Shevat: Getting the Vessels to receive the Redemption
Reb Leible Eiger says it takes 45 days for a seed to sink in and become rooted into the earth.
So there are 45 days from Rosh Hodesh Shvat until Purim.
That’s Beis Shammai.
And 45 days from Tu B’Shvat until Nisan.
That’s Beis Hillel.
Timing is everything.
My father would finish Neila and the shofar would blow at 7:22.
This old “yekke” would fold up his talis at 7:10.
So I asked him, “Why are you leaving so early”.
His answer was “My wife holds dinner at 7:30exactly.
I can’t be late”.
“Lo paga v’lo nega”.
As the Gemara teaches, Yom Kippur never touched him.The seed must be completely surrounded by, completely covered by the earth.
What is exile? Lack of growth.
So the growth is the beginning of Redemption.
Beis Hillel is Nisan.
Pesach.
Beis Shammai is Purim.
The Gemara teaches that in olam hazeh, halakha is k’Beis Hillel.
Beis Shammai is for Moshiach.
The exodus from Egypt is of this world.
Purim we wipe out Amalek, we wipe out evil from the world.
That is Moshiach.
What is the difference between a tree and a vegetable? A tree is perennial.
The vegetable is new every year.
On Tu B’Shvat, the tree is at the point of death.
On the outside, dead completely.
Unless you are receiving newness, you are completely dead.
I was once invited to a function for Yom haAzmaot.
This important rich man spoke, he said, “I am here today with you as a proud American”.
Completely dead.
Not here as a Jew.
Gevalt.
Now listen to this.
The Redemption is all about timing.
Once I went to a Reiki healer.
Stupid, I put on Shabbos clothes by mistake, I get there and I have no money.
She gives me her card, nebekh I lost it, even forgot her name.
I promised to pay her for the treatment, but now how could I? Very spiritual lady, but not Jewish.
What a Hilul haShem (desecration of haShem’s Name)! Three years later, I’m at Famous (deli restaurant on 72nd street) for breakfast, and whom do I see outside the restaurant.
The Reiki healer! And what does she tell me? Oy vey! Last night I was robbed and all my money was taken.
So I’ve been walking up and down 72nd street all morning looking for someone from whom I can borrow some money.
This is Tu B’Shvat.
When you think you’re at the end, it happens.
The Zohar teaches us, “Vahamushim alu bneiyisroel m’eretz mitzrayim.” The literal translation of “hamushim” is weapons.
But what it really means is that we are at the final gate, the fiftieth gate of impurity, the gate from which there is no return, G-d forbid, and at that very split second, we get out of Egypt and the sea splits open.
Until the sea split, we thought the redemption was for but three days.
Now we know the redemption is forever.
The first two Holy Temples were but for a while.
The Third Temple is forever.
The first two Holy Temples were built by the Kings of Israel.
The Third Holy Temple is built by HaShem Himself.
Haman’s tree stands fifty feet high.
What is Amalek? He tells you he is the fiftieth gate of holiness.
But really he is the fiftieth gate ofunholiness.
So he is hanged from the tree that he built himself.
So on Tu B’Shvat, I am mamash at the end.
So Leible Eiger tells us, we get back our soul, new energy pill, the strength not to give up.”Az yimale s’hok pinu”.
When Moshiach comes then our mouths will be full with laughter.
All the great leaders of the Jewish people will be sitting in a gala reception hall.
The most important leaders of the Jewish Establishment will have seats on the dais right next to the Moshiach.
And there will be a benefit journal, and all the great Jewish leaders will have pages and pages giving koved, honor, to each other.
And all the great leaders will wait for Moshiach to honor the greatest of them for having helped bring about his coming and the final redemption, and Moshiach will get up and say, Moshele the water-carrier standing all the way in the back of the hall, you brought me here.
And everyone will laugh.
That’s a P’shiskhe Torah.
The mazel, astrological sign of Shvat is Aquarius, the water drawer.
In Hebrew, the word is “dli”.
Rivka drew water for Eliezer.
Yaakov drew water for Rachel.
Moshe Rabbeinu drew water for Tzipporah.
This all happened on Tu B’Shvat.
Moshe gave over the Torah of D’vorim (Deuteronomy) which is called B’eir haTorah = Wellspring of Torah = Torah She B’al Pehin Shvat.
Like the seed, you have to descend into such depth, such darkness to grow again.
If you didn’t get the redemption at the very second you reached the deepest depths, then you aren’t yet open for it.
In Shvat we get the vessels to receive it.
New York, Shvat 5753.
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