Shavuos as the ingathering to Yisrael

הטעם שנקרא במשנה עצרת כמ"ש בעצרת על פירות האילן.

The reason it is called "Atzeres" in the Mishnah, as it says, "On Atzeres [judgment is passed] regarding the fruit of the tree."

The Sefas Emes opens by asking why Shavuos is termed "Atzeres" (a gathering/holding-back) in the language of Chazal, the same word used in the Mishnah of Rosh Hashanah about the day on which the tree-fruits are judged.

נראה עפמ"ש חז"ל שהחזיר הקב"ה התורה לכל האומות עד שבא אל בני ישראל כמ"ש וזרח משעיר כו' הופיע מהר פארן כו'.

It appears [the explanation is] based on what Chazal said, that Hashem offered the Torah around to all the nations until He came to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "He shone forth from Seir... He appeared from Mount Paran..." (Devarim 33:2).

Before giving the Torah, Hashem first presented it to the other nations, who refused it; only Bnei Yisrael accepted. The passuk hints at this "going around" before reaching Sinai.

וכל זה שנעשה אז מתקיים בכל שנה שיש בכל שנה בחי' יציאת מצרים ובחירת השי"ת בישראל ונתינת התורה.

And all this that took place then is renewed every year, for each year contains an aspect of yetzias Mitzrayim, of Hashem's choosing Yisrael, and of mattan Torah.

The historical events are not one-time happenings; their spiritual reality recurs annually. Every year there is a fresh exodus, a fresh selection of Bnei Yisrael, and a fresh giving of the Torah.

לכן בימי הספירה היא הבירור ונפתח פתח של גאולה בניסן הגם שהוא מיוחד לבנ"י משום שבאמת הם נשארים בזה אבל שערי הגאולה נפתח לכל באי העולם.

Therefore the days of Sefirah are a time of birur (refinement), and a doorway of geulah is opened in Nissan; though it is special to Bnei Yisrael — because in truth they are the ones who remain within it — nonetheless the gates of redemption are opened to all who come into the world.

The redemption that begins in Nissan and is refined through the days of the Omer is fundamentally Yisrael's, yet at its outset the gates stand open to every person who wishes to draw near.

ולכן מבקשים גם בנ"י יודוך עמים כולם ישמחו וירננו לאומים.

That is why Bnei Yisrael also pray, "All the peoples shall thank You; the nations shall be glad and sing for joy" (Tehillim 67:4-5).

Because the gates open to all, Yisrael's own tefillah includes the hope that all the nations too will come to recognize and rejoice in Hashem.

ואותן הניצוצות קדושות שזוכין להתקרב מתחברין אל בנ"י כמו שהיה אז עמלק נדחה ויתרו נתקרב.

And those holy sparks that merit to draw near attach themselves to Bnei Yisrael — just as it was then: Amalek was driven off and Yisro drew near.

The nitzotzos kedoshos (holy sparks) scattered among the nations are gathered to Yisrael; the receptive ones, like Yisro, join, while the irredeemable, like Amalek, are cast away.

וכן כל בירור רות הי' מקציר שעורים עד קציר חטים.

So too the entire birur (refinement) of Rus took place from the barley harvest until the wheat harvest.

Rus's process of conversion and elevation spanned exactly the period of the Omer — from barley to wheat — paralleling the refinement of these days.

דאיתא עומר מתיר במדינה ושתי הלחם במקדש.

For it is taught: the Omer permits [the new grain] in the country, and the Shtei HaLechem [permits it] in the Mikdash.

Two offerings of new grain mark this season: the barley Omer brought at its start, which permits the new crop everywhere, and the wheat Shtei HaLechem at Shavuos, which permits it within the Bais Hamikdash.

והם ב' שערים עומר מאכל בהמה והוא שער הראשון הנפתח לכל הבא להתקרב שהם בהמה המה להם.

And these are two gates: the Omer is animal food, and it is the first gate, opened to all who come to draw near — for "they are like beasts."

Barley is fodder; this represents the outer, lower gate through which anyone may begin to approach, even one who is still on the level of "beast" (as the passuk says of those far from refinement).

