Shavuos - Memories of Shavuos With the Rebbe

00:00 The Yom Tov of Shavuos, the time of the giving of our Torah, is already approaching. I want to share some of my personal memories of Shavuos, when I had the privilege of being with the Rebbe in 5749. That year, Shavuos fell on Friday and Shabbos: Rosh Chodesh Sivan was on Sunday, and Shavuos was on Friday and Shabbos. Before we get into the details of what happened then and what we heard from the Rebbe, I want to begin with a story. They tell of a chossid named Reb Mottel Chefetz who lived in the time of the Frierdiker Rebbe. Reb Mottel Chefetz was a chassidic Jew who lived in Riga, Latvia. He was a shochet and bodek, a genuine chassidic Jew, steeped in Torah, Chassidus, and fear of Heaven. In 5698, the Frierdiker Rebbe was living in Otwock, Poland. From time to time, he sent out emissaries, shadarim—an abbreviation for shluchei derabbanan—who traveled to America to strengthen Yiddishkeit there. These emissaries attended to spiritual matters and, at the same time, material ones: spreading Yiddishkeit, teaching Chassidus, spreading Torah and Chassidus, and drawing Jews closer to Yiddishkeit, Torah, and Chassidus. They also sent money to support the Frierdiker Rebbe’s needs and activities. Reb Mottel Chefetz spent 5698 in America, and

02:05 as Shavuos approached, a few days before the festival, he returned to Europe and came to the Frierdiker Rebbe in Poland. The Frierdiker Rebbe told him that, with the giving of the Torah so close, this was not a suitable time to meet. [unclear] And he still needed to meet with the Rebbe during those days. The Frierdiker Rebbe told him to travel home, spend the festival with his family in Riga, and return immediately after Yom Tov. Then he would receive him and speak with him. He wanted to hear a report, a detailed account, of everything happening in America—about the chassidim, their families, and everything they were doing. And so it was: Reb Mottel went home, and immediately after Shavuos, a few days after the festival, returned to Otwock, Poland. He wanted to go in for yechidus, meet with the Frierdiker Rebbe, and tell him what had happened in America during his mission. But the Frierdiker Rebbe sent word through his secretary and attendant, Reb Yechezkel Feigin—known as Reb Chatche Feigin, one of the great chassidim who served as the Frierdiker Rebbe’s attendant—and said: “I have not yet come down from the mountain. I am still on the mountain of Shavuos; I have not yet come down from the mountain. So it is still difficult for me to receive someone for yechidus, even several days later.”

03:43 He should wait. And so it was: a few days later, the Frierdiker Rebbe received him with great honor. For a week, and even longer than a week, Reb Mottel went in to see him for several hours each day. The Frierdiker Rebbe wanted to know, down to the smallest detail, what was happening with every chossid: with his family and household, his work, and his circumstances in Yiddishkeit, materially and spiritually. He asked about every detail. They say that afterward, throughout the days Reb Mottel spent with the Frierdiker Rebbe at the farbrengen, they saw tremendous satisfaction. But what especially amazed the chassidim was this: as cited here in a letter written by the Chasam Sofer, [unclear], the Frierdiker Rebbe’s words, “I have not yet come down from the mountain,” meant that the Rebbe remained connected to the days of the giving of the Torah and the days surrounding them. Just as it says of Moshe Rabbeinu, “Moshe ascended to G-d,” it follows that the Moshe of every generation—on the days connected with Shavuos, a few days before it, on Shavuos itself, and on the days afterward—the chassidim saw this in the Rebbe: he was on the mountain, quite literally. With that in mind, I will tell you about that Shavuos. I had the privilege of being with the Rebbe for Shavuos for several years. But as I said, I will tell you about that particular calendar arrangement, Shavuos 5749, when we saw

