The Joy of our Youth is the Foundation of our Nation
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
Before Hashem gave the Torah on Har Sinai, Hashem asked the Jewish people who they would provide for guarantors for his gift of the Torah. The first answer was that the parents of the Jewish people, Avraham Yitzchok and Yaakov would be the guarantors. This answer was not accepted. The Jewish people then offered the prophets and leaders of the Jewish people and again their answer was not accepted. Finally the Jewish people offered their children as guarantors in order to receive the Torah. Hashem accepted their offer of their children as the guarantors of the Jewish people. Therefore it is only because of our children that we were able to receive the Torah on Shavuos.
Having our children as guarantors means that we have committed ourselves to raise our children in the ways of the Torah and mitzvos. Just as we were the guarantors or our parents, our children are ours and our grandchildren are the guarantors of our children and so on. Therefore in preparation for Shavuos we will reflect and learn lessons on how to improve our connection with Hashem and our children and thereby merit to receive the Torah anew on Shavuos.
In this time of unprecedented challenges in raising children with proper Jewish values, how do we best go about our calling of providing guarantors by giving our children the life, education and perspective they richly deserve to reach their greatest potential, to have a life of Torah and mitzvos? How will we provide for them, the youth of today who are tomorrow's nation, to go on and provide their own guarantors?
The Previous Rebbe (and the Rebbe) would customarily wish everyone a “Kabbbolas HaTorah b’Simcha u’v’Penimius, that they should receive the Torah with inner joy” before Shavuos. Why was the Rebbe always careful to include the words b’simcha u’v’penimius, with inner joy, not something said before other occasions such as Pesach etc.?
Matan Torah was the moment that the Jewish People underwent conversion. It was the time when we were chosen amongst the nations and a time when Hashem gave us His Torah. The first of the Ten Commandments begins with the word Anochi. Anochi is is also an acronym which means I have written myself into the Torah. When Hashem gave us His Torah he also gave us Himself. Hashem put Himself within his Torah so that when we learn the Torah we become united with Hashem’s essence and thereby have all the necessary powers to fulfill our purpose which is the mission of transforming the physical world into a dwelling place for Hashem’s presence.
Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev was once seen dancing for joy after reciting the morning blessings. Someone asked him about the cause of his tremendous joy. He replied that when he read the blessing ‘I have not been made a heathen’, he was overcome with joy because he realized as a Jew he had an essential connection to Hashem. Therefore he could no longer contain his joy and began dancing.
As chassidim we also have an opportunity to be overjoyed by learning Chassidus and reflecting on the essential connection to Hashem we have and the opportunity to learn His Torah and to do mitzvos we have been provided. We reflect on how by choosing us Hashem made our bodies holy and has given us the opportunity to connect to his essence and fulfill the purpose of creation. To reach a state of joy about this requires us to take the time to think it over and to realize what this really means. When we take the time to think it over we internalize the reality of what this means and it brings us to simcha u’penimius, true and profound joy. All of this is clearly included and expressed in the 12th of the 12 pesukim of “Yismach”.
By feeling the specialness of being Jewish and being b’simcha as in the example of Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev and living this way in our homes we inspire our children and give them the opportunity and power overcome their environments and have the chassidishe joy that the life of a Chosid of the Rebbe has, which they so richly deserve. From this Shavuos may we have the greatest joy of all, the marriage of Klal Yisroel and Hashem with the revelation of Moshiach Now!
A Good Yom Tov, Kabbolas HaTorah b’Simcha u’v’Penimius