Pre-Shavuot Preparations: Sanctification
“And God said to Moses, ‘Go to the nation and sanctify them today and tomorrow.” We too must practice sanctification before Shavuot. The process begins in our hearts:
“And you, man, know that your soul is the seat of God, the principle dwelling place of the Divine Presence is in the heart of the Jew. So Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Zohar I 76a) explained the verse, For God, your Lord walks in the midst of your camp,” (Deuteronomy 23:15) ‘the midst,’ that is the heart which is in the midst of your “camp,” the body. How much more, therefore, should man sanctify himself in body, heart and soul, since he is a temple of the Holy King. “Prepare to meet your Lord, O Israel,” (Amos 4:12) for your soul is His throne and your heart is His footstool. And where is the place of His rest? It is in the heart, as the Sages have said, God exists in the hearts of those who love Him. He who receives a king in his house, would he not sweep it and clean it? Since the hearts of Jews are His house, we should sweep from them all the rubble and dust of sinful thoughts. (Sefer Chareidim – Repentance, Chapter 4)