05:24 this in the Rebbe, and truly heard and felt what it means that Moshe Rabbeinu is on the mountain. The Rebbe lifted all of us, the chassidim, and raised us to that state, until we truly felt, quite literally, that we were standing beside Mount Sinai and receiving the Torah anew, as if it were utterly new. It began on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. That year, on Sunday, the Rebbe issued a general letter. Usually, the Rebbe would write a general letter addressed, “To all the sons and daughters of Israel wherever they may be, may Hashem grant them life.” In other words, the general letters were written to all Jews throughout the world. But usually this was before Rosh Hashanah and before Pesach. A letter before Shavuos was unusual; it happened from time to time as an exception. On Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the Rebbe sent out this letter, a short letter of only a few lines. What did it say? I will quote it. It begins with the usual address: “To all the sons and daughters of Israel wherever they may be, may Hashem grant them life, greetings and blessings.” And the Rebbe wrote these words, just a few lines: “In the third month after the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, on this day—that is, Rosh Chodesh—they came to the Sinai Desert. And Israel encamped there—‘encamped’ in the singular, as one person with one heart—opposite the mountain, to receive the Torah from Mount Sinai.” What happened on the first day, Rosh Chodesh Sivan? The Jews arrived at Mount Sinai, and they

07:15 stood opposite the mountain as one person with one heart. The Rebbe continues: “And on the second day they were told: ‘And you shall be to Me’—both a command and a promise—‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” On the second day, the Jews were told, both as a command and as a promise, that they are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. “And on the third day they were given the command to set boundaries: ‘Take care not to ascend the mountain or touch its edge.’ And on the fourth day they were given the command to separate from material and physical concerns.” What is this command to separate? To part from and distance oneself from material and physical concerns. “Today and tomorrow, and be ready for the third day, the day of receiving the Torah on the sixth and seventh of Sivan.” And the Rebbe concludes the letter: “And these days are remembered and reenacted every year as if entirely new, and may we receive the Torah with joy and inwardness.” [unclear] Blessings for Yom Tov and the festival, and we begin with holy matters. When the letter reached the chassidim everywhere, they did not understand: it was a short letter that, seemingly, was almost word for word from the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, which lists, in the laws of Shavuos, the days on which Tachanun is not said. The source is the Gemara in Tractate Shabbos, page 86, in its discussion of the giving of the Torah. What was the point here? It was very interesting. But in the following days, they saw that the Rebbe did not leave the letter at those few words.

09:06 In the sichos he delivered over the following days, the Rebbe showed what the spiritual work of those days was, explaining it in detail and at length. What became clear as the days went on? What happened on the first day itself, the day the general letter was issued? On Sunday, the Rebbe stood for many hours, as was his custom, giving each person a dollar along with blessings, and the blessings and miracles flowed in abundance. The distribution lasted several hours. Afterward, following the entire distribution for tzedakah, the Rebbe came to the shul and delivered a sicha explaining the spiritual work of the first day of Sivan. Similarly, on the following days there were sichos that expanded on what was, as it were, an explanation of the short letter he had sent on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The Rebbe spoke about these points at length. First, the significance of Rosh Chodesh Sivan: the spiritual work of Rosh Chodesh Sivan is that Jews take their stand opposite the mountain. A Jew stands face to face with the mountain, and through this goes beyond every constraint and limitation. “In the third month after they left the land of Egypt, they journeyed from Refidim”—they travel away from weakness of the hands, after having previously been in a state of weakness, of a lack of strength in

10:41 Torah. “They journeyed from Refidim”—they leave the state of Refidim behind and stand face to face with the mountain. A Jew conducts himself as one person with one heart. That is the first preparation for the giving of the Torah. On the following days, the Rebbe spoke about the spiritual work of each day of preparation. Why does the Alter Rebbe write in the Shulchan Aruch what happened on each day? The Shulchan Aruch, after all, is not a Midrash. It is not a book of stories. The Shulchan Aruch is a book of halachah. The Alter Rebbe wants to tell us why Tachanun is not said. He could have briefly stated what happened during the days of preparation for the giving of the Torah. The fact that the Alter Rebbe specifies the spiritual work of each day is meant to tell us that every year these days are remembered and reenacted. When we recall them, we feel that they truly happen as if entirely new; we need to experience and live through these things anew in our spiritual work, in our inner work. The Rebbe spoke about this at length: after the first day, when the preparation was Jewish unity, Ahavas Yisroel, and the unity of the Jewish people, came the spiritual work in which Jews must engage in preparation for receiving the Torah. To be a vessel for receiving the Torah, the first thing, the Rebbe said, is to know one’s lineage: a Jew must know that he is part of a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

