English translation — חה"ש

1.

With Shavuot are bound several matters:

The matter and essential content of Shavuot is — that which it is

(as one says in the text of the prayer and Kiddush)

"the time of the giving of our Torah"

"You shall count fifty days etc. and you shall proclaim on that very day a holy convocation etc.";

Even more; at the time when the months were established based on sighting,

the fiftieth day of the Omer

(which on <b>that</b> day is the holiday of Shavuos)

could fall <b>not</b> on the day of the giving of the Torah,

as the Gemara says<sup>2</sup>

"Sometimes five, sometimes six, sometimes seven"

(and that which we say on Shavuos "the time of the giving of our Torah" is it therefore because now the fixed calendar of Shavuos is always "on the sixth of Sivan",

the day of the giving of the Torah<sup>3</sup>)

Nevertheless,

it says indeed in the Yerushalmi⁴

that the reason that by the offerings of Atzeret the term "chatat" is not stated in the verse

(as by the offerings of the other festivals)

is because "since you have accepted upon yourselves the yoke of Torah, I consider it as if you have never sinned from your days."

It is therefore compelled from this,

that <b>Atzeret</b>

(in whatever determination it may be)

is connected with the receiving of the Torah]

Afterwards,

many generations later,

there was added in Shavuot another matter — the passing of King David,

as it says in the Yerushalmi⁵

"David died on Atzeret."

And behold, in the Babylonian [Talmud]⁶

it stands that the passing of David was on Shabbat.

And seemingly, according to the rule that "Pesach does not fall on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday," Shavuot

(the fifty-first day)

cannot be on Shabbat.

Nevertheless, according to several commentators⁷

there is no dispute in this between the Babylonian [Talmud] and the Jerusalem [Talmud],

because when one establishes the month based on sighting, Pesach can occur on Tuesday — and consequently Shavuot on Shabbat.

In our times, Atzeret falls on Shabbat — this applies only in the Diaspora on the second day of Yom Tov of the exile — on the 7th of Sivan⁸.

And later in later generations

(in the time of "Erev Shabbat after midday"⁹,

in the six

(thousand-year)

"days" of the existence of the world),

another matter was added to Shavuot — the passing of the Baal Shem Tov

(on the <b>first</b> day of Shavuot¹⁰,

<b>sixth</b> of Sivan).

2.

Everything that happens in the world is indeed with Divine Providence¹¹

; and all the more so such events and lofty matters like the Giving of the Torah,

or the passing of King David and of the Baal Shem Tov

(which pertain to the entire Jewish people and throughout all the generations)

— it is therefore understandable,

that these three matters,

since they were on the same day¹²,

have among themselves a common point*¹².

That is,

that the elevation that was revealed at the time of the Giving of the Torah,

afterwards came to be revealed

(more)

through King David¹³,

and afterwards — even more revealed — through the Baal Shem Tov.

3.

One will understand it by prefacing what is stated in the Midrash¹⁴

(regarding the giving of the Torah)

: "Said David,

Although the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed: The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, and the earth He gave to the children of man ..

When He sought to give the Torah, He nullified the first decree and said: The lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones, and the upper ones shall descend to the lower ones, and I will begin, as it is said¹⁵

And the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, and it is written¹⁶

And to Moses He said: Ascend to the Lord."

From the fact that the Midrash prefaces "the lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones" <b>before</b> "and the upper ones shall descend to the lower ones" — although the "And the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai" was <b>before</b> the "Ascend to the Lord"¹⁷,

and as the Midrash itself says "and I will begin" — it is understandable,

that the <b>primary</b> intention of the nullification of the decree is the matter of "the lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones"

(which began <b>in actuality</b> only <b>after</b> the giving of the Torah)

; it is only,

that in order for the "lower ones" to be able to ascend,

there had to be first the "And the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai" — "and I will begin".

4.

And this is the explanation of the connection between the first two matters of Shavuos — the Giving of the Torah and the passing of King David¹⁸.

At the time of the Giving of the Torah, there opened up

(in actuality and primarily)

the concept of "the upper ones descended to the lower ones",

and <b>the</b> concept was at the time of the Giving of the Torah <b>in the ultimate</b> <b>dominance</b>.

