Every yom tov has its own special message. Pesach is
zeman cheiruseinu, the season of our freedom; we focus
on true freedom -- mastery over our yetzer hora. On
Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the creation of mankind, we
focus on establishing Hashem as King, just as Odom Horishon
crowned Him on that first Rosh Hashanah. Succos, zeman
simchoseinu, is the time that we channel our joy to serve
our Creator.
What is our focus for Shavuos? Although Shavuos is zeman
matan Torahseinu, nevertheless the avodas hayom
cannot be just reaccepting the Torah. Chazal say that one
should consider the Torah as if it is given to us anew each
and every day -- so kabolas HaTorah is not limited to
Shavuos. What then is unique about Shavuos?
Another question: There are two days in the Jewish calendar
designated to rejoice about the Torah: Shavuos and Simchas
Torah. On Simchas Torah we rejoice over completing the Torah.
Would it not be more appropriate to complete the Torah and
celebrate this milestone on Shavuos, the anniversary of the
giving of the Torah? What is the difference between these two
holidays?
*
The gemora (Shabbos 88b) relates that when Moshe
ascended to Shomayim to receive the Torah, the
mal'ochim asked Hashem, "How can the precious Torah be
given to mere flesh and blood? Is man truly worthy of this
treasure? Let it remain in the Heavens where it will be
treated with proper honor and dignity."
Moshe responded that the mitzvos of the Torah relate
specifically to man: only man has parents to honor; only man
can murder and steal; and only man has a yetzer hora.
Only then did they consent to the giving of the Torah to man
(Shabbos 88b).
It is difficult to fathom what the mal'ochim meant.
First of all, is it not obvious that the Torah was written
for man?
Second, when Hashem created Heaven and earth, it was
conditional. The Ribono Shel Olom stipulated to the
Heavens and earth that if the Jewish people accept the Torah
on the sixth of Sivan, then "You will endure. However, if
they do not, I will return you to nothingness (Ibid.,
88a)." If the Torah had remained in Shomayim
instead of being given to Bnei Yisroel, the entire
universe -- including the mal'ochim -- would have been
destroyed. Were the mal'ochim trying to seal their own
fate?
Finally, since the gemora says that matan Torah
was planned from the beginning of Creation, why did the
mal'ochim wait until Moshe ascended to
Shomayim, to complain?
*
The Dubno Maggid explains with a moshol (Ohel Yaakov
Parshas Yisro p.153). An aging and well-respected rabbi
in a very large city was finding that his many
responsibilities were becoming too taxing for him. He
convened the city elders and asked to be relieved of his
duties. He wished to take a rabbinical post in a small
village where he could live in tranquillity. The elders
consented to his request and wished him well.
He notified a nearby village that his services were
available. Naturally, the villagers were delighted with the
prospect of having such a venerable sage for a rav, and they
immediately dispatched a delegation to receive the rabbi,
along with a wagon for his belongings. As they entered the
large city, the delegation was greeted with shouts, "You're
stealing our rav. We won't let you take our rav!" And they
were driven away.
They tried to reenter the city gates and again their way was
blocked. Finally they said, "Let us bring the matter before
the rav and see what he has to say."
The rav asked his congregants, "Didn't you consent to my
retiring to a smaller village? Why are you now blocking my
departure?"
The community members responded, "Heaven forbid, we never
intended to block the rav's departure. However, if we were to
let the rav leave without any fuss, this new community might
get the impression that the rav was driven away from his
post, and they would not fully appreciate the rav's
greatness. Now that we have protested, demonstrating our
affection and admiration for the rav, the villagers will
realize how fortunate they are and will treat their new rabbi
with the dignity and respect that he deserves."
A Demonstration of Love
We can now understand what the mal'ochim intended to
do, along these lines. They had no real expectation that the
Torah would be given to them. Rather, they were concerned
that Bnei Yisrael would not fully realize how precious
the Torah is -- "more desirable than gold, sweeter than
honey (Tehillim 19:11)." They might think: "If Torah
is chochmas Elokim, how can it be brought down to
earth?"
Therefore, when Moshe ascended to Shomayim, the angels
claimed that they had a right to the Torah. Just as the
kehilla members protested to demonstrate their esteem
for the rav, so too the mal'ochim's complaint showed
Moshe how precious the Torah really is. We might add,
however, that while the rav in our story played no part in
his congregants' scheme, at matan Torah, Hashem was
aware of the angels' plan; perhaps it was even His idea, so
to speak.
R' Akiva used to say (Ovos 3:18): "Beloved are Bnei
Yisroel for they are called children of the Omnipresent;
indicative of a greater love is that it was made known to
them that they are called children of the Omnipresent, as it
says: `You are children to Hashem your G-d (Devorim
14:1).'
"Beloved are Bnei Yisroel, for a kli chemdoh --
the Torah -- with which the world was created, was given to
them. Indicative of a greater love is that it was made known
to them that they were given a kli chemdoh, as it is
said: `For I have given you a good teaching, do not forsake
My Torah (Mishlei 4:2).'"
