Dvar Torah for Shavuot

Based on Likutey Halakhot, Hilkhot Pesach 7:8

Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot. On the former we are strictly forbidden to eat chametz (leavened foods) and on the latter we are commanded to bring an offering that is chametz! What is the difference between the two chagim (holidays) that dictates that they should be observed in these opposite ways?

The purpose of life is to come to recognize and be aware of Hashem (God) at every moment. Our world, with its never-ending smokescreens and sideshows, often makes us feel that we’re on a treadmill: moving, moving, moving, but never seeming to make any progress. What we need to deal with the confusion is what we need in any confusing situation: good, sound advice that will help us achieve our goal. With a clear plan of what has to be done, we never act recklessly or in undue haste.

When we left Egypt we left hastily (Deuteronomy 16:3). Reb Noson writes that we had to leave quickly (we even jumped the gun) in order to become aware of Hashem, because we didn’t have any concrete suggestions on how to achieve it. We didn’t have the great repository of those suggestions. We didn’t have the Torah. The Torah contains 613 mitzvot. Usually we think of mitzvot as meaning “commandments” (such an archaic word!), which, in fact, it does mean. The Holy Zohar calls the mitzvot eetin, suggestions, pieces of advice. If we would have waited in Egypt until we were capable of accepting those suggestions, we never would have made it out.

So God hurried us out. And matzah is also about hurrying. The dough is kneaded fast, rolled quickly into shape, always kept moving and hurried into the oven, which is going full blast. Because sometimes, try as we might, our minds are just unable to formulate an answer, unable to figure a way out of a mess. We have no choice but to flee. The “mess” we’re always in is those smokescreens and sideshows which keep us unaware of Hashem. We must prevent our minds from becoming chametz. We must get our minds out of prison and to freedom as quickly as possible. If we spend too much time thinking about how interesting and delightful the sideshows are, about “Egypt” and its culture, we’ll never escape, and never achieve our goal.

On the other hand, when Shavuot came we were able to receive the Torah and its mitzvot. We accepted a well-defined set of concrete suggestions that, if followed properly, would bring us to our goal of God-consciousness. Having these pieces of advice readily available begets a calm, focused state of mind that allows us to contemplate and analyze the suggestions in order to further cultivate and enhance our awareness of God. Thinking about how a mitzvah would be applied in a certain situation, how to facilitate its performance or probing its intellectual depth, are all examples of a chametz offering that we can dedicate to Hashem.

agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!

agutn yomtov!
chag sameach!