The month of Sivan is known as the חודש השלישי, the third month, as the pasuk says in פרשה יתרו, קפיטל י\"ט, פסוק א': \"בחודש השלישי לצאת בני ישראל מארץ מצרים באו מדבר סיני.\" So it refers to חודש סיון as the חודש השלישי, as the third month. And the fact that חודש סיון is the third month is one of the reasons why the Torah was given in חודש סיון. As the Gemara says in שבת דף פ\"ח עמוד א', that the Torah is an אוריין תליתאי, a triple Torah, which means a Torah made up of three parts: תורה, נביאים וכתובים. And it was given לעם תליתאי, to a triple nation, a nation that's made up of three parts, of כהנים, לויים, and ישראלים. And it was given בירחא תליתאי, in the third month. And that is חודש סיון, which is the חודש השלישי. And the Gemara goes on mentioning other things which are in connection to three, like it says it was given through a third one, Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the third in the family: Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe, and, I mean, this and so on. And the Gemara mentions many things that are connected to the number three in connection to Matan Torah. And since the Gemara mentions that the Torah was given בירחא תליתאי, the third month, obviously the reason why the Torah was given in the month of Sivan is because Sivan is the third month. Because if the number three of the month of Sivan would have no connection and no maalah in the inyan of Matan Torah, so why does the Gemara mention that it was given in the third month? Can we say that just because it happens to be that the number three fits to many details of Matan Torah, that's why the Gemara mentions it when there is no significance in it? Obviously, there must be a significance in the number three, and since חודש סיון is the third month, that's why the Gemara mentions that Matan Torah was in חודש סיון. So it comes out that because חודש סיון is the third month, that's one of the reasons why Hashem chose the month of Sivan for the month of Matan Torah. But l'chorah we have to understand: what is the maalah in the number three? L'chorah, if we're going to look at numbers, and want to find a maalah in a number in connection to Matan Torah, so then the number one would be the best. Since the whole inyan of Torah is to bring into the world the inyan of השם אחד, so Hashem is one, so the number one should be the most important number. The Torah is known to be a תורה אחת, it's one Torah, so the number one would fit more to be the month of Matan Torah than the number three. Because we always know the maalah of achdut, the maalah of unity, which is represented in the number one. So why does the Gemara mention that it was given in Sivan, which is the third month, and many other things which is the number three? And these things have a special significance to Matan Torah, as if we're saying that there is a maalah in the number three. And bichlal we know that unity is the inyan of kedushah. Anything that's connected to kedushah, to holiness, is always unity, one. And anything that's connected to the sitra achra, to the other side, meaning to the side of the evil, to the side of the klipah, is always ריבוי, is always many. As we find in many places that we stress the point of achdut when it comes to kedushah. For instance, concerning Yaakov Avinu, who represents kedushah, it says that even though there were 70 people who went to Mitzrayim, we refer to them as שבעים נפש, נפש לשון יחיד, singular. Doesn't say שבעים נפשות, 70 נפשות, 70 souls, plural, but it says שבעים נפש. Even though they were 70, but because they were children of Yaakov, so this is inyan of kedushah, so the לשון is נפש. Mah she'ein kein, but by Esav, even though it says שש, there were only six, it says שש נפשות, six נפשות לשון רבים. Because עשו represents evil, represents קליפה, and therefore there it's ריבוי, there it's many. And in many other places we find that those ענינים which are connected to קדושה is always אחדות, always unity, which is one. But when it comes to ענינים of evil, there it's ריבוי, there it's many. So in this case, when we're talking about מתן תורה, why mention the number three and say there's something special in the number three, which is many? Why shouldn't there be a special significance in the number one, which is unity?

