English translation — ב' סיון

2 Sivan<pg>1</pg>

A.

The Alter Rebbe wrote in his Shulchan Aruch

(regarding the laws of Shavuot that are at the end of the laws of Pesach)¹

: "And the custom in these countries is not to fast and not to say Tachanun from Rosh Chodesh until the 8th of it²

and including, i.e., until after the conclusion of the festival called Isru Chag, because immediately after Rosh Chodesh Moshe began to occupy himself with them regarding the matter of the giving of the Torah, which on the second day of the week was Rosh Chodesh³

And on the third day of the week he said to them⁴

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc., and on the fourth he said to them the mitzvah of setting bounds: guard⁵

yourselves from ascending the mountain etc., and on the fifth he said to them the mitzvah of separation: that they separate from their wives today and tomorrow and be prepared for the third day⁶

which is Shabbat, on which the Torah was given."

The source of the matter is in the gloss of the Rema,

who wrote⁷

"And we do not say Tachanun from the beginning of Rosh Chodesh Sivan until the 8th of it, i.e., after Isru Chag"⁸,

And in the Magen Avraham⁹

he explains the reason for what the Rema wrote "from the beginning of Rosh Chodesh Sivan" — "that immediately on the 2nd of Sivan Moshe said to sanctify them for the Torah, as brought in chapter 8¹⁰

of Shabbat",

And he continues "the Geonim wrote at the end of Yud Heh¹¹

three days before Shavuot we do not fast, for they are the days of restriction, implying that on the 2nd of Sivan it is permitted to fast, but the world is accustomed not to fast for the reason I wrote above".

And according to this, it is puzzling why the Alter Rebbe detailed the events and statements of the fourth day and the fifth day,

and did not suffice with the reason of the Magen Avraham "that they are the days of restriction"¹².

And especially in the previous section¹³,

the Alter Rebbe himself wrote

(regarding the permission for haircuts and marriage)

"some are accustomed to cut hair and marry during all three days of restriction",

without detailing.

And also it can be said that the Alter Rebbe wanted to specify the matter of the days of restriction

— it is puzzling that he elaborates

In the telling of the matters and he specifies the deed of each and every day by itself — "on the fourth he said to them etc. and on the fifth he said to them etc."

And furthermore,

which implies somewhat that the reason for not saying Tachanun etc. is not because of the essence of the commandment of restriction and the commandment of separation upon the children of Israel,

but rather because of the saying of Moses

(these commandments)

on these days

(And it continues from the beginning of the wording of the Alter Rebbe there "Moses began to occupy himself with them regarding the matter of the receiving of the Torah",

as below section 2).

And although this style originates in the Gemara<sup>15</sup>

"On Monday the month was established etc. On Tuesday he said to them 'And you shall be to Me' On Wednesday he said to them 'the commandments of the boundary' On Thursday 'practice separation'" — for in the Gemara there it is brought regarding the dispute of Rabbi Yosi and the Rabbis<sup>16</sup>

"regarding the fixing of the month",

and therefore the differences between them were detailed

(which commandment was said on which day),

but regarding the words of the Alter Rebbe here

(that we do not fast and do not say Tachanun on these days)

it seemingly suffices to say in a general manner that these days are "days of boundary"

(in which they were forbidden to ascend the mountain and were commanded to separate).

2.

And this will be understood with a further preface of a difference between the wording of the Alter Rebbe and the wording of the Magen Avraham: In the Magen Avraham it is written "that immediately on the 2nd of Sivan Moshe said to them to sanctify them for the Torah",

but the Alter Rebbe wrote "Moshe began to occupy himself with them regarding the matter of receiving the Torah"<sup>17</sup>.

And one could say,

that through this change the Alter Rebbe informs us the definition of these days — which can be explained in several ways¹⁸,

and among them:

a)

From the aspect of their proximity to the day of the Giving of the Torah.

In the manner explained in M”A¹⁹

regarding every Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov that have in them a semblance of the holiness of Shabbos and the holiness of Yom Tov.

[And in this itself, it can be said in two ways<sup>20</sup>

— whether the cause is on the part of the person,

since in order to<pg>3</pg>

that a person can keep Shabbos and Yom Tov according to their halachos,

preparation on his part beforehand is required,

therefore the day of preparation is considered secondary and belonging to the Shabbos and Yom Tov that follow; or,

that the cause is on the part of the object, i.e., the time of Shabbos and Yom Tov,

that on Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov there is, from its own perspective,

(from the fact that it is the time adjacent to it)

a semblance of the holiness of Shabbos and Yom Tov

(and therefore this day also becomes a day of preparation regarding the person,

that obligations and special conduct in connection with Shabbos and Yom Tov apply to him)].

