Igrot Kodesh · Letter 74 — Shavuos — The Torah as Gift: Infinite Elevation for Every Jew

By the grace of Hashem,

28 Iyar 5703,

To the editorial board of the Chaver* [1],

I greet you and bless you,

I address these few words to you, on the occasion of the publication of the Shavuos* issue of the Chaver, which is also the jubilee issue.

This holiday is called Shavuos, weeks, as it is said "you shall count for yourself seven weeks." On the other hand, one does not count the day of the holiday itself. One counts only the days that precede it, then this holiday is celebrated.

There is indeed a particularity here, among the three pilgrimage festivals. For the holiday of Matzos* and that of Sukkos* receive, in the Torah*, a specific date, whereas Shavuos is defined solely as the fiftieth day of this count.

What teaching can one derive from all this?

* * *

Shavuos is the day of the receiving of the Torah.

Before the Torah was given, it was already being studied. Avraham*, the first Jew, was himself called "an elderly man, who resides in the tent of study." Then, it was the same for the following generations. However, no one was then obligated to put the Commandments into practice. One studied the Torah by one's own powers, since one had not yet received the Injunction to do so.

One was therefore limited, in one's ability to progress, by the dispositions one naturally had. Those who possessed immense capacities could indeed experience a perpetual elevation, but one that remained nonetheless limited. For every created being is, by nature, limited.

Then came the giving of the Torah and Hashem said: "The terrestrial creatures shall rise toward heaven, the celestial creatures shall descend to earth, and I Myself shall take the first initiative in this regard" by expressing the Essence of Myself in the Torah that I give you. Thus, your elevation can transcend all limits.

After the giving of the Torah, this possibility is offered to all, whether one has limited intellectual means or, on the contrary, very broad ones. For every Jew receives his share of the Torah.

This is why one speaks of the giving of the Torah. For it is indeed a gift, a present. A Torah so elevated, with the Luminary* it contains, could not be obtained otherwise. No personal effort would be sufficient to acquire it.

This will allow us to understand why Moshe*, when he was on Mount Sinai, studied the Torah, then immediately forgot it. He therefore exclaimed: "I have retained nothing of it!" It was then that Hashem gave it to him as a gift. Now, we know that the Patriarchs never ceased studying it, that there was a Yeshiva* in Egypt, that Moshe himself studied the Torah there for several decades!

Nevertheless, a gift is not given to just anyone. One must merit it, for "one does not offer a gift if one does not oneself derive pleasure from it."

How did the Jews merit receiving such a gift?

They put into practice the Torah and the Mitzvos* of their ancestors, by whose merit the revelation of Mount Sinai was obtained. To prepare for it, they left Egypt, "abomination of the earth" and counted the days that still separated them from the moment of receiving the Torah. They thus prepared themselves for this great revelation.

* * *

This is what we must always remember. When we study the Torah, we must bear in mind that it is the Torah of Hashem and we must, beforehand, recite a blessing, "Blessed are You, Hashem, Who gives the Torah," in the present tense.

Hashem gives the Torah as a gift at this precise moment, exactly as He did on Mount Sinai. We must therefore, in studying it, feel the same awe as then, to the point of trembling. The fear of acting wrongly must manifest before the intellect. It is only on this condition that the intellect is maintained.

One must therefore count, transform and illuminate those forty-nine gates of understanding that each person can traverse by his own powers. This is how one puts into practice the Precept "you shall count fifty days." From then on, when one studies the Torah, one feels the Presence of Hashem. "Hashem is with him and the Halacha* is systematically decided according to his opinion." One will discover, in the course of this study, the purest truth.

Likewise, one will receive the most elevated Divine Lights, in order to serve Him. Certainly, it is said: "You have made man a little less than Hashem," but our Sages emphasize that, were it not for the sin, man could be, strictly speaking, divine.

* * *

The Chaver, since its creation, has set as its objective to penetrate into homes that, until then, were distant from Jewish practice. One must therefore know that however far a Jew may stray, however low he may fall, he retains the possibility of leaving this profound darkness to find a great light.

One can therefore in no way look upon a Jew with discouragement and one must explain to him that he does not, himself, have the right to be discouraged.

One must make him know that "I am Hashem your L-rd who brought you out of the land of Egypt." Hashem Himself comes to his aid, frees him from his own coarseness, just as He delivered the children of Israel from the forty-nine gates of impurity, in Egypt.

One must explain to him that it suffices for him to awaken his own motivation, his Jewish fiber which constitutes the depth of himself. He will then experience a perpetual elevation and will transform, by his own powers, everything he undertakes. Then, he will receive a gift from Hashem, which will bring him sanctification. Thus, he will be freed from all sufferings, delivered from exile.

With my wishes for success in your work and my blessing to receive the Torah joyfully and deeply, as well as for immediate Teshuvah* and immediate redemption,

Rav Menachem Schneerson,

Director of the executive committee [2]