Chag HaShavuos: “Nami Lachem”
Sichos in English

After The Return Of The Participants In The Tahalucha
2nd Night Of Shavuos, 5751

Regarding the festival of Shavuos, our Sages stated that it is universally accepted that the celebration of the holiday should also bring us material satisfaction. Polish rebbeim have commented that the Hebrew words that convey this concept, “nami lachem,” are numerically equivalent to the word “keitz,” which refers to the appointed time for the arrival of Moshiach.

There is an intrinsic connection between these concepts and the festival of Shavuos. Shavuos marks the yahrtzeit of King Dovid, and as pertains to the yahrtzeits of all tzaddikim, “brings about salvation in the depths of the earth,” an expression which in an ultimate sense refers to the future Redemption. Shavuos also marks the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, and is also connected with Moshe Rabbeinu since “Moshe received the Torah from Sinai.”

May we merit the coming of the keitz in the immediate future and continue the celebration of the holiday of Shavuos in Eretz Yisroel, immediately being gathered to our Holy Land together with all the exiles of the Jewish people, in a manner befitting a year when “I will show you wonders.” “With our youth and with our elders...with our sons and with our daughters,” we will proceed to Jerusalem and to the Beis HaMikdash. “And there we will offer to You our sacrifices which we are required to bring: the daily burnt-offerings according to their order and the Musaf offerings according to their rule.”

This will include the sacrifices which we will bring on the second day of Shavuos in the Era of the Redemption. (The exact nature of these sacrifices is unknown. Sacrifices will, however, be brought on that day.)

Then we will continue our lives together in the Holy Land, in Yerushalayim, and in the Beis HaMikdash, in which is located the Holy of Holies, the home of the Ark where the Tablets of the Ten Commandments will be placed (not only the Second Tablets, but also the First Tablets). The above, of course, shares a connection with today’s holiday, Shavuos.

Yechidus; Eve Of The Tenth Of Sivan, 5751

We will open with the traditional blessing offered by Jews when they meet each other: “shalom aleichem.” Even when a person meets children who may not be able to respond “aleichem shalom,” one should train them to greet each other in a manner of peace. In fact, in the case of children, the concept of peace is more prominent. They are less involved in worldly matters than adults. Therefore, the worldly traits of difference and separation do not affect children’s personalities to the same degree as adults.

There is an intrinsic connection between unity and peace and the giving of the Torah. Before the giving of the Torah, “Yisroel camped before the mountain.” Although there were a multitude of people present — 600,000 men      as well as many women and children — the Torah uses the singular form of the verb “camped” to teach us that they camped “as one man with one heart.”

The Torah mentions that this encampment took place in the third month. There is an intrinsic connection between the number three and the giving of the Torah, as our Sages relate “[G-d gave] a threefold light to a threefold people,” associating the giving of the Torah with the concept of chazaka, a sequence of three reflecting strength and continuity.

The above concepts are enhanced by the present date, the tenth of Sivan. “The tenth will be holy.” Surely this applies to the tenth of the third month. Ten is intrinsically connected to the giving of the Torah, as reflected in the Ten Commandments, which were given to the Jewish people, who are divided into ten different categories.

The giving of the Torah is associated with Moshe’s ascent to G-d, for this represents the negation of the decree separating the spiritual from the physical. Each Jews possesses a dimension of Moshe within him. Indeed, this is the essence of his being. Each day this dimension of Moshe can ascend to G-d.

These concepts are enhanced by the unique influence of the present year, a year when “I will show you wonders.” (Herein is also a connection to the giving of the Torah – when we openly perceived the wonders of the giving of the Torah.) …

There is also a connection between nissuin (marriage) and this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Naso. “Naso” means lift up. The ultimate uplifting of the Jewish people came at the time of the giving of the Torah, when G-d raised up each member of the Jewish people. This affected their material lives as well, as our Sages’ stated that it is universally accepted that the celebration of the Shavuos holiday should also bring us material satisfaction.