Hashem displayed His tremendous love for the Bnei
Yisroel in two ways: He revealed to us that we are His
children and He told us that He cherishes the Torah that He
gave us. R' Akiva quoted a source for both these teachings.
The posuk where we learn that Hashem considers us His
children is in Devorim, which means that the Dor
Dei'ah, the generation in the Wilderness, was aware of
Hashem's affection for them. However the source that the
Torah is a kli chemdoh is in Mishlei.
Did we have to wait until Shlomo Hamelech authored this work
to be made aware of how special the Torah is? Hashem surely
must have revealed to the Dor Dei'ah that the Torah is
a kli chemdoh. When did He tell them?
Perhaps it was when Moshe came to receive the Torah. Hashem
asked the mal'ochim to object, stating that they
desired the Torah for themselves. In this way, the
preciousness of Torah was made clear to Bnei Yisroel.
Furthermore, by orchestrating the protest, Hashem
demonstrated His great love for Bnei Yisroel (See
Ohel Yaakov, ibid.; See also Shemos Rabbah
33:1).
*
This is the essence of Shavuos -- we celebrate Hashem's deep
love of our nation. We recall the show of affection that can
never be duplicated. At matan Torah, we merited to
hear the first two commandments directly from Hashem. We
beseech Hashem, "Communicate Your innermost wisdom to me
again in loving closeness (as You did at matan Torah),
for Your friendship is dearer than all earthly delights
(Shir HaShirim 1:2 as explained by Rashi)."
This idea is reflected by the very day designated to
commemorate this momentous event. Shavuos is celebrated on
the sixth day of Sivan. Yet, we find that the Sages debate
the exact date of matan Torah (Shabbos 86a- 88a).
The point of contention relates to the laws of tumah,
spiritual impurity: How long a particular substance retains
its potency and conveys tumah. In turn, this dispute
hinges on how many days the Bnei Yisroel prepared
before they received (yemei hagboloh): Two or three
days. Everyone agrees that the initial command was to prepare
for two days and the Torah would be given on the third day.
The Sages debate whether Moshe extended this period by
another day. The chachomim contend that Moshe did not
add another day; the Torah was received on the sixth of
Sivan, as originally planned. R' Yosi, however, argues that
Moshe did in fact extend the waiting period, in effect
postponing the Revelation to the seventh of Sivan.
*
The Chachomim contend that the Torah was given on the sixth
day of Sivan, while R' Yosi argues that Matan Torah
occurred on the seventh of Sivan. Since the halacha
follows R' Yosi's view (Yoreh Deah 196:11) how, asks
Mogen Avrohom, can we declare on Shavuos that it is
zeman matan Toraseinu (Mogen Avrohom
introduction to siman 494)?
Furthermore, we know that the departure of the Jewish People
from Egypt took place on a Thursday (Shabbos 87b),
while the Revelation took place seven weeks later, on Shabbos
(Ibid. 86b). A calculation of the number of days
between that Thursday night, which would have been the
beginning of the Omer period, and the Shabbos when the
Torah was received, comes to fifty-one days. Inasmuch as the
Chachomim concur with R' Yosi on this issue, we can conclude
that the Torah was given on the fifty-first day of the
Omer. Yet Shavuos is celebrated on the fiftieth day
after the Omer was brought (Mogen Avrohom,
ibid.; see also Rivash no. 96; Maharsha, Avoda
Zora 3a; Tzelach Shabbos 88a and Pesochim
68b; Chok Yaakov 430:2 and 494:1).
The Maharal answers (Maharal, Tiferes Yisroel Ch. 27
p. 83a) that although we did not receive the Torah until the
fifty-first day of the Omer which, according to R'
Yosi, was the seventh day of Sivan, nevertheless Hashem had
been prepared to present the Torah to us on the fiftieth day.
It was only due to Moshe Rabbenu adding an extra day of
preparation that the Revelation was postponed to the
following day.
Thus, it is the fiftieth day that we celebrate since Hashem
designated that day for Matan Torah. Thus, on Shavuos
we declare Zeman Matan Toraseinu, the time of the
giving of the Torah. We focus on Hashem's gift to us.
Hashem was already prepared on that day to give us His kli
chemdoh, demonstrating His deep love for the Jewish
Nation, which was thus already fully evident on the sixth of
Sivan.
*
In Megilla 31b we learn that Ezra instituted the
reading of the Tochochoh before Shavuos so that the
year should end -- Shavuos is Rosh Hashanah for fruit of the
tree -- and the curses should end with it. Chazal also
arranged that parshas Bamidbar be read beforehand (See
Tosafos and the Maharsha, ibid.). Surely, this
parsha must contain a message pertinent to Matan
Torah.
We see Hashem's love for Bnei Yisroel in parshas
Bamidbar. Rashi (1:1) explains that Hashem repeatedly
counted Bnei Yisroel in the desert because of His deep
love for us, like a shepherd who counts his beloved flock.
