This week we celebrate Shavuos – the time of Kabalas HaTorah. The Chumash tells us that three months after leaving Metzrayim, Bnei Yisrael reached the desert of Sinai. There they camped before the mountain and began preparing themselves to accept the Torah. On the third day, the Shofar was blown and the nation gathered at the foot of the mountain — “VaYizvu B’Tachtis HaHar.”
The Gemara in Shabbos (Daf Pay Ches) teaches “V’Kafah Hakadosh Baruch Hu Alayhem Har Kigigis,” Hashem held the mountain over them like a barrel. And He said to them “Im Atem Mikablim HaTorah Mutav,” if you are Mikabel the Torah, all will be good. “V’Im Lav, Sham Tihay Kevuraschem,” and if not, there will be your graves. This is pshat – the plain meaning of the words.
But there is a question to be asked – why does it say “Sham Tihay Kevuraschem” – there will be your graves? It should have said “Po” here would be your graves.
If we read the words just a little bit differently then it all makes sense. “Im Atem Mikablim HaTorah” – if you are Mikabel the Torah, “Mutav” – then things will be good for you. You will have good health, success, and a good life. “V’Im Lav” – and if things are not good for you – “Sham Tihay Kevuraschem” – there is your grave – in the Kabbalah.
Hashem promises us that if we are Mikabel the Torah, things will go well for us, but if things are not going well – then we need to understand that the problem lies in our Kabbalah.
Rashi tells us that as Klal Yisrael gathered at the base of Har Sinai they were “K’eesh Achad B’Lev Achad” – like one man with one heart. We also learned (see Divrei Mordechai for Rosh Chodesh Sivan) that this gathering was as important as Kabalas HaTorah. The word Achad is gematria Ahava, the Hebrew word for love. The truest form of Kabbalah is one that comes through Ahavas Hashem. May we all be Zocheh to share in this truest form of Kabbalah and “K’eesh Achad B’Lev Achad” go out to greet Melech Hamashiach B’Karov – speedily in our time.
——————————————————————————–
This article is provided as part of Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Permission is granted to redistribute electronically or on paper,
provided that this notice is included intact.
