Yud Shvat

Tonight begins the auspicious day of Yud Shvat. In 1951, at a gathering of Chassidim marking the first anniversary of the passing of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the late Rebbe's son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, delivered a Chassidic discourse (maamar) entitled Basi LeGani ("I Came into My Garden"), signifying his formal acceptance of the leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Yud Shvat always falls out in the week that we read Parshat Beshalach, which ends off with the war the Jews had with the nation, Amalek.

It is well known that the Jews were protected by the clouds of glory, while traveling in the desert. The nation of Amalek was only able to attack the Jews that were sent out of the cloud’s protection due to their sins. Nevertheless, Moshe Rabbeinu sent out his people to ward off the attacks and protect them.

This is the mission of the Moshe of each generation, the leader of all of humanity. He is to go and influence even people that are removed from their G-dly source, and bring them back into the “camp”, and back to Hashem’s embrace.

On Yud Shvat, the Rebbe gave this mission over to each one of us, to go out and find every Jew, light them up and bring them back home!

And now, we are waiting for the last home-run, when our mission will be completed and each Jew will return to where they rightfully belong, with the coming of Moshiach now!

Gut Yom Tov!