Shavuot Essay תרל”א
The Gemara teaches us that when HaShem created the world, its existence was dependent on Bnei Yisrael’s acceptance of the Torah. If they would not accept the Torah the world would return to a state of nothingness – tohu.
The gemara bases this on the words in Tehillim the land was fearful and quiet. The quiet and peace of the earth, was dependent on the fear that preceded it. The Sfas Emes explains that this is really the proper structure of any growth process. Everything needs to be preceded by a level of fear. It is this fear that keeps things in check.
In truth the ultimate objective is to do mitzvos and study Torah, getting closer and closer to HaShem. However when an action is filled with love it needs to be held in place so that it does not leave the correct boundaries. This is the idea of fear, and also of the negative commandments.
It is when the world, and on an individual level, the person, precedes the actions with fear, that enable the love and connection to HaShem at the time of the mitzva, to be in the correct place.
This can be understood further in terms of the words used in the Torah for Shabbos observance. In the first luchos it says “Zachor es yom HaShabos”, remember the Shabbos day, yet in the second luchos it says “Shamor es yom HaShabos”. The gemara explains that HaShem actually said both words simultaneously. The word zachor refers to remembering on the deepest level, in a place where there is no forgetfulness – the very core of one’s existence. Whereas the word Shamor, to guard refers to all the negative prohibitions around Shabbos. This is the idea mentioned above, for one to really access the very essence of one’s soul, there needs to be an awareness of fear preempting it.
In the second section, the Sfas Emes focuses on the power of the Torah to awaken one’s very essence.
The Gemara teaches us that when HaShem spoke to Bnei Yisrael their souls connected back to their source, and left their bodies. HaShem had to restore their souls and resurrect them.
From here we see the power of Torah when it is in its purest form it has the power to return everything back to its source.
The Sfas Emes explains many times that to create the world HaShem used “ten expressions”. In these ten expressions He hid himself throughout the entire creation. It was at the time of the revelation of the Torah that these “ten expressions” became the ten commandments. This was the revelation of the essence (pnimius) of everything, and this revelation causes everything to reconnect back to its source, just as our souls reconnected back to HaShem.
This is hinted to in the korbanos of Shavuot. The unique korban is that of the two loaves. Besides for those there were other animals, yet all the korbanos of Shavuot needed to be waved.
The two loaves represent the bread from Heaven – referring to the closeness we receive from HaShem bringing us close to Him, and the bread from the earth – the animal sacrifices, referring to the good deeds we do which bring us close to Him. The waving represents lifting up both of these attributes and expressing how they are both one and the same from the same source, that even our life force and good actions all come from the (hidden) life force of Hashem.
This is also hinted to in the name of the festival. It is called the festival of new fruit, which represents the beginning and connection to the very source. Furthermore it is called Shavuot which means to swear. The concept of swearing is to nullify all one’s own desires for something much greater. When a person realises that he has nothing aside from the life force of HaShem, then one desires nothing else besides for the simplest desire to fulfil his mission in the world.
This is the concept of “Mushba ve’omed mihar Sinai”.
(See Sfar Emes Matos תרל”ד).