This relates to the custom of eating sweet milchig foods on Shavuos, as alluded to in the verse, “Honey and milk are under your tongue,” which alludes to nigleh (the revealed dimension of Torah law) and p’nimiyus haTorah (the Torah’s mystic dimension). P’nimiyus haTorah was openly revealed at the giving of the Torah, when all the Jews had a direct perception of the secrets of the Merkava (Divine Chariot).

The giving of the Torah also relates to Jewish children. That is why we have a custom to bring even very young children to shul to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments on Shavuos day. Even if the children do not consciously understand this reading, their souls comprehend it, for the Torah “is the inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov.”

Each year on Shavuos there is renewed potential for each Jew to receive the Torah anew and cause it to permeate the totality of his existence. This is enhanced by the spreading of the wellsprings of the Torah outward in the present generation, and particularly, by the recent publication of a collection of the Mitteler Rebbe’s maamarim. This allows every Jew to do his share in conquering the world and causing the inhabitants of all the countries to bring “crowns” for G-d.

This gathering will conclude by distributing money to be given to tzedaka, which “hastens the Redemption.” As emphasized in previous farbrengens, Geula involves revealing the Alef (G-d’s presence) in gola (exile). May this take place miyad (immediately).

Significantly, miyad is an acronym for the names of the three Jewish leaders associated with the holiday of Shavuos: Moshe, Yisroel, and Dovid. These three leaders are related to each member of the Jewish people.

“Every new concept developed by an experienced Torah scholar was given to Moshe on Mount Sinai.” Similarly, in regard to King Dovid, after the recitation of Psalms, we request that this be considered “as if they were recited by Dovid, king of Israel, himself.” In a like manner, the Baal Shem Tov endowed each Jew with the potential for miracles to be manifest in his life, even regarding his material concerns. As mentioned above, all these matters — the Redemption included — will be hastened by the distribution of money for tzedaka. And may it come in the immediate future.

Yechidus To Bar And Bas Mitzva

All the blessings mentioned above are applicable to you, as well. In particular, there is a connection to the giving of the Torah, for at the giving of the Torah, every Jew became bar-mitzva, as it were. G-d addressed Himself to every Jew, stating, “I am the L-rd, your G-d,” using the singular form. At that time, every Jew became commanded to fulfill the mitzvos. The word mitzva (command) relates to the word tzavta (connection). Through the mitzvos a connection is established with G-d.

Happy is the portion of the parents and the teachers who educated you and helped you reach this occasion. The positive nature of that occasion will be enhanced by making an additional donation to tzedaka in connection with your bar and bas mitzvos. This will increase your connection with G-d and draw down positive influence that will continue throughout your lives, leading to the Era of Redemption, at which time we will merit the ultimate level of the performance of the mitzvos.

Yechidus To Grooms And Brides

In addition to the blessings given above, you are worthy of special blessings. Indeed, we find that in connection with the first union of man and woman mentioned in the Torah, Adam and Chava, the Torah relates, “And G-d blessed them.” Similarly, a wedding is associated with seven wedding blessings, which conclude with a reference to the Era of the Redemption, when we will hear “in the cities of Yehuda...the voice of a groom, etc.”

May the preparations for the wedding be successful, and may you merit to establish an everlasting edifice on the foundation of the Torah and its mitzvos with blessings of sons, daughters, and prosperity. And may you — together with the entire Jewish people — merit the ultimate blessing, the coming of the Redemption.

The giving of the Torah is referred to as the wedding between G-d and the Jewish people. May the renewal of the experience of the giving of the Torah renew each person’s connection to this marriage bond and bring success and blessing.

And when the Redemption comes, we will continue our happiness in our Holy Land, in Yerushalayim, when we will merit “the new [dimension of the] Torah which will emerge from Me,” and a renewal of our marriage bond with G-d. This will be enhanced by your gifts to tzedaka in accordance with the custom of increasing one’s gifts in connection with one’s wedding. And this will hasten the renewal of the marriage bond between G-d and the Jewish people.