The Influence of the Day
Moshe Rabenu Sanctifies Klal Yisroel Every Year:
The pasuk states (Shemos 19:10): “And Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow’.” The Zohar Hakadosh explains the pasuk to mean that the influence of Moshe lasts for all generations. It was both for “today” – his times – and “tomorrow” – later times. Every year, when we celebrate the receiving of the Torah, Moshe comes from the Upper World and sanctifies us.
Kabalos for the Future:
One year on Shavuos, before Kriyas Hatorah began, Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov zy”a told his shamash, R’ Hirsch zt”l, to make an announcement that anyone who did not fulfill the Aseres Hadibros should leave the bais medrash before the Torah portion of the Aseres Hadibros was read. The Ropshitzer Rebbe zy”a was present at the time and, due to his great humility, he was the first one to walk out. When everyone saw the Ropshitzer walking out, they followed him. The only ones remaining inside where the Rimanover Rebbe and R’ Hirsch. When Rav Mendel saw that he was left without a minyan, he told R’ Hirsch, “I see that no one fulfilled the Aseres Hadibros. Go out and tell them that they should accept to do so in the future, and they can then come back inside.” Everyone then came back in and Rav Mendel read the Aseres Hadibros.
If Not Now, When:
A young married man once came to see the Sanzer Rov zy”a, and the Rov asked him if he set aside time every day to learn Torah. The man answered, “I don’t have time right now. I am very busy setting up my business. Once my business is established, I will have the headspace and time to learn properly.” The Rov told him, “If you are successful in setting up your business, after a year or two you will want to expand and grow until you become very wealthy. You think that by that time, you might find a way to give some of your precious time to learn. That’s not the proper mindset. Rather, you should first start to learn and if you learn diligently and also spend time on your business, you will have the peace of mind you want and you won’t lose anything!”
If There is no Parnassah, It is a Sign that One is Not Toiling in Torah:
In truth, one’s parnassah depends on his Torah study. A man once told Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a that he had no parnassah, and Rav Meir told him, “Chazal say (Avos 3:17) that if there is no ‘flour’ there is no Torah and if there is no Torah there is no flour. This means that if one has no paranssah, it is a sign that he doesn’t have Torah because one who learns Torah properly will be successful in earning a living.” The reason for this is because when one toils in Torah, even the non-Jews agree that he is befitting to have an abundance of parnassah. The Gemara (Pesachim 68B) states: “Everyone agrees that on Atzeres (Shavuos) one also needs ‘lachem’ (to have part of the day ‘for you’ to enjoy through eating and drinking).” Sefer Ohr Lashamayim (Parshas Naso) explains that, as Chazal say, if Klal Yisroel had not accepted the Torah, the world would have returned to nothingness. Therefore, even the non-Jews are only alive because we accepted the Torah. Thus, the Gemara can be understood to be saying that “everyone agrees” that we deserve to have our portion of goodness on Shavuos, as they only exist because we received the Torah. Similarly, the Gaon of Ostrovtze zy”a explains the Gemara to mean that even the prosecuting angels agree on Shavuos that the Jewish people should have sufficient parnassah. All year long, they come with claims against Klal Yisroel and say that we do not deserve a good livelihood but on Shavuos, when Klal Yisroel accepts the Torah, even they agree that we deserve an abundance of parnassah.
The Influence of Money:
The pasuk states (Shir Hashirim 1:11): “We will make you rows of gold with studs of silver.” My grandfather, the Kretchnifer Rebbe zy”a related that his grandfather, Rav Eliezer Zev of Kretchnif zy”a would explain this to mean that Torah comes down to this world together with money. He would jokingly add that in Poland, when the postman would bring a letter from America, everyone knew that it contained money.
Packing Up Everything One Earned During the Chag:
The custom is not to recite Tachanun from Shavuos until the 12th of Sivan. Thus, we celebrate Shavuos for seven days. The Tzemach Tzedk of Lubavitch zy”a once asked his grandfather, the Baal Hatanya zy”a, why this is so. The Baal Hatanya answered with a moshol of merchants who traveled to a two-day fair to purchase merchandise. After the fair, they did not go home right away. Rather, they stayed in that town for a few days to pack up everything they bought as well as they could, as they had a long journey ahead of them and needed to ensure that all of the goods were secure. So too, every Yid acquires many great things on Shavuos, and we need a few days afterwards to “pack up the goods” and ensure that they are well protected so that they will last for the coming year.
