The month of Kislev is the third month of the year. When we start counting the year from the month of Tishrei, so Tishrei is the first month, Cheshvan is the second month, and Kislev is the third month. What is the maalah of it being the third month? So we find concerning Sivan that Sivan is considered the third month, and there we find a maalah of it being the third month. When we start counting the months from Nisan, Nisan being the חודש הראשון, as the pasuk says, החודש הזה לכם ראשון הוא לכם לחודשי השנה, that Nisan is the first month of the months of the year, so when we start counting from the month of Nisan, so Sivan is the third month. Nisan is the first, Iyar is the second, and Sivan is the third. And concerning Sivan being the third month, we do find that there's a special significance in it being the third month. And from that, we will understand that the same applies to Kislev, that there must be a special significance in Kislev being the third month of the year if we start counting from Tishrei. Concerning Sivan being the third month, we find what the Gemara says in Maseches Shabbos דף פ\"ח עמוד א': בריך רחמנא דיהיב, we thank השם that gave, אוריין תליתאי, a triple תורה, לעם תליתאי, to a triple nation, על ידי תליתאי, through the third one, ביום תליתאי, in the third day, בירחא תליתאי, in the third month. The Torah is a triple Torah because the Torah is made up of Torah, נביאים, and Kesuvim. The nation, the Bnei Yisrael, is a triple nation. It's made up of the three: Kohanim, Leviim, and Yisraelim. It was given by the third, by Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the third in the family, after Miriam and Aharon. It was given on the third day, because Hashem said to them, \"Prepare yourself for three days, and on the third day the Torah was given.\" And it was given בירחא תליתאי on the third month. So we see that the Gemara mentions, as one of the specialties of Matan Torah, the fact that it was given on the third month. Now, from this we see that there must be some special significance in the fact that this is the third month. If there would be nothing special in the fact that this is the third month, it's just a coincidence that many things in connection to Matan Torah has the number three, then the Gemara wouldn't make a fuss over it. The Gemara wouldn't just mention it. The Gemara is not a sefer that just tells us coincidences and things which fit, and therefore the Gemara wants to show how everything is connected to the number three. Obviously, there must be some special significance in the number three in connection to Matan Torah, that's why the Gemara mentions it. Now from that we understand that just like concerning Matan Torah, the Gemara says that there is a special significance in the number three, the fact that this was the third month and the other things which are a number three, from that we can understand that the same applies to the month of Kislev. Because we know as it says in sefarim, that the months of the winter are parallel to the months of the summer. And just like in the months of the summer, we say that there is something special in it being the third month, there's also something special in Kislev being the third month in the months of the winter. But be'emet

we have to understand, what's so special about the number three? Lichora, the number one, that is greater. One is unity, is אחדות, השם אחד, and things of kedushah are always connected to the number one, to unity. Why do we say here there is something special in the fact that this is the third? And the answer given to this in sefarim is that sometimes the number three represents achdut even more than the number one. As we find a lashon that when you have שני כתובים המכחישים זה את זה, you have two pesukim that contradict each other, עד שיבוא הכתוב השלישי ויכריע ביניהם, then you have the כתוב השלישי, the third pasuk, and this is מכריע, makes a compromise between the two. So what the third pasuk accomplishes is not that it comes as a third, which means till then you have two, now you have a third, each one is separate, but what the third does, it combines the first and the second, and it shows how really there is no contradiction between the first and the second, and really it's all one. So the number three in this case shows how really there is no contradiction, it's all one. And that's the significance of the number three. On one hand, it seems as if the world, so to speak, contradicts Hashem. Like this we say, אין עוד מלבדו, there is nothing but Hashem, but when you look around and you see there is a world and all the worldly matters, the physical things, it makes a person think as if there is another metziut other than Hashem. And what a person is supposed to realize that the truth is that the world is no contradiction to Hashem, because the world was created by Hashem, and not only was created many, many years ago, but Hashem constantly keeps on creating it again, המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית. Hashem renews the מעשה בראשית, the creation of the world, constantly. Not only every day, but tamid, constantly, every second. So really, the whole metziut of the world is only because of Hashem. So the world doesn't have its own existence, its whole existence is only really the existence of Hashem. But this is expressed in the number three. The number one expresses only one, that there's only one being. The number two expresses that there is a second being, which means that there is a contradiction to the first being. And the number three, which is the כתוב השלישי, which is מכריע ביניהם, that represents the fact that the second really is no contradiction to the first, but that the second is batel to the first and is one with the first, and there is really in essence nothing but the first. And that is even greater than the number one. Number one which shows unity, a person feels that there is nothing but Hashem, you never know what'll happen when it comes to a point when he looks at things and starts seeing that there is something else. You are not sure that his unity will still be there. But if we're talking about the number three which represents the fact that there is seemingly another metziut, and nevertheless you realize that that other metziut is batel to Hashem, so that is a stronger achdut than number one. Because here you were already tested. You saw something else, and nevertheless you realize that that something else is no contradiction to Hashem, it's all batel to Hashem, it's all one with Hashem. And that's why the Torah was given in the third month, and given in connection to the number three, because when Hashem gave the Torah He gave the Yidden the koach to realize that even though the world seems to be a separate being, nevertheless it's all batel to Hashem. And they're able to spread this understanding through תורה ומצוות. This is concerning מתן תורה. Just like we say that by מתן תורה the number three has a special significance, the same is concerning the month of Kislev. Being that the month of Kislev is the third month, it represents the same idea.

