Shavous
Rabbi Yaakov Zalman Labinsky
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Shavuous:
finding one’s portion of Torah by truly knowing oneself and how important we are to Hashem.
The framework of the melachos are the framework of creation. This is the beginnng of the week of Malchus, this is our week before Shavuous. How do we prepare aside from food, treats and flowers. We are meant to prepare ourselves.
Pirke Avos in chapter 6, 6, there are 48 channels thorugh which we acquire the Torah. It starts with learning the Torah. There are 47 attribtues we need to have and at the end it says whoever says something in the name of the person who said itbrings geula forever. It defies description. Why on earth would this atrribute be brought? Is it just a bibliography? Is this how we acquire the Torah? It is the only one that says it helps facilitate geula. And it adds esther says this to the King in the name of mordechai. This is what we are to do? On the 49th day which is shabbos this year, we do a review of all of them, what does this have to do with not plagerizing?
It means say that which someone says on their behalf. It means I have an obligation to listen to other ear, not arrogantly misappropriate from someone else, make sure I say clearly and accurately. If it were simple it would be listen carefully to the words of Torah. But above that, it says fundamentally that the first 47 are about learning Torah itself, 47 generic qualities. 48th is a global principle tied to every person. We have to understand what is being said. At the end of all 47, do you know the mission of the 47 is? it is to acquire your own portion of Torah, your own unique understanding and inner truth at the level you see it. you are meant to acquire and attach it to your root soul. come to understand a little bit more what is your root soul, your divine inner essence. We have been learning about the four elements trying to get to our deeper sense, to build ourselves into a mini bais hamikdosh. What does that mean? You are helping to bring out a portion of Torah that only you can reveal in your own unique and special way. The 48th is to help you divine to your inner essence and qualities and a wellspring of inner wisdom will come forth, whether it is a wellspring or inner insights.
Once you get to this place and fall into yourself and awaken this, you discover your spiritual essence. Now speak it out into the world, to reveal it, and it is no coincidence that in Sivan, it is the last third of the year, where everything becomes truly revealed. Find yourself, awaken your inner portion of divine wisdom and be humble to bring it out as a banner for Hashem. thisis part of Hashem and His truth coming through me, from what I truly am. In my innermost part of my being I have to speak it out. those listening are obligated to listen and to say it in that person’s name. going into shavuous, we are one soul family with an ultimate spiritual root. Once we come to our true divine inner essence that has divine wisdom that can see broadly and we give it vocie and expression, we need to say it out and all those around us care about what you say so they can be touched by the divine presence that is moving through you. When we give it over to someone else in your name, we give witness to how beautiful that person is, and that says Hashem how great are you that they connected to You and revealed your divine truth and we were affected and touched by that. We give witness to their divine truth and their root soul and how that affected us, and when we say this, we give testimony to Hashem, to that person’s spiritual essence, the importance of that person and how it touched me in my life. That awakens a true love and connection with each other. We are each uniquely different. By giving each person the deep listening and acknowledgement, we are in divine testament to Your existence, to portion of Torah you are meant to reveal and how you are a conduit. Only by joining each person’s portion, joining them and fusing them into one truth, then we can bring the redemption. Just like Esther said we are nothing, about to be annihilated, Mordechai says this is your purpose, for this moment in time. To speak to the King, hashem in a hidden form. Come out of hiding to be your true inner self. Connect to Torah on shavuous and be bold. At the right time we are to say our unique portion of truth that is His truth. He wants us to do that. The connection that is formed through one soul to another, appreciating each other, we get excited and we give it to Hashem. if we do it heartfelt way, we contribute to the coming of the redemption.
This is the 48th way. Hashem says be uniquely wise, become your true divine soul with your inner gdliness, accept yourself for who you are, not because it is about you but rather about revealing what your root soul is meant to reveal. That is the way to join in a way of respect and honor with one unified heart. That is our preparation for shavuous.
We come to understand our innermost divine essence and how we intended to see each other and bring out Hashen’s presence, this is what it means in Pirke Avos. this is what Esther understood from Mordechai, we are intended to reveal and as the listeners, to pay attention and praise and illuminate them and join together and be bound up that we are one soul. then we can bring out Hashem’s presence,
It talks about why did 12000 pairs of Rabbi Akiva’s students died? It tells us they did not conduct themselves appropriately with honor from one to another. The Maharsha says it out. they did not give the proper attention to each one of them on the kavod of Torah to each other. It means every unique righteous person had a way to do it and they did not give kavod to that person. Because they did not join with that, the Torah was not unified. Therefore only Shimon Bar Yochai and four others recreated all the torah. It is important to be one’s true divine self. It is not when it works in my life. You have a divine spiritual obligation to become yourself daily. Through these 47 attributes we come through our life experiences and also through the counting, the 49 aspects, to find our authentic self and our willingness to reveal it to the outside world by hearing others, acknowledge what they are saying, give testimony to that. It does not necessarily affirm you. Affirming them creates the possiblity to be a unified soul, honoring their inner makeup, their tzelem elokim. We come on Shavuous to unify, we want everyone’s unique contribution as a divine collective unit that rises above separation. We realize we are nothing but a reflection of Your presence. We don’t want to mekabel our individual torah but our collective Torah, to revea the shechina in an amazing way.
The opportunity this week, shabbos is the 49th day, internalize your own personal kavod, your true innermost value. Your existence reflects Hashem’s reality. Draw in Hashem’s kavod, a dignified regal royal way of existing that we are bnei Torah, the most regal of His dynasty, that is the honor we want to exhibit. We can give it to others.
Torah avoda and chesed bring us into Hashem’s world and extend kavod to others by internalizing our own. We perceive our divine elements and commit anew to apply to Torah and join with others. May we have a unified shavuous receiving Torah and may we see the geula shelama. This is what we need to fix from the talmidim of Rabbi Akiva. The only one we are ultimately meant to change is ourselves. We can live as Hashem meant us to.
Shavuos (in poetry format -RW)
Its about revealing his presence
We can be one unified people
Shavuos night
Musaf
Understand with a new awakening
To see ourselves
And bring Hashems presence in the world
Esther worked with Mordecai
Reveal
We are listeners
Illuminate them
Become bound up with one another
One root soul
Why was it 12,000 pairs of talmideichachamim
Lo kavod zeh lzeh
Maharsha says
They did not give the proper attention of their own friend
Every unique righteous person
Had their own special portion
Reflected in their spiritual nature
If the Torah wasn’t unified
They they weren’t zoche to bring the Torah
How important to be ones authentic divine self
You have a divine imperative
We are inspiring to live
Sefiros haOmer
To reveal an inner divine wisdom
Dual willingness
To hear others messages
Give testimony, witness
Reveling on someones Torah
You are taking time to validate their existence
This quality of love
You are honoring their inner constitution
Their unique tzelem Elokim
Tatti, we really want geula
And we want to understand and appreciate each person
We want to join all our souls together
Shavuos night
We want to Mekabel the collective Torah
The opportunity this week
Malchus sbmalchus
My true inner most value
Only because my existence
Reflects HKBH in the world
A dignified royal elevated existence
Our own internal koved
Perceive our divine elements in a Gdly way
Join with them
Bring out the best with them
Collective more sheleimus
We ultimately need to fix with the talmidim of Rabbi Akiva