12:08 These are two themes that express the greatness of the Jewish people from one extreme to the other. “A kingdom of priests”—a priest is set apart and holy, separated from the world in order to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu in the Beis Hamikdash. When all Jews become a kingdom of priests, a Jew is essentially above the world, above everything, especially through the Torah, which elevates a Jew above all the worlds. But on the other hand, it says “a holy nation.” The idea of a holy nation is that a Jew must bring holiness into life as part of a people—in physical life, in worldly matters, and in everyday life. It is almost the exact opposite: his dwelling place must be in the world. “One nation on earth”—when a Jew is on earth, in the world and involved in earthly, physical matters, he must bring G-dliness there. These, as I said, are two sides of the greatness of the Jewish people expressed during the special days before Shavuos. Following that—and this was a fascinating subject—came the next two days: 3 Sivan and 4 Sivan. 3 Sivan was the day of setting boundaries, and 4 Sivan was the day of separation. The meaning of those days is precisely the two themes we discussed: a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. What does setting boundaries show? It expresses that a Jew must remain down here. The Jews had an intense thirst,

13:42 a powerful yearning to rise upward, [unclear], and wanted to rush upward [unclear]. And Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “Set boundaries.” One must be here below. Hashem’s intention, His desire, is not for a Jew to flee the world. On the contrary, His intention is for a Jew to remain down here and make the world a dwelling place for Him. That is why setting boundaries is [unclear]. This is the meaning of the days of setting boundaries: to know that Hashem wants a Jew to remain here in the world and make it a dwelling place for Him. But on the other hand, on the following day came the command to separate. A Jew might think: Since Hashem wants a dwelling place for Himself down here in the lowest realms, and we must remain here below, perhaps, G-d forbid, we can become completely immersed in worldly matters. So alongside that, we are told there must be separation from material and physical things, particularly in the days close to Shavuos, [unclear], when special care is required. One must separate from material and physical concerns in order to become a vessel ready to receive the Torah. Here we see how the two themes of “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” took concrete form on 3 and 4 Sivan. This was the sicha the Rebbe spoke about at length during those days. When the night before Shavuos arrived, the night of 5 Sivan, we were privileged to witness a revelation.

15:08 A wonderful revelation: the Rebbe came down to the shul and delivered a maamar of Chassidus. As is well known, a maamar of Chassidus is a very special revelation. In the familiar expression, when the Rebbe delivers a maamar of Chassidus, “the Shechinah speaks from his throat.” That is, a maamar of Chassidus is delivered in a distinctive melody and manner, and at that very moment one can see that the Rebbe is in a higher world. In the way he delivered it, in the way [unclear], you could clearly see it with your own eyes, and his face would turn pale. You could plainly see that he was in a higher world. Several years had already passed without the Rebbe delivering a maamar of Chassidus. For several years, during which [unclear], there had been sichos and farbrengens, but there had been no maamar of Chassidus delivered in the traditional melody. And at that time, on the eve of Shavuos, the Rebbe delivered a maamar of Chassidus in that melody. It was the last time we were privileged to hear and see the Rebbe deliver a maamar of Chassidus in that melody. The maamar was delivered on the night before Shavuos, the night of 5 Sivan. After Maariv, the Rebbe delivered a maamar in the traditional melody: “I am Hashem your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” It was a deeply enjoyable maamar, in which the Rebbe spoke at length, yes, about what the [unclear] of these days is. And the Rebbe [unclear]