But the same idea in the way it is in the winter months rather than the way it's in the summer months, כדלקמן. Because you know what it says in sefarim concerning the פסוק כי שמש ומגן השם אלקים, הוי׳ and Elokim, that the name of Hashem Havayah and the name of Hashem Elokim are similar to the shemesh, the sun, u'magen, and the covering and the shield on the sun. The Shem Havayah of Hashem is similar to the shemesh, the sun, and Elokim is like the magen. Whatever the explanation shall be here, but at any event, we see here a similarity between shemesh u'magen to Havayah and Elokim. And therefore it says that when the sun shines, so then in ruchniyut it means that the Shem Havayah shines. And therefore it says summertime, when the sun shines, it's as if the Shem Havayah shines, which means that at that time Hashem is more revealed. And the truth is we see it, because during the summer, when the sun shines and nature is at its best, so then it's easier to see the greatness of Hashem. As the pasuk says השמים מספרים כבוד אל, the shamayim, the heavens, they tell of the kavod of Hashem, they speak of the honor of Hashem. And it says that when you look around, you're able to see מה רבו מעשיך השם, look how many your things are השם, מה גדלו מעשיך מעשיך השם, look how great your things are Hashem. Which means that when we look at the world and when we look at nature, if a person only wants, he's able to see Hashem through the inyanim of the world. And this is what we're saying, that when the sun shines, which means teva is stronger, so then the Hashem also shines. When the shemesh shines, the Hashem shines, which means it's easier to serve Hashem. But when it comes to the winter, when the sun doesn't shine so much, so it says that's a time when it's harder to recognize the truth of Hashem, the kavod of Hashem. From that we understand that if a Yid serves Hashem in the winter, he gets more reward than when he does it during the summer. Because when it's easier, then the reward is less. As we know it says לפום צערא אגרא, based on the tza'ar, on the suffering, on the effort, that's how much reward you get. So therefore in the summertime, when it's easier, the reward is smaller. Wintertime, when it's harder, the reward is greater. And when we say reward, we don't only mean reward as Gan Eden, Olam Haba, but we mean the accomplishment is greater. When a person overcomes greater obstacles, then he reaches a higher madreigah. Just like the mashal of water, when you have a flowing river and there's an obstacle in between, so then the strength that the river gets when it breaks through the obstacle is stronger than the strength of the river by itself. And the stronger the obstacle is and it breaks it through, the more koach the water will have. And the same is with a Yid in his avodat Hashem. When he has stronger obstacles and he overcomes these obstacles, then he reaches a higher madreigah. And therefore, being that the obstacles in the winter is stronger than in the summer, so when a Yid serves Hashem in the winter, he reaches a higher spiritual madreigah than he's able. able to reach in the summer. And therefore, this concept of שלישי, as we said before, is stronger in the winter even than in the summer. This concept that you show that the second is really one with the first, that the world which seems to contradict Hashem, really is batel to Hashem and one with Hashem, so the summer time this is easier to accomplish, winter time it's harder. So when it comes to the third month in the winter time, which means that's the month when a Yid accomplishes this idea of the third, being meaning to show that the world is no contradiction to Hashem, it's harder in the winter, and therefore the sechar a Yid gets when he does it in the winter time is greater, and therefore the madreigah he reaches in the winter time is a higher madreigah. And this is what the month of Kislev represents, the concept of bringing Elokut, Godliness, kedushah into this world, and showing that the world is no conflict contradiction to Hashem, that's the number three, and it's done in the winter time when it's harder to do it.

