This Shabbos, Chassidim celebrate Yud Shevat, the day marking the 74th anniversary of the passing of the Frierdike Rebbe and the beginning of the Rebbe’s leadership of our generation in the year 5710.
Prior to his passing, the Frierdike Rebbe gave out a series of discourses to be studied on upcoming days. The first Maamar was entitled Basi Legani and it was to be learned on Yud Shevat, the day on which the Frierdike Rebbe’s Neshama would leave the world.
Our Rebbe formerly marked his acceptance of the mantle of leadership by reciting a Maamar on the first Yartzheit of the Frierdike Rebbe in 5711. The Maamar began with the same opening words Basi Legani. In this Maamar, the Rebbe saw the directives to and mission of our generation.
Our mission is to draw the Divine presence back into a state of full revelation in our world, with the coming of Moshiach. This is the Avodah of building a Dirah Betachtonim, a dwelling place for Hashem in this world. The original prototype for this service was the construction of the Mishkan.
The walls of the Mishkan were made of beams of acacia wood – עצי שטים. The word שטים is related to the word שטות, meaning folly. Our sages teach that a person will not come sin unless they are possessed by a רוח שטות, a spirit of folly.
The spirit of foolishness emanating from our animalistic soul, deludes us to the fact that our sins separate us from Hashem and we feel that our spiritual connection will remain intact. This belief is illogical. Were we cognisant of the truth that our sins impact our connection, we would never succumb to temptation.
Just as there is a negative שטות that is irrational in the sense that it is ‘lower than intellect’, there is a holy שטות that is supra-rational - Shtus D’Kedusha. The holy שטות is the irrational dedication of the Neshama to Hashem that transcends the limitations of logic. Even when there are rational reasons and justifications to compromise or reduce our service, we go above and beyond with Kabolas Ol, no matter how ‘crazy’ it seems. This is expressed in serving Hashem with Mesiras Nefesh, self-sacrifice.
Incorporating beams of עצי שטים in the Mishkan represents our need to serve Hashem in this supra-rational manner.