But that on every Friday and eve of Yom Tov this is only regarding the day before it²¹

(from midday onward,

when one does not say Tachanun,

or also regarding the entirety of the day called "Friday" and "eve of Yom Tov" and the like²²

that we do not say Tachanun even in the morning of the eve of Yom Tov²³),

but not so on the festival of Shavuos,

the time of the giving of our Torah,

behold the influence and action is

(not only on the eve of Yom Tov but also)

from Rosh Chodesh onward,

when then

(Israel came to the desert of Sinai²⁴)

and he encamped there Israel opposite the mountain²⁵,

prepared²⁶

for the receiving of the Torah

(as explained in the Midrash²⁷).

b)

In these days there is in them, from their own side, a content and unique definition,

of "days of the receiving of the Torah",

therefore they are distinguished and unique in themselves

(that we do not fast on them and we do not say Tachanun on them).

In a slightly different style: At the giving of the Torah there are two matters: the giving of the Torah,

from the side of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and the receiving of the Torah,

from the side of the children of Israel.

And although the receiving of the Torah is a result of the giving of the Torah²⁸

and its time is after the giving,

nevertheless, in a deeper sense it can be said,

that the receiving of the Torah began before the giving of the Torah,

and it is a matter in its own right.

And this is the unique aspect of these days — the days of the receiving of the Torah²⁹.

3.

And it can be said that this is the difference between the language of the Magen Avraham and the language of the Alter Rebbe:

In the Magen Avraham it emphasizes "G-d said to Moshe to sanctify them for the Torah",

And this is that from the second day of Sivan onward Moshe began to prepare Bnei Yisrael for the Torah,

that Hashem would give them; while the Alter Rebbe writes "Moshe began to occupy himself with them regarding the matter of receiving the Torah",

meaning that in these days the matter of receiving the Torah began.

And therefore the Magen Avraham mentioned only this, that these days are days of restriction,

and did not explain what was done each day,

because this alone already emphasizes that these days are one continuum of days of preparation for the giving of the Torah³⁰,

unlike the Alter Rebbe who holds that

(immediately after<pg>4</pg>

Rosh Chodesh)

They are the days of the receiving of the Torah,

So each and every day is a day in which a different aspect in the receiving of the Torah is effected,

That on the third day the receiving of the Torah was in this matter that was said to them "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc.",

And on the fourth day the receiving of the Torah was through the commandment of setting bounds,

And on the fifth day the receiving was through the commandment of separation,

That is to say — that on each day there was a "new receiving" from Moshe,

And likewise from the side of Moshe Rabbeinu — that on each day there was a different occupation of Moshe "in the matter of the receiving of the Torah"³¹.

4.

And it can be said,

That these three matters in the receiving of the Torah — that they became a kingdom of priests,

The setting of bounds and the caution from ascending the mountain,

And the separation from their wives — they correspond to three matters analogous to them that exist in the giving of the Torah:

The essence of the giving of the Torah according to its simple meaning is — the descent of the Shechinah below,

revelation of the Shechinah.

And the purpose of the giving of the Torah is — as the words of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;

— "The entire Torah was given to make peace in the world",

and it has already been explained elsewhere&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the "peace" that is made in the world through the Torah,

is not

(only)

peace between the creatures,

but the peace between Divinity, as it were, and the world,

as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;

that Israel is called "Shulamit" because "she made peace between Me and My world" through their acceptance of the Torah.

And now, regarding the matter of peace, there are two movements&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;

— negation of dispute and an action of unity and connection.

And so it is also with the "peace"

(made through the Torah)

"between Me and My world",

which is made through

(a)

negation of matters that oppose Divinity,

which in general is through negative commandments,

(b)

doing things according to the will of the Creator,

namely positive commandments&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;.

And corresponding to this are the three matters in the receiving of the Torah:

The content of the matter of the commandment of the boundary is — not to be separate and completely removed from the world in a way that leads to exhaustion of the soul,

like Nadav and Avihu who "in their offering before G-d they died"³⁷,

for the intention of the Torah is as it is said³⁸

"Not chaos did He create it

(but)

for habitation He formed it",

to make the world that it should be according to the instruction of the Torah,

a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms³⁹,

and this is in inwardness "Take heed for yourselves going up on the mountain etc.'",

rather it must be the action,

to make the world that it should be according to the instruction of the Torah

(like a positive commandment).

And on the other hand,

since he is occupied with worldly matters, caution is needed to the contrary,

so that he not be-<pg>5</pg>

too immersed in worldly matters,

that worldly matters should not "bring him down,"

and this is the content of "the commandment of separation"

(in the manner of a negative commandment).

