Three festivals as three gifts of da'as Hashem

הג' רגלים הם ג' עמודין וג' מתנות טובות שנתן השי"ת לבנ"י.

The three Regalim (festivals) are three pillars and three good gifts that Hashem gave to Bnei Yisrael.

Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos are not merely calendar dates but three foundational "pillars" and three distinct matnos tovos (good gifts) bestowed on Klal Yisrael.

עפ"י מ"ש במד' [מטות] ג' מתנות טובות בעלם זכה באחד מהן זכה בכל בזמן שהן מהשי"ת ובאין בכח התורה ע"ש.

Based on what the Midrash (on Matos) states: there are three good gifts in the world — one who merits one of them has merited them all — provided they are from Hashem and come through the power of the Torah, see there.

The Midrash lists three gifts in the world; attaining any one truly means attaining all of them — but only when they come from Hashem and are channeled through the Torah, rather than acquired by one's own strength.

בחכמה וגבורה ועושר.

These are: in wisdom (chochmah), in strength (gevurah), and in wealth (osher).

The three gifts are chochmah, gevurah and osher — and the Sefas Emes now maps each onto one of the three Regalim.

והוא גבורה הכובש יצרו הוא חג המצות שבו הוציאנו השי"ת ביד חזקה וניתן לבנ"י הכח לגבור על היצה"ר.

Gevurah — "the one who conquers his yetzer" — is Chag HaMatzos (Pesach), on which Hashem took us out with a strong hand and gave Bnei Yisrael the power to overcome the yetzer hara.

True gevurah is mastering one's own yetzer (Avos 4:1). Pesach embodies this: the same "strong hand" that took us out of Mitzrayim implanted in us the strength to conquer the yetzer hara.

וזהו זמן חרותנו.

And this is "z'man cheiruseinu" — the time of our freedom.

Real freedom is precisely this power of self-mastery; hence Pesach is called the festival of our freedom.

מתן תורתינו הוא חכמה הלומד מכל אדם ובנ"י זכו בקבלת התורה להוציא חלקי החכמות שהיו מיוחדים לכל האומות.

The Giving of our Torah (Shavuos) is chochmah — "the one who learns from every person" (Avos 4:1) — and Bnei Yisrael merited, through receiving the Torah, to draw out the portions of wisdom that had been allotted to all the nations.

Shavuos corresponds to wisdom. The wise person learns from everyone; through Kabbalas HaTorah, Bnei Yisrael gained the ability to extract and elevate every spark of true chochmah scattered among the nations of the world.

כדאיתא בפסוק וזרח משעיר כו' מהר פארן כו' וזהו הלומד מכל אדם.

As is found in the pasuk "He shone forth from Se'ir... from Mount Paran..." (Devarim 33:2) — and this is "one who learns from every person."

Before giving the Torah, Hashem offered it to the other nations (alluded to by Se'ir and Paran); that universal offering is what allowed Yisrael to "learn from every person," gathering all the world's portions of wisdom into the Torah.

וחג הסוכות הוא זמן שמחתנו והוא איזה עשיר השמח בחלקו.

And Chag HaSukkos is "z'man simchaseinu" (the time of our rejoicing), which corresponds to "Who is wealthy? One who rejoices in his portion" (Avos 4:1).

Sukkos corresponds to osher (wealth). True wealth is not quantity but the contentment of one who is b'simchah with whatever Hashem has given him.

וזהו סימן העשירות כששמח בזה שהזמין לו השי"ת.

And this is the sign of wealth — when one rejoices in that which Hashem has provided for him.

The mark of genuine osher is joy in exactly what Hashem has prepared for a person, asking for nothing beyond His gift.

אכן חג האסיף זמן שמחה לבנ"י שהם שמחים בחלקם הן רב והן מעט.

Indeed, Chag HaAsif (the Festival of Ingathering) is a time of joy for Bnei Yisrael, who rejoice in their portion whether it is much or little.

Sukkos, the harvest festival, is fittingly joyful for Yisrael specifically because their simchah does not depend on the size of the yield — they are content with their portion whether great or small.

ונתן השי"ת לבנ"י אלה הג' בכח התורה ומצות השלש רגלים היינו שכל צרכי בנ"י באין בכח התורה כנ"ל במדרש.

And Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael these three through the power of the Torah and the mitzvos of the Shalosh Regalim — meaning that all the needs of Bnei Yisrael come through the power of the Torah, as above in the Midrash.

These three gifts — gevurah, chochmah and osher — are granted to Yisrael specifically through the Torah and the mitzvos of the three festivals, demonstrating that everything Yisrael receives flows through the channel of Torah.

שכן כ' אל יתהלל חכם כו' כי אם בזאת כו' וידוע אותי.

For so it is written: "Let not the wise man take pride... [nor the strong man, nor the rich man]... but rather in this... that he knows Me" (Yirmiyahu 9:22-23).

The very pasuk that names the wise, the strong and the rich teaches that none of these is a source of pride in itself — the only true boast is da'as Hashem, knowing Him.

היינו בנ"י שהג' מתנות הנ"ל הם בדעת והתקשרות בו ית' ע"י המועדות.

That is, for Bnei Yisrael these three above-mentioned gifts exist as da'as (knowledge of Him) and attachment to Him, may He be blessed, through the Moadim (festivals).

For Yisrael, wisdom, strength and wealth are not ends in themselves but become da'as Hashem and hiskashrus (bonding) with Him — and it is precisely the three Regalim that transform them into that connection.

ודו"ק:

And understand this well.

The Sefas Emes invites the reader to contemplate how each festival turns a worldly "gift" into a bond of da'as with Hashem.

Summary: The three Regalim are three "good gifts" — Pesach gives gevurah (mastery of the yetzer hara and true freedom), Shavuos gives chochmah (drawing all the world's wisdom into Torah), and Sukkos gives osher (the joy of one content with his portion) — and for Bnei Yisrael these gifts are not worldly attainments but, through the festivals, become da'as Hashem and attachment to Him, as the Torah teaches that one's only true pride is in knowing Hashem.