BS”D
The Yom Tov festivals of Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos are days of spiritual growth, movement, and renewal (as opposed to Shabbos, which is a state of being and receiving). We are meant tap into the spiritual energy of these days and come out on the other end in a higher place– a place where we are closer to Hashem, our soul and the Divine Light that we are meant to reveal in the world.
What follows is a powerful way to approach the three Yom Tov festivals based on a possuk included in the tefilla of mussaf. This is actually my own kavannah I’ve developed over the years that includes a range of teachings from Chazal and Chassidus. I’m sharing it here because this approach can help anyone connect to the Yomim Tovim on a personal level:
שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָל–זְכוּרְךָ אֶת–פְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחָר—בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת וּבְחַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת, וּבְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת
וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה אֶת–פְּנֵי יְהוָה, רֵיקָם
אִישׁ כְּמַתְּנַת יָדוֹ כְּבִרְכַּת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן–לָךְ
Three times in the year, every one of your males shall appear before the Lord, your God, in the place He will choose: on the Festival of Matzos and on the Festival of Weeks, and on the Festival of Sukkos, and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. [Every] man [shall bring] as much as he can afford, according to the blessing of the Lord, your God, which He has given you.
Devarim 16:16
There is another way to read the above possuk:
שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָל–זְכוּרְךָ אֶת–פְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
The word זכור (male) has the same root as זכר (remembrance). Thus:
Three times a year, your whole remembrance will appear before Hashem, Your God…
From Hashem’s perspective there is no concept of time. Hashem sees us in totality: past, present, and future are all as one.
Chazal teach that on each of the three festivals, Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos, the world is judged (Rosh HaShana 16a).
Since our souls are intimately connected to the spiritual roots of everything in the physical world (See Mesillas Yesharim 1:11), it stands to reason that we are also included in the world’s judgment. Though mankind is judged on Rosh HaShana, and the judgment is sealed on Yom Kippur, three times a year Hashem “checks in” with us.
A time of judgment is a time of teshuva, and on the Yom Tov festivals we should return to God out of simcha— joy (Likutey Moharan I, 30).
On Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos, HaShem spiritually “lifts us up,” turns the Light of “His Face” towards us and calls out: Where are you? Where are you heading spiritually? Where are you going on the right path, and where are you diverging from it?
בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחָר
In the place where he [the person himself] will choose…
According to the Baal Shem Tov, a person is where his thoughts are– literally. On each of the festivals, the person, himself, ultimately has the power to decide how and in what place spiritually he will “appear before Hashem” — from a place of yearning or a place of apathy, a place of simcha or a place of depression and anger, a place of spiritual life or a place of spiritual death.
If you sincerely desire and long for change in your heart and mind, then at that moment in the spiritual realms, you are actually there, regardless of what it looks like “down here.”
Even if we have fallen terribly, and we’ve lost the way, if we can tap into the energy of the time and arouse within ourselves a desire for teshuva, we can initiate the Sciata D’Shamaya we need to not only return to Hashem and to our spiritual tafkid (role) in this world, but completely change our mazel:
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: אֵין דָּנִין אֶת הָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו
‘שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ‘כִּי שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל קוֹל הַנַּעַר בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A person is judged only according to his deeds at the time of his judgment, and not according to his future deeds, as it is stated with regard to Yishmael: ‘For God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.’
Rosh Hashanah 16b
On the words, בַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר הוּא־שָֽׁם (in the place where he is), Rashi brings the following exchange between the ministering angels (Bereishis 21:17) :
where he is: …the ministering angels were accusing and saying,“ O Lord of the Universe, for one who is destined to kill Your children with thirst, You are bringing up a well?!” And He answered them, “What is he now, righteous or wicked?” They replied, “Righteous.” He said to them, “According to his present deeds I judge him”
As the Midrash relates, later in life Yishmael did in fact do teshuva (Bereshis Rabba 38:12).
וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה אֶת–פְּנֵי יְהוָה, רֵיקָם
אִישׁ כְּמַתְּנַת יָדוֹ כְּבִרְכַּת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן–לָךְ
…and he will not appear before Hashem empty,
each man according to the gift of his hand
[the opportunities and abilities available to him
to come closer to Hashem; see Koheles 9:10],
like the blessing that Hashem, Your God gave you
Hashem doesn’t judge us in a vacuum. He takes into account our unique portion and lot in life. Where are we coming from? How are we responding to all the physical and spiritual gifts that Hashem constantly sends our way? Do we use these gifts to face our struggles, challenges, and limitations positively (leading to spiritual life), or do we use them negatively (towards spiritual death)?
הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה
וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ
I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse,
and you shall choose life so that you will live– you and your offspring
Devarim 30:19
When we sincerely want to be in a better place than the one we are in currently, we “allow” Hashem to increase the opportunities for spiritual awareness and growth in our lives and subsequently, the blessings that we will receive going forward.
Three times a year, on the Yom Tov festivals of Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos, we have the unique opportunity to focus on who and where we truly want to be, to renew our connection and commitment to Hashem, and receive a Divine boost in the right direction. That is something to be joyous about.