We left Shavuos, the festival of the Giving of the Torah, behind us and must make a reckoning, a soul-search.
What spiritual treasure can we take along from this enlightening day? It is not possible that such a momentous day of receiving the Torah should not have left its mark on us and that we return to our regular routine just like before.
I once heard a story about a fundraiser from Eretz Yisroel who came to a wealthy man abroad expecting a donation for a very worthy spiritual cause. The rich man made a sour face and said very disappointed, "Too bad you didn't come last week. I had been working of the self-improvement trait of generosity. This week, however, I am concentrating on a different trait altogether."
We surely do not wish to be like that rich man. We don't want to be like those who succeed in gaining new levels of righteousness, only to fall back and lose all they have already gained.
We know that we have committed ourselves to the yoke of Torah, that we have attained new heights of exalted spirituality, but this new reality obligates us with new responsibilities. We are different people now and must continue our growth upward and not slide back to our old levels.
How then can we achieve this? How can we preserve our gains and heights which we attained on Shavuos?
HaRav Kanievsky: In Parshas Bechukosai which we read almost two weeks ago, the Torah spreads out before us a long tapestry of marvelous blessings which will adorn us if we walk in the path of the statutes of Hashem. Towards the end, the climax, there are two special blessings that come in tandem. "And I will place my Sanctuary in your midst and My soul will not be disgusted by you." This is directly followed by the next verse, "And I shall walk in your midst and I will be unto you a G-d and you shall be My people."
What is the meaning of the blessing "And I shall walk in your midst"? Rashi explains this according to Chazal, "I will stroll with you in Gan Eden." Like one of you and you will not be shaken up from Me. Does this mean that you will not fear Me? The verse concludes, "I shall be your A-mighty G-d."
These are concepts which we cannot begin to fathom. To stroll with Hashem in Gan Eden? As if He were one of us? Without trembling? Even to the point that we might no longer fear Him and that it be necessary to remind us that "I will be unto an A-mighty G-d." We cannot grasp such an idea.
But we do understand one thing very fully: This is talking about a very exalted level, beyond our comprehension. This is a level attained by 'walking in Hashem's statutes."
What about the words written right before? "And My soul will not be disgusted with you." My spirit will not despise you." What a terrible state for Jewry! That our Father in Heaven Who loves us so much will become disgusted with you! What hope can they nurse? This is what the Torah promised: that if you walk in My statutes, My soul will be disgusted with you.
These two situations, juxtaposed, beg explanation. First, the situation where Hashem will not despise you. And then the promise that He will stroll with you in Gan Eden. These are polarly separated, from one end to the very far end. Can we imagine a person saying to his friend: I love you totally - and then saying - but you disgust me? It sounds altogether absurd.
This was raised by the Yerushalmi maggid, HaRav Shabsai Yudelevitch zt"l. He explained it based on Chazal, who said, "This nation is compared to dirt and compared to stars. When they decline, to go to the dirt, but when they rise they reach the stars."
Am Yisrael knows no middle state. Either it rises up to the stars or it declines to the dirt. Am Yisroel is a nation of extremes: extremely good or extremely the opposite. We decline to the bottom or soar to the heights.
Am Yisroel can reach the heights of going with Hashem in Gan Eden or declining to a state of Hashem being disgusted with us. And between these states is a narrow boundary. If we lose the heights we decline right away to the bottom.
We have to ensure we are bound to the heights, through Torah.