And the answer to this question is that sometimes we find the number three, and specifically the number three, and really this represents a greater אחדות even than the number one, a greater unity even than in the number one. As we find that one of the י\"ג מדות, the 13 ways that we דרשן the Torah, is that sometimes you have שני כתובים המכחישים זה את זה, you have two פסוקים that contradict each other, עד שיבוא הכתוב השלישי ויכריע ביניהם, till you come to the third פסוק, and this third פסוק is מכריע between the two, makes a compromise between the two, and shows how these two don't really contradict each other. So here we see that we're talking about a third, specifically a third, but the job of the third is not to add a third one, like another פסוק, a third פסוק, but the third פסוק represents the idea of uniting the first two, and showing how the first two don't contradict each other. We find an expression in Gemara, הלכה כדברי המכריע, that sometimes when we have an argument between two opinions, two תנאים or two אמוראים, and then we have a third opinion, and that third opinion is a compromise between the two, so the הלכה is always like that third opinion, כדברי המכריע. So it's not the פשט that the third opinion, this מכריע, is a third opinion, complete third opinion. Then we should say הלכה כדברי השלישי, the הלכה is like the third opinion, has nothing to do with the first two. Since we're calling him a מכריע, that means that this is the one that's מכריע between the two and makes a compromise between the two, makes shalom between the two so to speak, it makes peace between the two, it shows how both of them fit. So this third one really brings אחדות between the two. Which means that one, takeh, represents אחדות. Two, as we understand, represents ריבוי. Two is many and two could contradict each other, so that's the opposite of אחדות, of unity. The number three could sometimes show how we take these two that contradict each other, and we make out of the two into one, which means this is a unity uniting both. And in truth, the unity that comes when you unite two who seem to be opposites is a greater unity than the unity that's לכתחילה in one. Because then, it's as if this unity is tested already, which means that you know that there is something which seems to contradict, and even then you know that it doesn't contradict and it's really one. When you don't know of any opposites, there is only one לכתחילה, and you don't know of any other מציאות, so then you have no proof that the אחדות, the unity that you have, the level of unity you're at, is a true one. Because we still don't know what's going to happen when you're going to come across something which will seem to be opposite, how will you feel then? Will you even then realize that this is the true unity? But at a point where you already know that there is something else that seems to be an opposite, and nevertheless, you feel and you realize that this is the only thing, so then the unity that you're at is a very high level, which is

similar to a mashal given in sefarim concerning the ירידת הנשמה למטה. In sefarim we have an explanation why is it that Hashem sent the neshama down into this world from the higher worlds to be in עולם הזה הגשמי, to be in this physical עולם הזה, when the neshama had it much better when it was up there? When the neshama is in heaven, in Shamayim before it comes down, the neshama is involved in עבודת השם constantly, all it knows and all it does is learning Torah and davenen to Hashem, as we find many pesukim that refer to it, and the neshama is only involved in kedusha, and doesn't know of anything else. When the neshama comes down to this world, and has to get involved in physical matters, is put into a גוף גשמי, a physical guf, and has a lot of nisyonot, a lot of tests, what is the purpose? So there's a mashal given in sefarim of a בן מלך, of a child of a king, a prince, who was a very good child and the king saw that he fits to what is expected of a prince, but nevertheless he wanted to test, the father, the king wanted to test his child, how strong is he, how connected is he to the king, and how strong is he in his proper behavior. So what did he do? He sent him away to a far place, far away from the היכל המלך, from the palace of the king, in a place where people do not act properly, and the king wanted to see how will he act there. And when he came back, and the king saw that even while he was there he acted properly, then the king understood that his proper behavior is 100% proper, is an emes'eh, is a true proper behavior, because it even came across an opposite behavior, and nevertheless stayed and did the same thing as was expected of him. And the same is with Hashem sending down the neshama into this world, that when the neshama is up there, and there is nothing that contradicts the behavior of the neshama, and there is no ראיה that the devkut, the connection the neshama has to Hashem, is 100%, because you don't know what's going to happen if there will be something that will contradict it. Therefore Hashem sends the neshama into this world, hoping and wanting that the neshama should even down here in this physical world act properly, in a world which seems to contradict godliness, contradict the proper behavior of a neshama, and if a Yid still down here acts properly, so then Hashem knows that the devkut of the neshama to Hashem is 100% devkut. Which in other words means that when the neshama is in the higher worlds, the neshama understands אחדות השם, understands the unity of Hashem, knows that אין עוד מלבדו, there is nothing but Hashem. But when the neshamah comes down to this world, and sees a world which seems to contradict the true concept of אין עוד מלבדו, of nothing but Hashem, because you see there is a world, a world which seems to be a מציאות for itself, a being for itself, a world which seems to have its own ענינים and is not 100% בטל to Hashem, and Hashem wanted the neshamah, while it's down here, in a place which seems to contradict the unity of Hashem, and if it still realizes down here that there is nothing but Hashem, then we know that the דבקות of the neshamah to Hashem and the realization that the neshamah has that השם אחד ושמו אחד, there is nothing but Hashem, is a true one. And this idea is expressed in the concept of three. Not chas v'shalom that we mean the number of three as ריבוי, as many, but it expresses this point as the לשון, עד שיבוא הכתוב השלישי ויכריע ביניהם, it's מכריע, makes a compromise between the two, and the number three represents the idea that even when you are in the world, and it seems as if the world contradicts Hashem, so it seems as if there are two ענינים, there is Hashem, and chas v'shalom there is another מציאות, a second מציאות. The number three represents that you realize that the second מציאות doesn't really contradict the first מציאות, which is the unity of Hashem, but you realize that the world in itself is בטל to Hashem, the world itself is nothing but an expression of Hashem's will. So then you have the real אחדות, you know that there is something that seems to be a separate מציאות, and nevertheless you still are strong with the feeling of אחדות. And this is represented in the number three. It shows that it makes a compromise between the first two, it shows that the second thing really is not a contradiction to the first, and this expresses itself in the number three, this is the third ענין, the connection of the second and the first.

