Based on Likutey MoHaran II, Lessons #33 and 34

Dvar Torah for Shavuot

Rebbe Shimon taught:

When the Jews said, 'We will do and we will listenÓ (Exodus 24:7), no one among them was:

lame

blind

mute

deaf

idiosyncratic

depressed, or

indecisive.

When the Jews left Egypt, the vast majority of them suffered from some defect or other. Why? They had toiled with clay and bricks, and on the roofs of buildings and scaffolds. Many had fallen and become crippled. Some had been blinded by beams or clay that fell in their eyes. The Jewish slaves had been constantly and continuously hounded, denied any type of rest or relaxation.

God knew that for the Torah to be beneficial for mankind it had to be worthy of honor. It would not receive the necessary honor if it was given to a people so physically and emotionally broken. The world could not wait longer to receive the Torah, so God could not wait for a healthy generation to come along. So He sent malakhim (angels) to cure the Jews.

(Shir haShirim Rabbah 4:7; Bamidbar Rabbah 7:1)

Shavuot, the celebration of the giving of the Torah, starts Sunday night. The giving of the Torah is like a chatunah (wedding). Hashem (God) is the chatan (groom). The Jewish people, and every Jewish person, is the kallah (bride).

A chatunah, like any celebration, is temporary. The joy it engenders eventually runs its course. In fact, every joy is transient. Furthermore, if one is aware that ultimately he dies, how can he enjoy anything? Even the pleasure he might have had becomes meaningless because death takes the fun out of everything. When one looks further, to the ultimate destiny, in which each person enjoys the reward for his mitzvot, he realizes that that joy is only for the neshamah (soul). What about the body?

Rebbe Nachman teaches that the body, indeed, cannot rejoice to the same extent as the neshamah. The exception to this is the body of a tzaddik (saint) which is exceptionally holy and pure. A tzaddik can rejoice body and soul. We others, whose bodies are 'tainted,Ó from conception or afterwards, can rejoice primarily with the neshamah and with the body only to the extent that it has ben sanctified.

Nu, so a chatunah is a joyous experience, a happy place. Not everybody enjoys a chatunah for the same reason. Some enjoy the food, some the music, some the hall. Some people, the parents of the chatan and kallah, enjoy the chatunah itself–their child is getting married!

Nonetheless, says Rebbe Nachman, no one's enjoyment is total. Some people only enjoy this or that aspect. Even those who enjoy every aspect of the chatunah don't enjoy everything simultaneously, but only one at a time.

(On the other end of the spectrum, writes the Rebbe, there is the rare individual who enjoys nothing at a chatunah! Not only that, but it upsets him greatly that these families are becoming one. Very sad. So, at least be happy with something!)

The only way to enjoy everything simultaneously, is to look at the root of all the joys and pleasures of life. When one does that, then each joy and pleasure shines on each of the other joys and pleasures, so that each one gives even more joy and happiness.

When Hashem gave us the Torah at Sinai, the heavens parted and we understood Him as a wise, compassionate elder. This is a 'rootÓ we have to envision in order to fully enjoy the chatunah of life. All the pleasures–for example, Shabbat, music, Torah, food, prayer, flowers–have to shine on one another.

The Jews who stood at Mount Sinai had already reached an incredibly high level of spirituality. At the parting of the Reed Sea, they had seen a vision greater than Maaseh HaMerkavah (Vision of the Chariot, described in Ezekiel 1). At Sinai they were to achieve something greater. They were to receive prophecy at a level on which they could see sounds and hear sights.

Hashem could have given the Torah to us only for our souls, but He didn't. The honor of the Torah–God's honor–and mankind's benefit can be maximized when every aspect of the human being, including the body, is healthy. So he sends malakhim to cure us. Even though malakhim is usually translated as 'angels,Ó it means 'messengers,Ó as well.

Deliverers of wellness are malakhim. When we appreciate their efforts on our behalf, let us not forget their 'rootÓ Who sent them. He sent them to enable us to fulfill the Torah in a way that allows us to rejoice, soul and body.

agutn Yomtov!
Chag Sameach!