"When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it shall remain with its mother for seven days; from the eighth day and on it shall be fit for a fire-offering for G‑d." (Lev. 22:27)

The mystical meaning of this law is as follows:

When the intellect recognizes the virtue of something, it 'gives birth' to an emotion of love for it….

"Mother" signifies the intellect, since the intellect "gives birth" to the emotions. When the intellect recognizes the virtue of something, it "gives birth" to an emotion of love for it; when it recognizes the undesirability of harmfulness of something, it "gives birth" to an emotion of hatred or fear for it; and so on. The "animal" signifies the emotions, since animals are driven by their instinctive emotions rather than by intellect. The "animal" aspect of man is thus his array of emotions.

When an emotion is "born", it must be "incubated", i.e. matured, by the intellect. This is a process of seven "days", i.e. a sevenfold process - one for each of the seven basic emotions. Only after the emotions are thus matured are they fit to be "an offering for G‑d", i.e. become part of the psyche of a human being dedicated to divine service.

These are the appointed festivals of G‑d, the holy convocations, which you shall designate in their appropriate time. (Lev. 23:4)

Just as one sows grain in the hope of reaping a much greater return, G‑d 'plants' souls into the physical world….

The three pilgrimage festivals were established in connection with the agricultural cycle: Pesach occurs when the produce begins to ripen, Shavuot when the wheat is harvested, and Sukkot at the end of the season, when all of the produce is gathered in from the fields.

Chassidism interprets this correlation as follows:

G‑d refers to the Jewish people as His "produce". (See Jeremiah 2:3; Hosea 2:25) Just as one sows grain in the hope of reaping a much greater return, G‑d "plants" souls into the physical world in order that they should accomplish much more than they can in their spiritual abode.

The grain's manner of growth is also a lesson for people. The seed as we plant it does not itself grow. It is only when the outer coating of the seed rots, and the form the seed as we knew it ceases to exist, that its growth can begin. Because the original seed per se no longer exists, the new growth is not restricted by the limitations of the original form of the seed.

The same is true of human growth. Ego stands in the way of growth. It is only when it has been overcome and negated that the soul can reach its full potential.

[Based on Sichot Kodesh 5725, vol 1, p. 25; Likutei Sichot, vol. 36, pp. 82-85; Copyright 2001 chabad of california / www.lachumash.org]