And this is the reason בכלל why it comes to שמע ישראל השם אלקינו השם אחד, which is the most important פסוק of the whole תורה, this is the יסוד of אידישקייט, the foundation of אידישקייט, \"Hear O Israel, God our God, God is one.\" So there's a question that's asked in many ספרים: Why is the לשון השם אחד, not השם יחיד? If you want to show the unity of Hashem, that there is nothing but Hashem, the lashon should have been השם יחיד, השם is single, not השם אחד, that Hashem is one. Because when we say the number one, it still doesn't express the true unity, because when you have one, it doesn't mean you don't have a second, that you don't have a third, you don't have a fourth. That's why the lashon is: הוא אחד ואין שני, He is one and there is no second, because even by having the number one, it's no proof that there is no second. So if you want to really show that there is nothing but Hashem, Hashem is one and the only one, the lashon should have been השם יחיד, השם is single. Just like when we want to say that a person has an only son, we say he has a בן יחיד, an only son. If you will say that this is בן אחד, this is one son, it doesn't mean that he doesn't have a second son. So this pasuk, where we want to express the idea that Hashem is the only one, it should have said השם יחיד, not השם אחד.

And one of the answers given is, because the word אחד is made up of three letters: אלף, חית, and דלת. And it says in the Shema that when you say השם אחד, you have to have in mind that the חית, which is eight, represents the שבעה רקיעים והארץ, the seven heavens and the earth, the דלת, which is four, represents the ד' כנפי הארץ, the four sides of the world, the four corners of the world, and you have to understand that all that is batel to the אלף, which is אחד. So the word אחד really tells us that there is a world, there are seven heavens and an earth, there are four corners of the world, but that they are all batel to the אלף. And באמת this is מרומז in the Gemara, what the Gemara says, כד אמליכתיה, that Rabbi said in Gemara Berachot, that when I say שמע ישראל השם אלקינו השם אחד, and in my mind I think that Hashem is the melech over the seven heavens and the earth, and the four corners of the world, then I was yotzei the kavanah of Keriat Shema. So here too we see that the kavanah that we're supposed to have, the intention that we're supposed to have in mind when we say שמע ישראל השם אלקינו השם אחד, is the idea that the world, and the רקיעים, and everything that's here, is all batel to the Alef. What is the idea here? The idea here is, not saying that there is no world, which in truth there is no world, since we say אין עוד מלבדו, there is nothing but Him, so there is really no world. The whole world is only here because of Him, so the world doesn't have its true existence, there is no true metziut, true being in the world. The whole world only depends on Hashem and is here because of Hashem, not only was created by Hashem, but constantly Hashem recreates the world. So really the world is not a metziut for itself, its whole metziut is an expression of Hashem. So really there is no world. But if we tell that to a person, the person would see a contradiction to this. When you tell a person אין עוד מלבדו, השם יחיד, השם is single, there is nothing but Him, He is the single metziut, the only metziut, the only being that's there, a person would say, \"Well, but I see another being, there is a world. I'm living in the world, I'm working in the world, and there is a world which seems to be a separate metziut.\" So then this would contradict his understanding of אחדות השם, the unity of Hashem. So therefore, what do we say? השם אחד, השם is one, which seems to be saying that there could be a second metziut, and nevertheless we're saying that Hashem is the one, meaning that even though you see another metziut, you see the chet, which is the שבעה רקיעים והארץ, and you see the Dalet, which is the four corners of the world, you have to remember that even though there seems to be a metziut, this is all batel to the Alef. And this is represented in the word echad rather than yachid. Yachid would show that there is no metziut at all, He is the only metziut, He is the single being. But to that we might have a contradiction, and if there is a contradiction, we don't know what a person's feeling would be when he sees a contradiction. So we're telling lechatchila to the person: We know that there seems to be a contradiction, we know that there seems to be another metziut, but you should know that this is not true. Even though you have another metziut, the other metziut is batel to Hashem. So then, even if the person sees a world, it won't contradict his standing of unity, because lechatchila we told him you should know that there is another metziut, and that other metziut really is batel to Hashem. And that's why we say השם אחד and not השם יחיד. And this is the idea behind the number three, not chas v'shalom that we mean three as a ריבוי, as many, because this is the opposite of what we're trying to bring out, the opposite of אחדות השם, the opposite of what the inyan of מתן תורה is. But the maalah of three as mentioned here and meant here is the idea that this is מכריע ביניהם. This is the number that shows that even though that it seems to be a contradiction, it's really not a contradiction. And in this case it would mean that the number three represents that there is nothing but Hashem. And even at a point when a person looks around and thinks that there is a world, there is something that seems to contradict the unity of Hashem, he should know that it's not true, that really the world is batel to Hashem. And this is why the Gemara mentions that one of the things of מתן תורה is that it's all connected to three: It's an אוריין תליתאי, a triple Torah, which is given לעמא תליתאי, to a triple nation, בירחא תליתאי, in the triple, the third month, ביומא תליתאי, it was given on the third day, and as we mentioned before, Rabbeinu Nissim Gaon brings out ten inyanim which are connected to the number three in connection to מתן תורה, because what the Gemara means to say that מתן תורה brought about to show us that even though there seems to be a world, through Torah and mitzvot we come to realize that the world doesn't contradict Hashem, but the world really is batel to Hashem.