Unlike a shepherd though, Hashem already knew the total of
His nation. His counting was to demonstrate His love for us
(See also Da'as Torah, Bamidbar 1:1).
Perhaps this is why we always read parshas Bamidbar
before Shavuos, to remind us of His love and devotion to
us.
Looking at all the obligations set forth in the Torah, one
could easily think that the Torah is a yoke and a burden.
When we recall Hashem's love however, we realize that He must
have given us the Torah for our benefit, as a manifestation
of His love. If we approach the Torah with this attitude, we
will surely realize that it is a kli chemdoh.
We see this notion of Shavuos being a manifestation of
Hashem's affection for us, expressed in the Amidah for
yom tov. The Siach Yitzchok writes (Siddur
HaGra) that the introductory paragraph to the
brochoh of kedushas hayom, the blessing of
Shemoneh Esrei that expresses the sanctity of the
festivals, includes phrases alluding to each of the
Sholosh Regolim: Atoh bechartonu mikol ho'amim -
- You have chosen us from all the nations -- alludes to
Pesach when Hashem chose us from among the Egyptians;
ohavto osonu -- You loved us -- refers to Shavuos;
verotziso bonu -- and You found favor in us --
describes Succos.
The Siach Yitzchok explains that love is achieved when
two parties share a common goal and purpose. After Hashem
plucked the Bnei Yisroel from the tumah,
immorality and depravity of Egypt, they began to observe the
mitzvos and return to their spiritual roots of kedusha
in preparation for kabolas haTorah. We then proved
ourselves worthy of Hashem's affection. Ohavto osonu --
Hashem demonstrated His love by giving us His most treasured
possession, the Torah, on Shavuos. And once we had the Torah,
we were one with Hashem -- Yisroel veOraissa veKudesho
Berich Hu -- chad Hu. The Jewish people, the Torah and
HaKodosh Boruch Hu are all one -- true love (Zohar,
Acharei Mos).
The Siach Yitzchok explains how the other expressions
refer to Pesach and Succos. He writes that the term
bechiroh means to choose the best one among all the
available options. If one is bocheir, it cannot
necessarily be inferred that his selection was ideal. His
choice may just have some advantage over the other options,
or he sees dormant potential in that selection, waiting to be
developed. This aptly describes Bnei Yisroel at the
time of the Geula. Bnei Yisroel were not worthy on
their own to be redeemed; the Jewish Nation had sinned and
worshiped avoda zora. Yet Hashem liberated the Bnei
Yisroel from Mitzrayim for He realized that they had only
sunk so low because they were surrounded by the avoda
zora and occult practices of the Egyptians. Hashem
foresaw our tremendous potential, for the Jewish People are
the descendants of the Ovos, who implanted in their
progeny the seeds of devotion to Hashem and spiritual
greatness. Therefore, bechiroh relates to Pesach.
Rotzon is the expression reserved for Succos. Favor
knows no bounds, rhyme or reason. Although Bnei
Yisroel committed the sin of the Golden Calf, incurring
Hashem's wrath, nevertheless He accepted their teshuvoh
on Yom Kippur and rested His Shechina on the
Jewish People on Succos.
Shavuos is Hashem's Love for Us; Simchas Torah is our Love
of Torah
Now we can understand the difference between the celebrations
of Shavuos and Simchas Torah. On Shavuos we focus on Hashem's
gift to us and His affection for us that this gift
demonstrates. Therefore, we do not complete the Torah on
Shavuos; the emphasis is on His love towards us not on our
actions and reactions.
After the festival of Succos, before we take leave of the
Beis Hamikdosh and the sanctity of the yom tov,
we celebrate Simchas Torah. Hashem says to His beloved
children: "Koshe olai pridaschem, Your separation is
difficult for Me (Rashi, Vayikra 23:36)."
Our response? We complete the Torah and rejoice over this
accomplishment. In effect, our rejoicing with the Torah is a
declaration of our attachment to the Torah; wherever we may
be, we will toil over the Torah, the dvar Hashem. In
this way we are telling Hashem that He should not be sad over
the end of the festival, for there will not be any
separation.
See also Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel ch. 43) where he
explains that the first four books of the Torah relate more
to Hashem, the Nosein HaTorah, whereas the book of
Devorim relates to Bnei Yisroel, the Torah's
recipients.
Therefore, on Shavuos we read the Luchos Rishonos, the
First Tablets mentioned in the book of Shemos; the
emphasis is on Hashem's giving of the Torah. The celebration
of the completion of the entire Torah, which also marks the
conclusion of Devorim is more appropriate for Shemini
Atzeres.
*
This Shavuos, Let us reflect on Hashem's love for us. Then
let us reciprocate His affection by dedicating ourselves to
the Torah and its mitzvos . . . . And come Simchas Torah we
will have what to celebrate.
Rabbi Levinson is a member of the Melbourne Kollel and
editor of its journal Moadim Uzmanim.