And as an introduction to these two commandments that are in the receiving of the Torah

(the commandment of boundary and the commandment of separation),

Moshe said to them on the second of Sivan "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc.",

that this is not an instruction and a command but a description of the reality,

that Bnei Yisrael became a kingdom of priests in the likeness of priests who serve and up to the level of the Kohen Gadol

(as it is brought in the Baal HaTurim⁴⁰),

and this is as it is in the giving of the Torah,

that these two details mentioned above in the action of the Torah are a result of the descent of the Shechinah below.

5.

And now, since this that Moshe began to occupy himself with them in the matter of the receiving of the Torah was when he said to them "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc.",

it is reasonable to say,

that these three matters are hinted at in this very statement of "And you shall be to Me etc."

(and as is known that in the beginning of any matter the entire matter is hinted at).

And the concept⁴¹

:

"And you shall be to Me" means that the children of Israel became the possession of the Holy One, blessed be He, alone

(And in the Mechilta⁴²

"as it were, I do not appoint and I do not place over you others, but I [alone]"),

and afterwards come the two concepts in the service of the children of Israel — "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation": priests — who are separate from worldly matters,

in the language of the Rambam⁴³

"to be separated to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to worship Him",

this is similar to the commandment of separation; and "a holy nation" indicates the holiness that the children of Israel draw into physical things

(and similar to the explanation of the Alter Rebbe⁴⁴

on "one nation in the land"⁴⁵,

that the children of Israel draw "the Lord is One" also into earthly matters)

— and this is in accordance with the commandment of the boundary,

whose concept is "beware for yourselves of ascending the mountain",

but rather — man's service must be to draw holiness into physical things and worldly matters,

specifically "a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms".

6.

And behold, these days are remembered and done⁴⁶,

and from this it is understood also regarding the time of the giving of our Torah in each and every year,

that in each year there is a giving of the Torah anew⁴⁷

and in a more elevated manner⁴⁸,

that in order to receive the Torah on the holiday of Shavuot, one needs to have the aforementioned preparations from Rosh Chodesh Sivan,

similar to what was at the time of the Giving of the Torah the first time.

That is to say, in addition to this that every preparation must be similar to and in the pattern of the thing that is the subject of the preparation,

and in our case, an addition in the study of Torah during these days,

it must also be similar to the particular preparations that were the first time,

and as is understood also simply: since the events and revelations of these days are effective and continue also now,

therefore for this reason now we do not fast on them and we do not say Tachanun on them.

<pg>6</pg>

And according to this,

behold the day of the 2nd of Sivan on which Moshe said to them "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc." — it is a special day that awakens a person "to separate to stand before Hashem to serve Him and to worship Him to know Hashem"⁴⁹

and even that "we become sanctified holy of holies"⁴⁹,

and this awakening and desire must be until so much that he needs a warning and a boundary "Beware for yourselves going up on the mountain etc.",

and this is because their effect in this service "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests etc." brings in them the desire to know Hashem,

to enter into the holy,

to enter the orchard⁵⁰

in a manner of soul-consumption,

and about this they say that it must be specifically in the manner of "he enters in peace"⁵¹,

"boundary the mountain".

And therefore they warn immediately afterwards that there must be specifically the commandment of separation,

for even though there is a way of "clothing" in worldly matters that protects a person from soul-consumption,

specifically the manner of service of "return",

the occupation with worldly matters

(as the well-known story⁵²

of the Alter Rebbe and the angel,

that from their study in the inner dimensions of the Torah they reached soul-consumption and he was forced to eat a "bagel" with butter so that his soul would not separate from his body),

behold in our case there must be specifically separation,

and this is also from matters that are permitted and also matters that are

(in special times)

a commandment⁵³,

for in proximity to the Giving of the Torah there must be separation from all matters that belong to the body,

and that a person be entirely occupied and attached in preparation for the Giving of the Torah.

And just as it is regarding his own service,

so too should be his service with his fellow,

and with greater emphasis,

for the beginning of the preparation for the Giving of the Torah was on Rosh Chodesh Sivan,

on this day they came to the Sinai Desert and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain "as one man with one heart"⁵⁴,

therefore also in the days of preparation for the Giving of the Torah each year it is not sufficient that each one prepare himself in these days for the Giving of the Torah,

but rather he must influence the Children of Israel around him that they also prepare themselves with the proper preparation for the Giving of the Torah,

according to the details mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch,

And through this, all the Children of Israel together "as one man with one heart" will receive the Torah on the day of the Giving of the Torah,

with joy and inwardness⁵⁵.

(From the sichos of Shabbos Parshas Bamidbar

(2 Sivan)

5747,

4 Sivan 5749)