Q:
It says that Moshe Rabeinu told the Am Yisroel היו נכונים לשלושת ימים – to prepare for three days beforehand for Kabolas Hatorah. Does that mean it was only three days of preparation?
A:
The last few days were especially important. But actually it was the culmination of many days of waiting. When the Am Yisroel saw that the Torah was going to be given now, they were tremendously excited because they had looked forward to this for fifty days. They had counted the days. Why do you count sefirah? Because when you look forward to some big event, you count. That’s how the Rambam explains it. As soon as they left Mitzrayim, they knew what the purpose of going out of Mitzrayim was. What’s the reason they were freed from bondage? In order to be able to waste their lives, to loaf? Just for mere physical independence? No! The purpose was to receive the Torah. We are free for one purpose. The purpose of going out of Mitzrayim was to be at Har Sinai.
And therefore as soon as they came out of Mitzrayim they started counting. And every day that they counted they knew they were getting closer and closer to Har Sinai and they were getting more and more excited. They made preparations and they were discussing it until when they were ready to receive the Torah, they went to Har Sinai with fever-heat. There was never before such excitement in our people. And that’s the excitement that really belongs to right now, to the days of Shavuos.
May 1971
