Hashem's Beautiful Garden - Yud Shevat 5785

It was the year 1950 - 5710 on the Jewish calendar.  The Tenth day of the month of Shevat.  The great luminary who had shepherded the Jewish people through Communism and the Holocaust passed away.  Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, known as the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, had placed himself in mortal danger, to preserve Judaism in the Soviet Union, where the dreaded NKVD had dedicated itself to eradicating Judaism.  He had maintained an underground network of schools, Yeshivas, synagogues and Mikvahs throughout the country.

He had been arrested and sentenced to death, then had the sentence commuted to exile, then miraculously released a short time later.  He had to leave the country, and after ten years in Poland, he miraculously escaped the Warsaw Ghetto.

He then came to the US, where he created another miracle, reviving traditional Jewish life in this country and around the world, and working to rebuild the shattered communities of Europe.  The impact he had had on global Jewry was almost unfathomable. His loss was immense. On the Tenth of Shevat a year later, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson assumed the leadership of the organization, and the miracles of Jewish revival and his impact on the world are legendary.

Before he passed away, the previous Rebbe published a “maamar” - a Chassidic discourse, to be studied on the tenth of Shevat, which turned out to be the day of his passing.  This maamar has four parts and twenty chapters, and we consider it his message to us about the mission of our generation.

The maamar contains many deep concepts, but perhaps the central theme is contained in the opening verse, taken from the Song of Songs (5:1): Basi Legani - I have come to my garden.  The Midrash explains this verse according to the theme that the Song of Songs is a metaphor for the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. The world is Hashem;s beautiful garden, the purpose of the entire Creation.  When Moshe brought the Torah to the world and built the Sanctuary, Hashem’s presence was revealed in the world.  

Throughout the maamar, the Rebbe explains that this physical world, with its darkness and foolishness, was created for us to transform it and harness it for good.  The fact that Hashem is hidden from our eyes is in order for us to be able to exist and have free choice, but in fact, everything exists because of Hashem’s constant life-giving energy.  It’s just that it is concealed from us, but in reality in every particle of the world Hashem’s essence is present.

We read about something like this in the Parsha this Shabbat, Beshalach.  The See of Reeds blocked the Jews from moving forward toward Israel and escaping the Egyptians.  Hashem turned the sea into dry land.  They passed through, and the sea saved them from their enemies.  Hashem’s Presence was visible then for only a few hours, but it is always there, we need to realize that even if we can’t actually see it.

This message energized all those who studied it, and continues to energize us today. The challenges and difficulties are there for us to overcome.  If we find ourselves drawn to foolish behavior, we can channel that “foolishness” to go beyond the norm in our service to Hashem and our help to others.

The Tenth of Shevat, that we mark this Shabbat, (February 7-8) is a solemn yet happy day in the Chabad world and to all who are connected to Chabad.  We mark the yahrzeit of the previous Rebbe and we celebrate the leadership of our Rebbe.  It is customary, on this day, among other things, to study the above-mentioned maamar Basi Legani and to participate in Farbrengens (Chassidic gatherings) where the maamar is discussed and people encourage each other to follow in the footsteps of the great Rebbes associated with this day.

All the above just touches the tip of the tip of the iceberg (so to speak - Chassidus is more like a flame) relating to this great day.  I encourage you to explore the wealth of information provided here.

Please join us on this day, (see the details here and here), or if you live far, your closest Chabad House, to celebrate and mark this inspiring day.  Let’s work together to reveal how this  world is, in fact, Hashem’s beautiful garden, and that will be visible to the physical eye when Moshiach comes.  We each have it in our power to do another Mitzvah and bring it closer.