand years of tears and prayers, Hashem Yisborach opened the gates for us to come home to the united Holy city of Yerushalayim. Many many miracles happened on that day and the gates of heaven were opened.

Reb Shlomo zt”l taught that it was after we returned to Yerushalayim that the 'bal tshuvah' movement began. Hashem sent out a great calling and beckoning for us to come home, to come close again. The beckoning voice of Yerushalayim - 'Kol Hashem', can still be heard, even amidst all the noise.

For two thousand years we have been praying three times a day: "Ve'li'Yerushalayim ihrcha b'rachamim tashuv... please return with compassion to Yerushalayim, Your city."

We are still asking Hashem to come and dwell amongst us. In the meantime Hashem has brought us home, allowing us the opportunity to do our share in preparing the holy city for the return the holy Shechinah to its dwelling place in the holy city of Yerushalayim. May we all be mindful of the holiness of Yerushalayim. May we remember that Hashem is waiting for us to love one another so much; waiting for us to sincerely and truthfully welcome each other's being with a beautiful countenance. By joining together b'ahavah, we fashion the vessel to receive the holy Shechinah. May we accomplish all this in joy and peace. Amen.

Ribono Shel Olam please return to Yerushalayim Your Holy City. Sound the great shofar to liberate us. May we hear its pure sound and be liberated from all the foolishness of this world and its constricting entrapments. Raise a banner to gather in all our exiles from the four corners of the earth. Bring us back home to our land and to Yerushalayim Your holy city.

As we walk in Your holy city, as we say Shalom to one another, may we always be conscious how fortunate we are to be walking in the courtyards of Your holy palace on earth.

Reb Shlomo zt"l taught that King David conquered Yerushalayim on the eve of Shavuot and so the first time that the Jewish people got to pray in Yerushalayim was on Shavuot. King David was born on Shavuot and also passed away on Shavuot. Shavuot is also the 'yahrtzeit' of the Baal Shem Tov and of Graf Pototsky – a righteous convert who died 'al Kiddush Hashem'. According to our tradition, a moment before they leave this world, the great tzadikkim bequeath their spiritual gifts to us. Money and possessions are left behind for our children after we die, but holiness, sweetness and Torah we give them while we are still alive. And so imagine how much King David and the holy Baal Shem Tov left us with in their last moments on earth.

Reb Shlomo also explained that according to Sefer Yetzirah – The Book of Formation, the month of Sivan is the month of the tribe of Zevulun. "Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea." (Bereishis 49:13) Yaakov Avinu blessed Zevulun and his tribe that they would be merchants sailing the seas. The significance of this blessing is that we can live a life of holiness and service of Hashem even as we are involved in the mundane affairs of this world. People generally think and often it is true, that the more we are involved with worldly matters, the more we are torn away from holiness. Many mistakenly believe that the only way to be holy is by living a celibate and monastic life. However the truth is that by virtue of 'mattan Torah' – the giving of the Torah, Hashem provided us with the ability to live a life of holiness even as we are involved in mundane matters.

Hashem is giving us the Torah all the time, in all circumstances. We need only to open up to receive it. Sometimes we think that we don't have the vessels for it, but that is a mistake. Reb Shlomo used to encourage us to learn every moment that we can, even if it's only for a few seconds at a time. He suggested that we should keep a Sefer with short Torah teachings near the phone so that we can even learn for the few seconds that we are waiting for the phone to be answered! The issue is not how much learning will you get done in those few moments, rather the important thing is to desire to receive Hashem's holy Torah words at all times.

My friend and teacher Moshe Chess emphasized that the connection that Reb Shlomo makes between our prayers for the return to Yerushalayim and Shavuot – 'mattan Torah' is that both are beyond our vessels, beyond our comprehension. They are gifts that Hashem gives us, and we receive them according to degree we desire them. Reb Shlomo said that if you try to measure how much Yiddishkeit and Torah you can receive by first measuring the capacity of your vessels, then it is as if you weren't at Sinai and you don't have a portion in Yerushalayim. What is Yiddishkeit and what is Torah? It is to receive all the light of the Holy One Baruch Hu as it is shining in heaven and as it descends down to earth. Even if we don't have the vessels, Hashem will give them to us!