This Shabbat:

Friday Candle Lighting: 5:07 pm
Shabbat Ends: 5:56 pm

Torah Message:

Buried Treasure

“…And you will be to Me an ‘am segula,’ a treasured nation from all the nations, for all the world is Mine.” (19:5)

What is the connection between the first half of this sentence, “And you will be to Me a treasured nation from all the nations,” and the second half: “for all the world is Mine”?

Our Sages teach, “G-d has nothing in His treasury except a storehouse of the Fear of Heaven.” (Berachot 33) The Vilna Gaon comments that a treasury contains only things that are both valuable and are difficult to acquire. Everything in this world is the Hand of Heaven; He already has everything. Everything, that is, save the Fear of Heaven itself, for that depends solely on individual free choice. Thus, in reality, G-dhas nothing in His treasury of true value to Him except the storehouse of the Fear of Heaven.

“And you will be to Me an am segula…” Rashi interprets the adjective segula as meaning “a treasury”. A treasured nation.

“For all the world is Mine.” Being that the entire world already belongs to G-d, the only thing that is a treasure to Him is the Jewish People, who have chosen to fear Him.