PMF
Jewish Section - Rabbi Brandwein's Essays
The Essence of Shavuot
One must understand the special meaning of triads
(i.e., a triple entities). Our Mitzvot are special in
that the Torah doesn't require of us to abandon
material life. At the same time, it requires of us not
to sink into materialism. The sacred and the material
are to be integrated. Accordingly, the Torah doesn't
ask self-denial of us but rather to eat of both
vegetable and animal. But this eating is conditioned
by Mitzvot related to the vegetable world (i.e.,
Ma'assrot, etc.) and to the animal world (i.e., only
kosher animals, ritually slaughtered, etc.).
The same principle applies to marital relations (i.e.,
Taharat HaMishpacha) and Midot in general. For example,
take Chessed (kindness). If we give without measure,
we can bring damage through overindulgence. As Chazal
said, "Those who are compassionate to the cruel end up
by being cruel to the compassionate." Accordingly, in
Parshat Kedoshim when dealing with the laws of incest,
the term "Chessed" is used in the negative sense. On
the other hand, if we overemphasize Din (i.e.,
discipline tending to cruelty), the counterpart of
Chessed, it also brings negative results. Chessed and
Din must be combined to bring us to the middle column,
"the golden mean."
Now we can understand what the Gemara is saying to us.
This is the very meaning of Torah and of the people of
Israel -- to keep the Torah and Mitzvot in the
synthesis of triads. We can now, also, understand the
three festivals -- Pesach, Shavuot and Succot. Pessach
and Succot each have seven days while Shavuot has only
one. Pessach represents Chessed as Jeremiah says, "I
recall your Chessed when you left Egypt in order to
enter the desert." Succot is called "days of Din"
because we pray for rain, called "Gvurot" (i.e., Din).
But Shavuot, the day of the giving of the Torah,
combines Chessed and Din and thus needs be only one day.
It is not a Midah in its own right but a synthesis.
The middle column is a difficult path and a person
must concentrate on the correction of his Midot by
scrupulously keeping Torah and Mitzvoth with special
care not to fall into excessive Din, anger, impatience,
etc. but to keep impulses within balanced bounds
especially in dealings with others.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to top |