16:38 dwelt, as in the previous maamar, on the well-known question brought by the early Torah sages: Why does it say, “I am Hashem your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt”? There are greater things. Why does it not say, “I am Hashem your G-d, Who created heaven and earth”? After all, that happened earlier, and it is a greater miracle. The Rebbe spoke at great length in explaining the real question: why “Who created heaven and earth” is indeed something far more powerful, far deeper, far loftier, and a far greater wonder even than the Exodus from Egypt. He discussed this for a number of reasons. Moreover, the Rebbe spoke about the fact that this is a question in Torah. The Torah is eternal, so it is not merely a question that arose [unclear]. The question raised by the sages of Israel remains; it remains forever, and it is not merely an intellectual argument. The Torah could have said, “I am Hashem your G-d, Who created heaven and earth,” because of the greatness of the creation of heaven and earth. As the Baal Shem Tov, whose yahrzeit falls on Shavuos, revealed regarding “Forever, Hashem, Your word stands firm in the heavens”: the creation of the world is renewed at every moment. This is a wondrous thing, and it brings a sense of renewal. And renewal is also connected to Matan Torah. From the world’s continual renewal, we learn about renewal in Torah: “Every day, they should be in your eyes as new”—and truly new, with Jews approaching the Torah afresh.

18:04 Nevertheless, the Rebbe explained in the maamar, the Torah specifically says, “I am Hashem your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” because the Torah was given so that Jews could transcend every constraint and limitation. This is the meaning of Mitzrayim, whose name points to constraints and limitations: constraints and limitations in physical matters, constraints and limitations in spiritual matters, the constraints and limitations of nature, those of the world—all kinds of constraints and limitations. The Torah tells us that through “I am Hashem your G-d,” through Matan Torah, Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself, His very Essence and Being, reveals Himself to every Jew and gives him the strength to overcome all limitations, the constraints and limitations of the world, and especially the constraints and limitations of exile. Continuing from this, the Rebbe spoke about what the [unclear] should be on 5 Sivan. As the Gemara relates, 5 Sivan is the day when the news came that the Jewish people had said “We will do” before “We will listen.” Their placing “We will do” before “We will listen” took place on this day, 5 Sivan. As explained at length in Chassidus, the greatness and virtue of placing “We will do” before “We will listen” lie in the self-nullification with which the Jews gave themselves over to the Master of the Will, Who is above all particular desires—to Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself. That was the preparation for Matan Torah. The Rebbe said that on 5 Sivan one must reflect, study the maamarim and reflect on this theme, and bring it [unclear] into practice. For “these days are remembered”

19:32 “and observed.” From there we can enter Shavuos. The Rebbe urged everyone to make sure to bring their children and grandchildren to shul on Shavuos, even very young children, so that all would be present for the reading of the Ten Commandments and experience the entire event anew, just as on the actual day of Matan Torah. This is connected to the fact that Shavuos is not only a day associated with Moshe Rabbeinu, but also with King David, who passed away on Shavuos—and with the Baal Shem Tov, who also passed away on Shavuos. The Rebbe spoke about the teaching revealed by the Baal Shem Tov concerning “Forever, Hashem, Your word stands firm in the heavens,” a verse said by King David: that Hashem’s word, His speech, renews the world at every moment. The Rebbe said that when this day arrives, one should reflect on this whole subject, on the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, which is based on a Midrash about King David’s verse. And all of this is founded on the Written Torah given through Moshe Rabbeinu on this day. This inspires a Jew to remember and live with this point: that at every moment Hakadosh Boruch Hu renews the world. And this brings a sense of renewal, so that

20:59 we can receive the Torah with fresh energy, in an entirely new way. It is also a preparation for the time of the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, when we will see openly, with our physical eyes, throughout the world and in every detail of it, how the world comes into being through Hakadosh Boruch Hu: “All flesh together shall see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” These were among the subjects the Rebbe spoke about on the weekdays before Shavuos, concerning the service required on Shavuos. We will speak further about what happened on Shavuos itself. That year, Shavuos was eventful and joyous, with many things one could go on recounting. I just remembered that on the first day of Shavuos, before the procession, the Rebbe delivered a sicha. The usual practice was that on the first day of Shavuos, people would go in a procession to all the shuls in the surrounding area. Many would go out to nearby neighborhoods—Boro Park, Williamsburg, and other places like them, where there are many Jews and shuls and study halls—to meet Jews and share teachings of Chassidus with them. Before they set out on this procession, the Rebbe delivered a sicha in which he spoke extensively about the nature of the days