That this is the purpose of the "descent"

(and revelation of G‑dliness)

from above to below which was at the time of the Giving of the Torah regarding the revelation of G‑dliness which was before the Giving of the Torah: the revelation of G‑dliness which was drawn down into the world &lt;b&gt;before&lt;/b&gt; the Giving of the Torah,

(also the revelation which the Patriarchs drew down,

beginning from Abraham our father who was the one who "began to shine"&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;),

was in spirituality and did not permeate the "physicality" of the world;

But the "And the L‑rd descended upon Mount Sinai" which was at the time of the Giving of the Torah,

permeated also the physicality of the world,

as it says in the Midrash&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;

that at the time of the Giving of the Torah "a bird did not chirp,

a fowl did not fly, etc.",

until that "the voice which went forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, had no echo": because of the fact that the "voice" was absorbed and was imbibed into all created beings,

it therefore had no reverberation

("echo")&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;,

and from then on — the Torah is not in heaven&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;

but specifically below in this physical world.

But after all this,

was at the time of the Giving of the Torah <b>in actuality</b> only the drawing down and descent from above to below.

But the "the lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones",

the refinement and ascent of the world itself,

that <b>began</b> after the Giving of the Torah through the service of the Jews,

who refine the physicality of the world and make it a vessel for G‑dliness

(and at the time of the Giving of the Torah the <b>power</b> for this service was drawn down),

And just as the matter of "the upper ones descended to the lower ones",

although it began through Abraham our father,

it nevertheless took a span of several generations,

until it came to the ultimate perfection at the time of the Giving of the Torah

(through Moses our teacher, who is the "seventh" and "all sevenths are beloved"²³)

This is also regarding "the lower ones will ascend to the upper ones" which began immediately after the giving of the Torah,

that the elevation took a duration of many generations,

and it was completed through King David

(who is also called "the seventh"²⁴),

and even more revealed — through King Solomon²⁵,

when there was "the moon stood in its fullness"²⁶,

the ultimate perfection of the moon

(the sefirah of malchus),

whose concept is — elevation from below to above.

5.

Among the essential matters that were introduced through King David,

were: a)

Kingship

(the concept of monarchy)

— aside from the fact that he was the first who was a king over all Jews

(unlike Saul)²⁷,

he was also given the monarchy forever,

that "the monarchy will never be cut off from the seed of <b>David</b>"²⁸.

b)

The concept of the Holy Temple — that although <b>in practice</b> King Solomon built the Beis HaMikdash,

nevertheless all the necessary things for the building of the Beis HaMikdash

(even the design of the pattern of the Beis HaMikdash)

were prepared by King David²⁹,

so that the Beis HaMikdash is called by the name of David²⁰.

And these two things — the kingdom of the house of David and the Holy Temple²¹

— express the ultimate perfection of "the lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones,"

as follows.

6.

It has already been discussed at length³²,

that the connection and bond of the citizens of the state with the king is not only regarding the details that have to do with <b>monarchy</b>

(as it is,

for example,

the connection between a student and his teacher,

which expresses itself

(mainly)

only in matters of Torah),

but rather that their <b>entire</b> <b>existence</b> is subject to the king.

That this is the reason for the law,

that when someone does not fulfill the command of a king of Israel — whatever kind of command it may be

(even when it has no apparent connection to the matter of kingship,

as,

for example,

"that he go to a certain place" or "that he not leave his house"),

he is liable to death³³

- because since the <b>entire</b> <b>existence</b> of each one of the citizens is connected to the king,

then consequently it is not possible to say regarding any detail

(which has to do only with his existence),

that <b>that</b> detail has no connection to the king.

And therefore the halachic ruling is,

that "anyone who rebels against a king of Israel" is liable to <b>death</b>,

because kingship touches his <b>very</b> <b>existence</b>.

And since the nullification,

which must be to a king of Israel,

derives from the fact that the king is nullified to the kingdom of heaven

the nullification to the King of kings of kings is drawn into them]³⁴,

it consequently follows,

and all the more so,

that the nullification of Jews to the Most High

(through their nullification to the king)

is in a manner that touches their <b>very</b> <b>existence</b>.

7.

According to this it is understandable,

that the self-nullification to G-dliness,

which was revealed among Jews through King David

(mainly the aspect of kingship),

has in itself an advantage over the self-nullification that is from

(the giving of)

the Torah.

