Likkutei Sichos Vol. 2 – Ki Savo 3 – Lessons from the Bikkurim Offering
1. From this, it is understood that the revelations of Rosh Hashanah are higher than the revelations of Shavuos, which is why a greater purity is also required. The service and revelations of Shavuos are in a direct manner, from above to below, as the Gemara states regarding the giving of the Torah that it was an aspect of conversion, and a convert is considered like a newborn. However, the service and revelations of Tishrei are about teshuvah, a returning light, from below to above. Therefore, Tishrei is also arranged with the order of ת, ש, ר, which is a sequence from below to above.
The preparation for Shavuos, the service of Nissan, Iyar, and the beginning of Sivan, is the service of the righteous, "My beloved is mine, and I am His," from above to below. In contrast, the preparation for Rosh Hashanah is the service of the month of Elul, the service of baalei teshuvah, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," and then "my beloved is mine," from below to above.
The revelations of returning light are higher than the revelations of direct light, as it is known the advantage of baalei teshuvah over the righteous. This is also seen in the tablets, where the second tablets, given after the sin of the Golden Calf on the day after Yom Kippur, are higher than the first tablets, which were given in the month of Sivan. The expression used is "double strength," twice as much.
Therefore, the purification of the vessel before Rosh Hashanah is also doubled. This is also true in the matter of exile and redemption, whose cause is sin and repentance. The root of exile is the sin of the Golden Calf, as it is said about the exile, "punished doubly," and also about the sin, which is the cause of exile, it is said "sinned doubly," through which one will reach the redemption, which is "comforted doubly," as it is written, "Comfort, comfort My people."
4. In the matter that everything is for the good, there are two different expressions in the words of our Sages: a) "All that the Merciful One does is for the good." b) "This too is for the good." The difference between these two expressions is: "All that the Merciful One does is for the good" is in the language of translation, while "This too is for the good" is in the Holy Tongue. The Holy Tongue is a sacred and clear language, where all matters are clear. That is, it is clearly seen that everything is for the good. However, "All that the Merciful One does is for the good," which is said in the language of translation, although it is also for the good, it is not seen as clearly.
The explanation of this will be understood from the difference that exists between the examples which...
5. The Gemara presents these two aforementioned expressions. The example that the Gemara brings for "All that the Merciful One does is for the good" is as follows:
Rabbi Akiva was traveling on the road, and he took with him a lamp, a donkey, and a rooster (a light, a donkey, and a rooster). — Today, when one travels, they take different items: a checkbook, a toothbrush, etc. — but back then, when one traveled, they took a lamp to be able to study Torah even in the darkness, a donkey to carry their physical needs so they could be free from them, and a rooster to wake them at midnight. The L‑rd arranged that he was not allowed into the city, so he stayed overnight in the field. A wind came and extinguished the lamp, leaving him in the dark. A lion came and ate the donkey, and a cat came and ate the rooster. Rabbi Akiva said: "All that the Merciful One does is for the good."
Later, it became apparent that all this was for the good, because that night there was an attack on the city, and it was plundered. If he had stayed in the city, he would have been caught; if the lamp had been burning in the field, he would have been seen; if the donkey and the rooster had made their sounds, he would have been heard, etc., and through losing all these, he was saved.
6. The example for "This too is for the good" is brought by the Gemara from the Tanna Nachum Ish Gam Zu. He was called Ish Gam Zu because he would say about everything, "This too is for the good."
Once, he was sent on a mission to the Roman king, and he was given precious stones and jewels as a gift for the king. During the night, the precious stones were stolen from him, and instead, earth was placed in the box. He said, "This too is for the good." Since the Jews had made him a messenger to the king, he had to fulfill his mission, and the L‑rd would surely help.
When he arrived at the Roman king and presented the box as a gift, they opened the box, and seeing that it was full of earth, they wanted to treat him as one who rebels against the kingdom. But the L‑rd immediately sent Elijah the Prophet in the guise of a minister, and he said to the emperor, "Perhaps this earth is like the earth of Abraham, with which he won battles." Since battles do not occur among non-Jews, they immediately tested it, and the earth defeated the emperor's enemies.
7. The difference between the two examples is:
Rabbi Akiva indeed had...