The basis for all of our mistakes is foolishness, says Schneur Zalman of Liadi, but what can we do about this foolishness? How can a vicious cycle of behavior be transformed into something productive, and is it necessary to uproot bad habits or to redirect impulses?
Today marks 57 years since Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn accepted the leadership of the Lubavitcher Chassidim whose headquarters are in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After his predecessor, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, passed away a year earlier, his son-in-law refused the position of Rebbe for an entire year until the day after the anniversary of the previous Rebbe’s passing. On that day, the Rebbe delivered a maamer, or a Chassidic lesson, called “Basi LeGani” translated as “I came into my Garden.” This speech was published and is read every year on this day by Lubavitcher Chassidim, and contains several core concepts.
One important concept from the maamer is the discussion of transforming one’s character. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi wrote that all sin was caused by a spirit of folly, since no one in his or her right mind would choose what is destructive to his or her soul, since the soul knows the power of Hashem. The Rebbe points out the similarity of the Hebrew word for foolishness (Shtut) to a word for the acacia wood (Shitim) used in the Tabernacle. Through the transposition of certain letters, one can transform the word for foolishness to a word associated with holy service. Likewise, our negative traits need not be rooted out and destroyed, but simply need to be transformed and used for holiness. For example, a tendency to be overly fond of food can be elevated into a desire to cook delicious meals for others, particularly on Shabbos.
Another central idea from the maamer is that we are living in the era of the Redemption. The Rebbe noted that he was the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, and that “all sevenths are beloved.” We are also in the seventh millennia from Creation and are the generation which will see the messiah and the era of perfect peace.