For in the commandments of the Torah

(not as in the commandments of a king,

as above)

there are differences: there are indeed commandments that when one transgresses them one is liable for death; but there are many commandments for whose transgression comes <b>not</b> the death penalty —

(Which from this is understandable,

that also the liability of death that is indeed present by the other commandments,

it comes not from the aspect of the "commandment" that is in them,

rather because of the severity that is present in the &lt;b&gt;subjects&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;particulars&lt;/b&gt; upon which one becomes commanded)

And since when transgressing G-d forbid upon a commandment of the second type of commandments of the Torah,

he is &lt;b&gt;not&lt;/b&gt; liable of death,

his existence remains,

it comes then automatically out,

that also when he fulfills the commandments of the Torah,

the fulfillment is as if an added thing to his existence.

Not so the nullification to Elokus that comes through the nullification to the king,

(for then,

is also the study of Torah and fulfillment of the commandments in a manner of acceptance of the yoke of <b>Kingdom</b> of <b>Heaven</b> — higher than they

are from the perspective of the Torah itself).

It is in a manner,

that this very nullification is his entire existence,

as above.

And the reason for this is: Torah is an influence from above to below — and therefore it is like an "added" thing,

since it comes from the side of the "above" and not from the side of the "below" itself; but kingship comes from the side of the "people"

("below")

— "You shall surely set over yourself a king",

"You shall surely set over yourself a king",

and therefore it is the very existence of the "people" itself.

8.

The concept of "the lower ones shall ascend to the upper ones" which was initiated through King David,

was expressed also in the "Holy Temple",

which is called

(as above section 5)

by the name of David:

The function of the Beis HaMikdash is not only that &lt;b&gt;in&lt;/b&gt; it was the resting of the Shechinah

(as one thing dwells in another),

but &lt;b&gt;it&lt;/b&gt; itself,

i.e.,

that is,

the physical things from which the Beis HaMikdash was built — were a "Mikdash" to the Most High.

And although also in the Mishkan it was likewise,

however the Mishkan did not take over the "place" where it stood&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;,

therefore no holiness remained on that spot&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;

; but not so the Beis HaMikdash,

indeed even after the destruction the holiness remained in the place of the Mikdash&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;.

9.

It has been spoken several times regarding the two lines — drawing down from above to below and elevation from below to above — that in each of them there is an advantage relative to the other³⁹.

And therefore the ultimate purpose consists in "let it be like this and like this"⁴⁰

— that both matters should be together.

And although this will be only

(in revelation)

in the future to come³⁹

— nevertheless, at the giving of the Torah the power was already given also for <b>this</b> matter⁴¹.

For since then the "decree" that separates between "upper ones" and "lower ones" was nullified,

therefore automatically the power was given

(not only that "the upper ones descend to the lower ones" and that "the lower ones ascend to the upper ones," but also)

that the descent of the upper ones and the ascent of the lower ones should come together.

It is only,

that in revelation then was only the matter of "the upper ones descended to the lower ones",

and the other two matters become revealed later; the matter of "the lower ones will ascend to the upper ones" — through King David

(as above)

; and the unification of both matters together will be revealed

(mainly)

in the future to come

(when then will be the "Lehavai kedein ukedein"),

and as a preparation and vessel for this — through the Torah of the Baal Shem Tov⁴²

(and as is known⁴³

that "May your springs spread forth outward" is a preparation and vessel for the "Ka atei Mar").

Because the revelation of the Baal Shem Tov was,

that he <b>revealed</b> not only the

(secrets and secrets of secrets of)

"Ten <b>Commandments</b>" of the giving of the Torah,

which are <b>higher</b> than the world,

but also the "Ten <b>Utterances</b> with which <b>the world</b> was <b>created</b>:

Until the Baal Shem Tov, the "Ten Utterances" "stood" in the creations in a manner of concealment and hiding,

and the Baal Shem Tov brought them out to revelation in a manner that all should know,

that the true reality of every creation is

(<b>not</b> the creation itself,

but)

the word of Hashem which brings it into being every single moment from absolute nothing and non-existence⁴⁴.

And the revelation of the Ten Utterances

(the G‑dliness which is <b>in</b> <b>the world</b>)

means indeed — the refinement and elevation of the <b>staff</b>; but together with this,

he revealed the same matter itself in a manner of <b>Torah</b>

(an explanation on a verse⁴⁵)

— a drawing down from above to below.

And therefore the study and the dissemination of the Torah of the Baal Shem Tov

(which is analogous to⁴⁶

of "le'hevei ke'dein u'che'dein" which will be in the future)

a preparation and a vessel for the coming of Moshiach,

that also regarding him will be the preparation in both matters — "he who is immersed <b>in Torah</b> ..

<b>like David</b> his father"⁴⁷,

will come and redeem us speedily, truly.

(From the talk of Chag HaShavuot 5727)