Souls in Unison

Every Jew has an obligation to help his fellow come closer to his heritage. Such an obligation must be fulfilled not out of a sense of duty or superiority, but with love and humility, for each Jew is a precious child of G-d, of infinite worth. The. dissemination of Torah and Judaism is a mission from G-d, and aid extended to a fellow Jew enriches the giver as much as the recipient.
 
Rabbi Akiva says: ‘You shall love your fellow as yourself’ is a basic principle of the Torah. (Vayikra 19:18, Midrash)
You are children of the L-rd your G-d. (Devarim 14:1)
 
All Israelites are called real brothers by virtue of the source of their souls in the One G-d. (Tanya, Ch. 32)
 
The commitment to help another, to give of one’s time and energy, demands an enormous amount of self-sacrifice. It is not easy to tear oneself away from personal pursuits, to break out of the insulated cocoon of one’s own interests. The time devoted to others could be used in bettering one’s own position, financially, socially etc. And even in more refined pursuits, a person is involved with his own self. The study of Torah is never ending, and the obligation to raise one’s spiritual level, unlimited. The time given to help a fellow Jew could easily be devoted to one’s own spiritual growth. Moreover, true involvement with another demands much more than merely sharing time or knowledge. One invests not only time or effort, but a part of oneself. True devotion to a fellow Jew means his joy is your joy, his anguish your anguish, and the travails of his soul yours. And it is this devotion which is demanded of us when Torah commands “You shall love your fellow as yourself.”
 
But man is by nature egocentric, preoccupied with his own existence. Each person is a separate entity unto himself, with his own drives, goals and nature. How then is it possible to deny one’s identity to the extent that a separate entity assumes equal importance — to love him as yourself?
 
R. Shneur Zalman of Ladi, the founder of Chabad-Lubavitch, gives the answer in his magnum opus of Chassidic philosophy, the Tanya. Every Jew’s soul is a part of G-d Above, he writes, and “who can know their greatness and excellence in their root and source in the living G-d? Being, moreover, all of a kind and all having one Father — therefore, all Israelites are called real brothers by virtue of the source of their souls in the One G-d; only the bodies are separated.”
 
This is the path to true love of a fellow Jew. When we learn to penetrate the physical, to look past the outer concealment, the true existence of a Jew shines forth. Bodies are separate; souls are one. The physical divides; the spiritual unites. His soul is one with mine, for we all have one Father — and how can I not love my father’s son? All differences fall away, and Jew is united with Jew, one in their source in the living G-d.
 
This is the basis of the help one Jew extends to another. When you give of your money, your time, your effort — your very self — it is not charity you are giving. A father supporting his children, a person helping his brother, is not extending charity. Each Jew is a brother to every other Jew, responsible for his welfare. To help and encourage him to come closer to his heritage, to fulfill his mission in life of “I was created solely to serve my Maker,” is not an optional deed but an obligation — and a very great privilege. There is no giver and taker, but souls working together in common destiny.
 
And if you are richer than he in your knowledge of Torah and mitzvot? To quote again from R. Shneur Zalman: “Who can know their greatness and excellence in their root and source in the living G-d?” Judge not by appearances, for his soul may be loftier than yours. Never regard yourself as the magnanimous giver and he the needy recipient — for it is perhaps you who is the inferior in spirit. If G-d has blessed you with riches, physical or spiritual, share them with others — thankfully, graciously, humbly.
 
 
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Excerpts from “Sichos in English”, reprinted with the kind permission of www.sichosinenglish.org