| At last—Shavuos has arrived!
We've counted, we've toiled, and we've made the journey—forty-nine days of preparation and spiritual effort have brought us to this holy and wondrous day: the day when the sweetness and pleasantness of the Giving of the Torah is revealed.
What makes this festival different from all the others?
In the times of the Beis HaMikdash, the only offering brought from fully leavened bread—chametz gamur—was the offering of the two loaves on Shavuos. The journey began on Pesach, a time when chametz was entirely forbidden, and culminates on Shavuos with the bringing of chametz itself as a sacred offering.
This teaches us something profound.
There are times in life when the only solution seems to be distance—to simply pull away from difficulty and confusion. To accept that we don't understand Hashem's ways, and to avoid "asking questions." In such times, we are like the Jew on Pesach, fleeing from chametz—avoiding the inner turmoil, the questions that rise from our struggles.
But the true rectification, the deeper healing, comes on Shavuos.
On this holy day, the chametz itself becomes the offering. The struggle becomes the vessel. We begin to understand that the very difficulties we face are the tools through which we receive emunah—faith in Hashem.
Just as no business ever succeeds without going through early struggles and setbacks…
Just as a child only brings true nachas to his parents after years of effort and challenge…
So too, emunah cannot take root without passing through real, tangible difficulties.
But when we accept these challenges with joy, when we turn to Hashem from within them and remain connected to Him—that is each person's own private redemption.
May Hashem help us truly look our challenges in the eye, to thank Him for them, and to transform them into vessels for the supreme pleasantness—like the offering of the two loaves, which symbolize our ability to sanctify even the chametz.
Chag sameach!
And a special note: Rebbe Nachman emphasizes the importance of immersing in the mikveh on the night of Shavuos. In Likutey Moharan lesson 56, he reveals that this immersion corresponds to the "Fiftieth Gate"—the purification needed before receiving the Torah. |
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