אבל ישראל זוכין לשער הפנימי שתי הלחם של חטים מאכל אדם אתם קרוין אדם.

But Yisrael merit the inner gate — the Shtei HaLechem of wheat, the food of man — [for] "you are called 'adam' (man)."

Wheat is human food; it represents the penimi (inner) gate reserved for Bnei Yisrael, who alone are called "adam" in the fullest sense (Yevamos 61a).

וכמו שנעשה זה הסדר אחר ר"ה שהוא הנהגה חדשה על כל השנה ומבקשים על כל הברואים ומקריבין ע' פרים בחג.

And just as this order takes place after Rosh Hashanah — which is a new mode of [Divine] conduct over the whole year, when we pray for all created beings and offer seventy bullocks on the Festival [of Sukkos] —

The same pattern appears in Tishrei: Rosh Hashanah inaugurates the year's governance, and on Sukkos the seventy bullocks are brought on behalf of the seventy nations of the world.

ולבסוף שמיני עצרת הוא לכם מיוחד רק לבנ"י.

— and finally Shemini Atzeres is "for you," special only to Bnei Yisrael.

After embracing all the nations through the seventy bullocks, the cycle culminates in Shemini Atzeres, an intimate day reserved for Yisrael alone.

מעין זה הוא בשבעה שבועות ואח"כ שבועות עצרת מיוחד רק לבנ"י לכן נקרא עצרת.

Something of this same pattern exists in the seven weeks [of Sefirah], and afterward Shavuos is an "Atzeres" special only to Bnei Yisrael — and that is why it is called "Atzeres."

This answers the opening question: just as Shemini Atzeres gathers in after the universal outreach of Sukkos, Shavuos "holds back" and gathers in to Yisrael alone after the universal opening of the Omer weeks. Hence the name Atzeres.

ואיתא בגמרא על פסוק ה' יתן אמר המבשרות צבא רב כל דיבור שיצא מפי הקב"ה נחלק לע' לשונות כו'.

And it is stated in the Gemara on the passuk "Hashem gives the word; the heralds [are] a great host" (Tehillim 68:12), that every utterance that came forth from Hashem's mouth divided into seventy languages.

The Gemara (Shabbos 88b) teaches that each of the Ten Commandments split into the seventy tongues of the nations, so that the giving of the Torah reached out to the entire world.

וסיום הפסוק ע"ז מלאכי צבאות ידודון ידודון ונות בית תחלק שלל.

And the conclusion of the passuk regarding this: "The kings of hosts flee, they flee, and she who dwells at home divides the spoil" (Tehillim 68:13).

The verse hints that though the word went out to all the nations ("hosts"), in the end it is "she who dwells at home" — Bnei Yisrael — who gather in the spoil and retain the Torah.

פי' שהי' הכנה במתן תורה לקרב כל הלשונות.

The explanation: at mattan Torah there was a preparation to bring near all the languages [nations].

The splitting into seventy tongues was an invitation, a readiness to draw all the nations close to the Torah.

אבל לא זכו לזה.

But they did not merit this.

The nations failed to seize the opportunity and did not attain a share in the Torah.

רק לבנ"י נמסר כל הפתחים כמ"ש וירש זרעך כו' שער שונאיו.

Only to Bnei Yisrael were all the gates handed over, as it is written, "And your offspring shall inherit the gate of his enemies" (Bereishis 22:17).

In the end every gateway of holiness was entrusted to Yisrael alone, fulfilling the promise to Avraham that his children would inherit the gates.

ולכן נקרא עצרת שנאסף הכל רק לבנ"י:

And therefore it is called "Atzeres" — for everything is gathered in only to Bnei Yisrael.

The name Atzeres expresses this final ingathering: after the wide opening to all the world, all the holiness is drawn together and held within Bnei Yisrael alone.

Summary: Shavuos is called "Atzeres" because, like Shemini Atzeres after Sukkos, it represents the ingathering and "holding back" to Bnei Yisrael alone after a season of universal outreach. The Omer (barley, the outer gate) opens redemption and Torah to all the nations, but the Shtei HaLechem (wheat, the inner gate) and the Torah itself are ultimately inherited and retained only by Yisrael, who are called "adam."