A vort from the Rebbe on this week's parshah, Parshat Yitro. As an introduction to Matan Torah, a few days before Matan Torah, Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu to tell the Yidden, and one of the things he said, that the Yidden should know that והייתם לי סגולה. You will be to me a segulah. And Rashi says, what does the word segulah mean? אוצר חביב, a beloved treasure, וכמו סגולת מלכים, like we find a treasure of the kings, כלי יקר ואבנים טובות, precious vessels and precious gems שהמלכים גונזים אותם, that the kings hide them. כך אתם תהיו לי סגולה, so too, the same way you will be me to as a segulah means a hidden treasure. And the question that the Rebbe asks, why do we compare the Yidden to the treasure, the hidden treasure of Hashem? There are other kinds of treasures, not the hidden treasures. There are the jewels that are in the crown, the jewels that are in the ring of the king, and these are things that add beauty to the to the crown and to the king. Why aren't we compared to those jewels? Why are we davka compared to the jewels that are hidden, the hidden treasures? Like Rashi says, שהמלכים גונזים אותם, the melachim, the kings, hide them.

And the Rebbe explains that's exactly what the Torah wants to tell us what Hashem told the Yidden. The difference between these two types of treasures, the difference between the jewels that are in the open, the jewels of the crown or other places, and also sometimes there are treasures that the king uses to run the country. The difference between those and the ones that are hidden that are never used is like this: the ones that are used, for instance, in the crown, it enhances the crown. It's for a purpose, that when people see the crown it looks more beautiful. It enhances the kingship of the king. The other things also, the money that the king has and the treasure that the king has that is used for running the government, running the country, they're all for a purpose. The purpose is that the country should be able to be run properly, the king the crown of the king should look beautiful, etc. There is a reason why it's there. There's a purpose. But the the treasure that's hidden, no one sees it. As it says in the Maamar Bati Legani that there are treasures that are hidden for generations from king to king, and it's never used, no not seen by anybody. The purpose of those is not for a purpose outside of the king, it's part, so to speak, kiv'yachol of the king himself. Part of that's why it's there, and the king himself basically we could say enjoys in himself that he has these treasures, and it's not for any outside purpose. It's part, so to speak, of the king himself.

And the same thing is בנוגע אידן. Yidden were created for a purpose of doing mitzvot and Torah, etc., etc. But there's another aspect which is even deeper than that: the mere fact that there is a Yid, a neshamah, that itself is a important thing for itself. That is, so to speak, part of Hashem. We know that Chazal say that ישראל וקודשא בריך הוא כולא חד, אידן and Hashem are one. So besides the fact that Yidden have a job to do, the Yidden's metziut itself is part of Hashem. That itself is is special, this is part of Hashem. And that's why when the Eibershter told the Yid before מתן תורה that he's choosing the Yidden, he told them that אודאי he told them that they're going to get mitzvot and they have to do, and they have a job to do, etc., etc. But he also told them beforehand that really, you are like that hidden treasure of the king, which is part of the king himself. You are one with me, you are part of me. And that's the deeper part of a Yid. And that's why we say ישראל אף על פי שחטא ישראל הוא, a Yid even if he sinned is still a Yid. He is missing something, he's missing accomplishing his mission, which is a problem, Hashem wants him to do this mission, but never changes the fact that he is a Yid, meaning that he is part of Hashem. Like it says in Tanna Dvei Eliyahu, Eliyahu HaNavi said that there are a few things which are very close to Hashem, beyond the world, and two of them is Torah and Yidden. And then Eliyahu says, \"And between the two, which one is closer to Hashem?\" He says the Yidden is closer than Torah. Which means that the Yidden are really, really part of Hashem. And therefore, before מתן תורה, when the Eibishter wanted to describe what he's choosing the Yidden, what does that mean, he said that \"You will be to me a segulah,\" like Rashi says, a treasure, but what kind of treasure? A treasure that the king hides that no one sees, because it's not for the outside purpose, it's part of the king himself. And the Eibishter said that these Yidden who are there just because they're part of me are there, the Eibishter wants them to do mitzvot. And if you don't do mitzvot, chas veshalom, then the person is missing in his accomplishing his mission. But a Yid is always connected and part of the Eibishter, no matter what, and that was נתגלה בשעת מתן תורה.