“I Was Not Created...”

מב. תרגום מקטעים משיחות ליל שמח”ת קודם הקפות תשנ”ב (2)

 42. Simchas Torah, Tishrei 23, 5752 – September 30, 1991 (2)

A Jew’s service of Hashem mustn’t be limited to only observing the Torah and mitzvos; he must also infuse his mundane acts, such as working, eating and sleeping, with Divine meaning. This requirement is worded by the prophets and the sages in three expressions:

1.               “All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven”

2.               “Know Him in all your ways”

3.               “I was created solely to serve my Maker”

These three expressions are actually three levels in imbuing one’s mundane acts with holiness: the first expects one to engage in acts which remain mundane, but to do them “for the sake of Heaven;” the second level brings a level of holiness into the mundane (“know Him in all your ways”), but an aspect of mundanity remains (they are still “your ways”); and the third, fueled by the knowledge that not only is G-d the creator and master of the world, but that truly “there is nothing aside from Him” calls forth a sense of “my exclusive occupation in life is to serve my Maker.” (See Likkutei Sichos vol. 3 on Terumah and Vayakhel).

The Divine service at the time of the Redemption will reflect this, and therefore our Divine service now, in the final moments of preparation for this awesome era, must reflect this too, as the Redemption comes to be “through our deeds and actions throughout the days of exile” (Tanya ch. 36):

