Radical Filter

23 Adar I 5782

“And he made the planks for the Mishkan of acacia (shittim) wood, upright.” (Shemos 36:20)

In the teachings of Chassidus, especially in the chassidic discourse known as Basi Legani, there is extensive talk about the idea of the planks, and that they are made of atzei shittim, accacia wood. We are taught that the word shittim comes from the word shtus, which means folly, sillyness. Human beings spend so much energy pursuing and chasing sillyness. It’s the expertise of the evil inclination to get us to chase folly, thereby wasting our precious time and divine life-force on this world. Instead of building spiritual wealth for generations to come, and most importantly bringing Moshiach, the yetzer hara would rather we chase after vanities. Only through the building of the Mishkan, G-d’s physical dwelling place in the world, could this folly be brought “upright” and into its proper function.

More than anything else we waste time on misdirected efforts chasing some illusory goal of self-glorification. Curiously, we find many small things to be a waste of our time, yet we fall for the same great delusions over and over again, always with the excuse that these are somehow connected to our life’s purpose.

“Good is the man who is compassionate and lends, [but] provides for his own needs with discretion.” (Tehillim 112:5)

In truth, it is not so complicated. A Jew needs to learn Torah, pray with kavanah, behave according to Halacha, give to charity, and provide for his family and children’s education. That’s it. Anything that is not directly part of fulfilling these is vanity, pure and simple. One who treats his own ego with discretion, but extends abundance to others is good and his efforts will be for good.

“Acting on the advice mentioned above—to view one’s body with scorn and contempt and to find joy in the joy of the soul alone—is a direct and easy path toward fulfilling the mitzvah, ‘You shall love your fellow as yourself,’ with regard to every Jew both great and small” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 32)

Using this radical filter between truth and falsehood is also a direct path to Ahavas Yisroel. When you know that you came to the world only to fulfill Hashem’s work, you learn to completely disregard your own greatness and approach every Jew with the purity that true love calls for. By doing so, you will open the floodgates of Divine blessing and hasten the arrival of Moshiach, may it be soon in our time.