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Shavuot represents one of the most profound moments in spiritual development: the receiving of the method for revealing the Creator within human connection. In Kabbalah, this method is called the Torah, not in the sense of a historical or religious text, but as the force and instruction that enables a person to rise above egoism and attain the higher reality.
What makes Shavuot unique among all holidays is that it symbolizes the moment humanity received, through certain individuals, the possibility of consciously reaching the purpose of creation. This method is both called “the wisdom of Kabbalah” and “the Torah” because it teaches how to reveal the upper force in our world through corrected human connections.
While corporeal goals such as wealth, social status, and power are transient, the goal of the Creator’s revelation, the attainment of the higher force of nature through human connection, is the only goal that is eternal and perfect, and to which all humanity develops.
However, before the Torah could be given, humanity had to reach a very specific state: the revelation of hatred and separation. This is symbolized by Mount Sinai. The word “Sinai” comes from the word for “hatred” (“Sinah”). The people stood around the mountain only after discovering the enormous egoistic rejection that separated them from one another.
Why was this necessary? It was because, without feeling the depth of division between us, we would never feel the need for a method of connection. Only when we discover the inability to unite with others does the need for correction truly arise.
The mountain represents the enormous egoism standing between people. Climbing it means rising above hatred, rejection, and self-love. The Torah is the method by which such ascent becomes possible. Through regularly refining our aim to positively connect with one another above our differences and divisions, we attract a special force called “the upper light,” which gradually transforms our egoistic human nature into its altruistic opposite, bringing us closer together and connecting us into a single whole.
This is why the holiday is called “Shavuot,” which means “weeks.” It marks the completion of seven weeks, 49 days, counted from the exodus from Egypt until the reception of the Torah. Egypt symbolizes slavery to egoism, and the exodus represents the beginning of liberation from it. During these 49 stages, we work on correcting egoistic intentions step by step.
Each of the seven weeks corresponds to inner qualities that need to be purified and transformed. This process is internal, a gradual transition from self-centered desires to intentions of love, giving, and connection. By correcting these desires, we begin to discover the upper force, the higher reality, and the spiritual world.
Therefore, Shavuot is a living spiritual state that every person must eventually pass through. It reminds us that the revelation of the Creator becomes possible solely through unity above division, through the transformation of hatred into connection, and through the construction of relationships based on mutual responsibility and love.
Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on June 11, 2024. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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