This might provide us with a rationalization for the bizarre delay of the Redemption:	– וְעַל-פִּי-זֶה אוּלַי יֵשׁ לוֹמַר הַבֵּאוּר בְּהָעִיכּוּב הַמַּבְהִיל שֶׁל הַגְּאוּלָה
It is because the Jewish people have lacked integrity in the level of Divine service of “I was not created except for serving my Maker.”	– שֶׁהוּא מִצַּד זֶה שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲסֵרָה אֵצֶל בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלֵמוּת בְּדַרְגַּת הָעֲבוֹדָה בְּאֹפֶן דְּ”אֲנִי לֹא נִבְרֵאתִי אֶלָּא לְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶת קוֹנִי”
There are two versions of this saying of Chazal. The common one states simply “I was created to serve my Maker;” the second reads “I was not created, except for serving my Maker.” This version emphasizes how in truth “I was not created.” Nothing at all exists besides for “serving my Maker” (unlike the first version where there is an “I” — “I was created” — to “serve my Maker.”)
Through this mode of Divine service specifically, do we attain the Redemption characterized by a state of being in which “there is nothing else aside from him.”	שֶׁדַּוְקָא עַל-יְדֵי-זֶה מַגִּיעִים לְהַגְאוּלָה אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶה בְּאֹפֶן זֶה (דְּ”אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ”). –
However, this impediment has now also been removed,	אֲבָל עַכְשָׁו כְּבָר הוּסַר גַּם עִכּוּב זֶה,
and (therefore) “everything is ready for the feast” — a reference to the feast of the Leviathan, the Wild Ox and the Preserved Wine that will occur during the true and complete Redemption, imminently in actuality.	וּבְמֵילָא הֲרֵי “הַכֹּל מוּכָן לַסְּעוּדָה”, סְעוּדַת לְִויָתָן וְׁשוֹר הַבָּר וְיַיִן הַמְּׁשֻמָּר6 בַּגְּאוּלָה הָאֲמִתִּית וְהַשְּׁלֵימָה תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד מַמָּשׁ.
***
The Rebbe went on to describe a particular area where this readiness can be seen — the unique role of Jewish children in this generation:
According to our sages, the verse, “Do not touch My anointed ones (Meshichoi)” refers to the Jewish children who study Torah.”	[לְהָאָמוּר לְעֵיל יֵשׁ שַׁיָּכוּת מְיֻחֶדֶת לְיַלְדֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, תִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן,] כְּמַאֲמַר חֲזַ”ל7: “אַל תִּגְעוּ בִּמְשִׁיחָי8 אֵלּוּ תִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן”.
One explanation of this statement (in addition to those given by the commentators) is:	אֶחָד הַבֵּאוּרִים בְּזֶה (נוֹסָף לְהַפֵּירוּשׁ בַּמְּפָרְשִׁים):
Education of Jewish children must be in a manner that the children are completely permeated and absorbed with the ideal of Moshiach.	חִנּוּךְ תִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁהַתִּינוֹקוֹת נַעֲשִׂים חֲדוּרִים לְגַמְרֵי בְּתוֹךְ תּוֹכָם עִם הָעִנְיָן וְהַנְּקֻדָּה שֶׁל “מָׁשִיחַ”,
So much so, that just by looking at a Jewish child, what should one see at first glance? — Moshiach!	כָּךְ, שֶׁכַּאֲׁשֶר רַק מְעִיפִים מַבָּט עַל יֶלֶד יְהוּדִי, מַה רוֹאִים? – מָשִׁיחַ!
His entire being is “Moshiach” – i.e., the realization of “You have been shown … that there is nothing aside from Him.”	כָּל מְצִיאוּתָם הִיא “מָשִׁיחַ” – הַגִּלּוּי דְּ”אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ גּוֹ’ אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ”.
This idea is even more pronounced with respect to the Jewish children of our generation who (endorsed by Jewish leaders) are called “Tzivos Hashem – the Army of Hashem:”	וְעִנְיָן זֶה מֻדְגָּשׁ בִּמְיֻחָד בְּתִינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן דְּדוֹרֵנוּ זֶה – שֶׁנִּקְרָאִים (בְּהַסְכָּמַת גְּדוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל) בַּשֵּׁם “צִבְאוֹת הַשֵּׁם”:
The name Tzivos Hashem signifies that the children are totally devoted and subordinated to G-d, the like of (and even more than) the devotion of soldiers to their commanders.	הַשֵּׁם “צִבְאוֹת הַשֵּׁם” מוֹרֶה – שֶׁהַיְלָּדִים מְסורִּים ובְּטֵלִים לְגַמְרֵי לְהַקָדוֹשׁ-בָּרוּךְ-הוּא, בְּדֻגְמַת (וְיוֹתֵר מִ)”חַיָּלִים” אֶל “מְפַקְּדֵיהֶם”.
It follows then, that the Jewish children of our generation ­­­— boys and girls — possess in an even more revealed measure the status of Meshichoi, ­— G-d’s very own anointed ones.	… וּמִזֶּה מוּבָן, שֶׁבְּיַלְדֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – יְלָדִים וִילָדוֹת – דְּדוֹרֵנוּ זֶה, נִכָּר עוֹד יוֹתֵר בְּגָלוּי אֵיךְ שֶׁהֵם “מְשִׁיחָי”, “מְשִׁיחָי” דְּהַקָדוֹש-בָּרוּךְ-הוּא עַצְמוֹ,
This provides for a near preparation and introduction that leads to the impending revelation of the general Moshiach of all Jews, at the true and complete Redemption.	שֶׁזֶּה נַעֲשָׂה הֲכָנָה וְהַקְדָּמָה קְרוֹבָה לְהִתְגַּלּוּת הַמָּשִׁיחַ הַכְּלָלִי דְּכָל בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּגְּאוּלָה הָאֲמִתִּית והַשְׁלֵמָה.
“As in the days that you left Egypt I shall you wonders:”	וְ”כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת”9:
Just like then [as the expression is in the verse] “all the “Tzivos Hashem departed from the Land of Egypt,”11 so, too, the “Tzivos Hashem” of our generation will depart from the present Exile to the true and complete Redemption.	כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָז “יָצְאוּ כָּל צִבְאוֹת ה’ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם”10, כָּךְ “צִבְאוֹת הַשֵּׁם” דְּדוֹרֵנוּ זֶה יֵצְאוּ מִגָּלוּת זוֹ לַגְּאוּלָה הָאֲמִתִּית וְהַשְּׁלֵימָה וְתֵכֶף וּמִיָּד מַמָּשׁ.