22:25 These days—5 Sivan, 6 Sivan, and 7 Sivan—what each day accomplishes and what it means in a person’s avodah. Something interesting happened; I’ll tell you about it. As soon as the procession began, on the afternoon of the first day of Shavuos, Friday afternoon, before sunset, it started to rain. It was heavy rain; it turned into a deluge. The rain poured down fiercely, like a flood. It continued the entire time we were walking in the procession. The walk itself took a long time, more than an hour or two, depending on how far one had to go. But everyone went. The Rebbe stood there—the custom was that before people set out on the procession, the Rebbe would come out of the shul at 770 and see everyone off. The Rebbe stood there as the crowd walked past, and then it began to drizzle a little. As soon as the Rebbe went back inside, the rain began pouring down. It rained hard the whole time we walked there and back. We were soaked to the bone throughout. Only when we returned did the rain stop. And the custom was that when people returned from the procession, the Rebbe would come out again to greet them and stand outside, near 770.

23:48 People would dance and sing with great joy on their return from the procession, and the Rebbe would come out and greet everyone with tremendous joy. I had the privilege of standing there, and I remember the Rebbe’s holy face. It was radiant, quite literally. You could see the joy on the Rebbe’s face, the deep satisfaction that the chassidim had gone with mesirus nefesh through the water, had gone [unclear], and had gone despite the storm. Yes, like soldiers, with kabbolas ol, in the spirit of “We will do” before “we will hear.” It aroused such great joy. You could see the Rebbe’s tremendous joy as he actually danced while they sang [unclear] from the procession. Then, on the second day of Shavuos, there were two farbrengens. Usually on Shavuos there was a farbrengen at the end of the day. That year, I think, was one of the only times we had the privilege of two farbrengens. Because it was Shabbos, the Rebbe held a farbrengen during the day, around midday, and later, before sunset, the Rebbe also [unclear], and there was another farbrengen. They were very rich farbrengens. He spoke at great length about profound subjects. Among other things, when explaining the great distinction of Shavuos, the Rebbe explained at length and in depth the teaching

25:11 of our Sages: “If not for this day that brought it about, how many Yosefs would there be in the marketplace?” Rav Yosef, the Talmudic sage, said that were it not for this day, Shavuos, “how many Yosefs would there be in the marketplace?” The Rebbe explained this beautifully and at great length: the tremendous virtue of Torah study. As Rashi says, “I studied Torah and was elevated.” Torah elevates a Jew—raises him above the world, above nature, above materiality, above the work of refinement. That is the great virtue of Torah study: the wondrous union that, as the Alter Rebbe says, is formed when a Jew studies Torah—“a union like which there is none, nor anything comparable to it in the physical world, becoming truly one and united from every side and angle.” After the farbrengen, there was kos shel bracha, accompanied by the most tremendous joy on that occasion. Those are a few memories of that Shavuos. Of course, I have told you only a drop in the ocean of the great revelations we experienced then. But “these days are remembered and relived.” If only we could experience anew what the Rebbe taught in his general letter, and what we subsequently saw him express in actual practice. May we make the most of these great days, the weekdays leading up to the giving of the Torah and the days of the giving of the Torah, and experience each day what the Alter Rebbe writes in his letter and what is explained in Chassidus:

26:35 what the avodah of each day should be, from 1 Sivan through the days of the giving of the Torah, and then carry it into the days of tashlumin—bringing it into actual expression in everyday life. And may we merit to receive the Torah with joy and inwardness, as the Rebbe would always say in the name of the Frierdiker Rebbe. May we merit to receive the Torah with joy and inwardness, and may we merit, this very year, speedily in our days, very soon, that “a new Torah will come forth from Me.” And as the Rebbe would cite the saying brought in many sefarim, in the name of [unclear], that the meaning of “All agree that on Shavuos we also need ‘for you’” is that “nami lachem”—“also for you”—has the same gematria as “keitz,” the end. May we merit the end of exile, the end of darkness, the end of days, the end of the right; may the end arrive already, and may the complete Geulah come through our righteous Moshiach, today.