On this day, our fresh and newly born nation meets its Creator.
On this day, we heard the purpose of creation.
On this day, the Creator opened the Heavens and showed Am Yisrael His true unity.
On this day, as we said naaseh v’nishma, He crowned every Jew with 2 crowns.
On this royal day, our king Dovid Hamelech was born and passed away.
On this holy day, we celebrate the yahrtzeit of our Rebbie, Rebbie Yisrael Bal Shem Tov ztz”l (1698 – 1760).
Understanding these connections will require us to take a deeper look into the preparations for receiving the Torah on Har Sinai, and into the deepest teachings of the holy Baal Shem Tov. Chazal tell us that the only way we could merit the great gift of the Torah was from a place of unity, as one nation with one heart. But what did we actually receive? They tell us that the Torah is written with black fire on white fire. The black fire is a reference to the part of the Torah that everyone knows – the letters and the words, the details of the written Torah which have been well preserved. But the white fire is the hidden, almost unseen, element, which signifies the consciousness that we are connected to Hashem and that we have a real relationship with Him. It is this white fire that has been so weakened in the long, long galus that we must endure.
There is no special mitzvah on Shavuos like we have on other chagim. The main mitzvah that we have is to celebrate this amazing fact that we are a nation with a relationship to the Creator of the world and to be excited and grateful that he gave us His Torah. This day is a day to focus on the white fire: to appreciate that we have this relationship, feeling His love, and reciprocating love to Him.
The Baal Shem Tov came into this world to teach us how to incorporate the white fire into our avodah, to rejoice with our essence as a Yid, and to celebrate our unique relationship with our Creator.
The Baal Shem Tov teaches us to proactively fill our minds with ideas and intentions that genuinely awaken love. We need to dedicate time to plan how to nurture our love for Hashem, for our holy Torah, and for every individual Jew.
On Shavuos, the yahrtzeit of the Baal Shem Tov, we receive the powerful energy of unity, becoming vessels to bring the final redemption. We hear the Baal Shem Tov’s call to yearn for Hashem, to love His Torah, and to be together as a nation with one heart. each other, and to reunite. Most importantly, we remember that just as we stood together as one at Har Sinai, we must stand together to receive the Geulah—may it come speedily in our days!
The white fire is the hidden element, which signifies the consciousness that we have a real relationship with Hashem.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 37 Shavuos 2025.
