15 Shvat: Buried Treasures

BURIED TREASURES The Baal Shem Tov taught: It is written (Malachi 3:12), “For [the children of Israel] shall be a land of desire, says the L-rd of Hosts.” Just as the greatest scientists will never discover the full potential of the resources that G-d placed into the earth (as it says (Kohelet 3:20), “everything came from the earth”), so too, no one can fathom the great treasures that lie in the Jewish People…. The Baal Shem Tov concluded: I want to make Jewish People yield the kind of produce which the Almighty's "land of desire" is capable of yielding. (HaYom Yom 17 Iyar) The Torah compares us, the Jews, to a rich parcel of land, capable of producing luscious gardens and full of hidden treasures, like gold and diamonds. Average land can produce staples, like wheat and corn. Delicacies, like sweet fruit, fine wine, and the luscious honey of date palms, come from finer soil and more tropical climates. Moshiach will reveal the sweet secrets of the Torah and uncover the Divine gems hidden in each of us and in the entire world. Moshiach will not only satisfy all of our physical and spiritual needs, but He will also bring us to a state of luxury where we can experience the G-dly beauty of life. It is not enough that we spiritually sustain ourselves and others; we must enjoy it and make it sweet. Sichos Kodesh Acharon shel Pesach 5720 Seif 4