And then there is another point here. We know bikhlal the difference between the way we count the year from the month of Nisan לגבי the way we count the year from the month of Tishrei, is the difference between the avodah of tzadikim and the avodah of baalei teshuvah. Nisan represents the time when the Yidden were tzadikim. Even though when the Yidden left Mitzrayim they were in a very low מדרגה, but since at that time the Yidden were like מתגייר it says, they went through geirus, they went through conversion, and we know that גר שנתגייר כקטן שנולד דמי, when a ger is מתגייר is like a child that's born, which means the past doesn't count. So at that time, when the Yidden left Mitzrayim, they were like tzadikim, because they had no past. So therefore they just started, they started like a tzadik who has no עבירות in the past. So these people were like tzadikim. The month of Tishrei represents the avodah of baalei teshuvah, a time when a Yid does teshuvah. That's why right before the month of Tishrei we have the month of Elul, which is called the חודש החשבון, the month of חשבון הנפש, when you take account of your actions of the whole year. It's called the חודש התשובה, the month of teshuvah. And then you have Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, and between you have the עשרת ימי תשובה, you have the days of teshuvah, because Tishrei represents the avodah of baalei teshuvah. So from that we understand that when we're talking about the third month from Nisan, is the third month in the avodah of tzadikim. When we talk about Kislev being the third month from Tishrei, that's the third month in the avodah of baalei teshuvah. And since we said before that the number three, the fact that this is the third month, represents the idea of showing how the world is no contradiction to Hashem, that the world is also a כלי to receive Godliness, so we understand that the way it's expressed in the month of Sivan, it's this idea in connection to the avodah of tzadikim. When we talk about this in the month of Kislev, that Kislev is also the third month, but this is the same inyan, but the way it is concerning the inyan of baalei teshuva. And it's self-understood that the way this inyan is concerning baalei teshuva is in a higher madregah than the same inyan is concerning the avodah of tzadikim. Because when we say that to show that there is no contradiction between the world and Hashem, which means we elevate the world closer to Hashem, baalei teshuva could do it even more than tzadikim. Because a tzadik has a limit of how much of the world he's able to elevate and bring close to Hashem. Because a tzadik only does what is right, so he could only limit himself to the restriction of the Torah. There are certain things you are not allowed to do. For instance, there are certain foods you're not allowed to eat. Like this, when a person eats food, he elevates the food to a higher madregah. He makes a brachah before he eats, he makes a brachah after he eats, he eats l'shem Shamayim. So what he really does, he elevates this physical food and brings it closer to Hashem. But since there are certain foods you're not allowed to eat, so those foods you cannot really bring closer to Hashem. The truth is, since everything was created for the sake of Hashem, so therefore there is also a way of elevation and purification in the non-kosher food, and that is through not eating it. When a person does not eat treif food, this itself is a certain purification to the treif food. But nevertheless it's self-understood that the elevation and purification and the closeness to Hashem that you accomplish through eating kosher food is greater, in a higher level, than the way you accomplish it in the non-kosher food by not eating it. And the same applies not only to food, but to action. There are certain things you're not allowed to do. So when it comes to not doing these things, even though by not doing it, by holding yourself back from doing the aveirah, this itself brings an elevation to the thing that you could have done the aveirah with, but still it is not the same as those things that you did work with. The food that you do eat becomes part of you, and later you serve Hashem with the koach, with the strength that you got through this food, so this food actually becomes part of your serving Hashem. So the elevation that you bring about in that physical food is much greater than the elevation you bring about in the food that you did not eat because Hashem told you not to eat it. You takeh brought an elevation into it because you could have eaten it and you didn't. This itself is a certain birur, a certain purification, but it's self-understood it's not the same as the purification you bring about in the food that you did eat and you used to serve Hashem. A baal teshuva, he brings a purification, elevation, even to non-kosher things, because he ate non-kosher food, and later when he does teshuva, and if he does a proper teshuva, the higher level of תשובה, זדונות נעשות לו כזכיות, the aveirot become like mitzvot. So the non-kosher food that he ate, which became part of him, and now he turned that all into a mitzvah, so the non-kosher food itself was purified because it was a mitzvah that he did, and the non-kosher food got an elevation similar to the kosher food that a person eats. And this cannot be done any other way but through a baal teshuva, because normally you are not allowed to do any aveirah and eat non-kosher food, whatever reason you might have, even if you want to purify it, because Hashem said you're not allowed to. But a baal teshuvah, now that he does teshuvah, he elevates in a positive way even the non-kosher food, the things which are forbidden. So when we're saying that the inyan of חודש השלישי, the third month, represents the idea of elevating the world to Hashem, bringing the world closer to Hashem, the way it's done through a baal teshuvah is greater than the way it's done through a tzadik. And that's the maalah in the month of Kislev being the חודש השלישי, the third month, the third month in the avodah of baalei teshuvah לגבי the way Chodesh Sivan is the third month. Because Chodesh Sivan is the third month of עבודת הצדיקים, so to represent this inyan of three in a way a tzadik does it, but inyan of Chodesh Kislev, that represents the inyan of the elevation of the world in the form of three the way a baal teshuvah does, which is a higher level, as we explained before.