Shavuot marks the yartzeit of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov. He taught that we learn not only from actual Torah texts, but everything we see or hear in the world around us can teach us a lesson in serving G-d.

Here is a selection of lessons from various professions, adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

An uninformed stranger who enters an operating room will observe a helpless person on a table, surrounded by masked men brandishing knives and other instruments. The masked men cut and stab and draw blood, disregarding the victim's moans, who is drugged and prevented from moving.

The stranger's natural reaction is to shout for help. As far as he can see, a group of sadists is torturing a helpless person. But when the stranger realizes that the activity he observed was actually a surgical procedure essential to the patient's well being, he would certainly understand why the few hours of pain on the operating table were necessary. In fact, he would probably argue that the masked villains are great humanitarians who are performing a vital service. This impression will remain even though no doctor can guarantee a cure, or how long the patient will live, even if the surgery is successful.

From this example, you can understand that a persons life sometimes involves elements of pain and suffering. When we are caught in the middle of a difficult situation, it is not easy to appreciate the massive benefits that accrue from temporary discomfort. The concept of Divine Providence stresses that there are no random occurrences in the world; even the painful episodes are part of the divine plan, an all-encompassing system that includes the individual, his family and every other person, thing or event that occurs.

The body's state of health depends on the constant flow of the life-blood, which is pumped from the heart to all the limbs. When the circulation of this spirit of life is as it should be, a person is perfectly healthy, for the limbs receive their proper vitality from the heart. However, if there is a blockage that restricts, reduces, restrains the circulation of the blood and the spirit of life vested in it, then the bond linking the limbs to the heart is broken, and the person becomes ill or dies (G-d forbid).

Metaphorically speaking, all Jewish souls are as vessels for the Divine light, which gives life to all of creation. The Divine light is also referred to as the heart. This teaches us that when souls are bound together and express concern for one another, the circulation and flow of the vivifying divine energy turns around and around.

Our sages relate that the destruction of the Second Temple was due to the sin of causeless hatred and divisiveness. Accordingly, the healing of this illness will come about through unbounded love and acceptance of one fellow for another, thus paving the way for the building of the Third, and eternal, Temple.

Before discovery of the laser, directing light over distance was inefficient. Spreading as it travels, light's greatest intensity is only at its point of origin. Laser technology enables us to form a beam that goes long distances with little spread.

While regular light consists of many discrete colors with different elemental reactions, laser focuses on only a small portion of the spectrum. The focused Laser beam can vaporize and penetrate any barrier, even the hardest material!

Focus on Focus

Proper Focus can maximize our spiritual energy. Instead of spreading ourselves thin by working on many different aspects, we should focus on improving one part of ourselves at a time. Summoning our strengths through focused energy allows us to penetrate the mental 'blocks' and walls around us. Like the repeated passes in the laser cavity, we must be persistent, try again and again, until we achieve results.

By concentrating our minds and hearts in study and prayer, no barrier, not "even a wall of iron," can separate us from G-d.

The game of chess has two categories of pieces: the officers (king, queen, knight, bishop, rook,) and the plain soldiers (pawns). The officers can jump with great strides and move in numerous directions, covering ground quickly, while the soldiers can only move forward one square at a time. When a soldier finally achieves his goal and reaches the other side of the board, he can become elevated to any rank, even that of a queen.

However, he cannot become a king, for there is only one king in the game.

We find a parallel between the game of chess and a Jews relationship to G-d. In the higher spiritual realms, there exist both angels and Jewish souls. Angels are comparable to the officers in chess: they can leap from place to place, yet they can never advance beyond their original rank.

By contrast, the Jewish souls, like the simple soldiers, are only able to advance one small step at a time, however when they complete their mission they may attain a very high level.

In the end, however, there is only one king- G-d, the King of all Kings.

A new garment, is completely clean, smoothly ironed and lies properly on the wearer. After it is worn for a while, it usually becomes creased, dusty or stained. Rather than throw away the garment, it is taken to a dry cleaner to have it restored to its original condition. To treat the garment, the cleaner will place it in a machine, and add hot liquid and various chemical agents to remove the dirt and grime. Afterwards he will iron the garment by pressing it with a weight, and the garment will once again be as good as new.

From this process we gain insight into the Jewish soul. Originally, the Divine soul, is pure, ironed smooth, and a perfect fit. As we say in our morning prayers: The soul you have given me is pure. With time, however, as the soul becomes involved in mundane matters, it tends to become creased. Dirt may cling to it if the person neglects a Mitzvah or commits a sin. Whatever the case may be, Torah teaches us not to despair over the souls condition for it will all come out in the wash. To restore the soul to its original state, we must infuse it with the warmth of Torah and mitzvos.

The warmth must also be moist, so that the soul will cling to all that is holy. This is accomplished through heartfelt prayer, as it is written: Pour out your heart like water, and through concentrated Torah study, as stated: There is no water but Torah.

To complete the spiritual cleansing process, other ingredients must be added, such as generous contributions to charity, keeping kosher and observing Shabbos.

Then, if a person places the weight of Torah observance upon himself, which initially may seem a heavy burden, it will prove not to be a hindrance but an enhancement- a process that will iron out the soul and return it to its original unblemished condition.

Whatever the circumstances and however flimsy the case, a lawyer works to defend and exonerate his client. In like fashion, we should try to find all that is good and worthy in our fellow Jew. Judaism teaches us to judge others favorably and ascribe good motives to their behavior.

If one digs for water and doesn't find any, does this mean that water isn't there? One must dig deeper to find the source. The same applies to finding good traits in another person. It may not be readily apparent on the surface, but if we look deeper, we will find positive attributes in our fellow. If a person consistently finds only fault in others, it suggests that the deficiency is within himself!