The Secret of Bringing Merit to the Masses: Acting for the Sake of Klal Yisrael and Meriting the Revelation of the Shechinah (Divine Presence)
Lesson No. 81 | * Sunday, Parashat Vayechi, Eve of 13 Tevet 5757. *Parashat Mishpatim, Shevat 5757
When a person acts for the sake of Heaven and for the sake of the collective, he merits tremendous Siyata Dishmaya (Heavenly assistance), the revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi, and intellectual clarity in Torah study. Establishing Torah institutions is a "mitzvah that has no claimants" which constitutes a decisive blow to the Satan, and therefore it involves many obstacles.
Acting for the Sake of Klal Yisrael
When a person sets out on a path with pure thoughts, Hashem, may He be blessed, certainly helps him. Regarding this it is said:
"One who sets out on a journey, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) goes out to greet him."
If a person goes out to the marketplace with the supreme goal of bringing merit to the masses, he can merit to see Eliyahu HaNavi coming toward him. There is a story about a certain chassid who went through difficult years of famine, and when he went out to the marketplace, he met Eliyahu HaNavi and received eight hundred thousand gold coins.
But one must know: if a person does not want to go out to the marketplace at all to begin with, or if he goes out and wants the money only for himself – Eliyahu HaNavi will not come. For a person who cares only for himself, Eliyahu HaNavi does not trouble himself so much. In contrast, if a person does his deeds for the sake of Klal Yisrael, for example, to try to establish a yeshiva, then he will meet Eliyahu HaNavi and he will meet the Shechinah (Divine Presence). The Shechinah (Divine Presence) goes out to greet him, and Eliyahu HaNavi comes toward him.
The Self-Sacrifice of Moshe Rabbeinu
Although we do not yet merit such an explicit revelation from the outset, when a person truly does his deeds for the sake of Heaven, he will see wondrous Heavenly assistance. At every step, he will "meet Eliyahu HaNavi" – he will meet serious donors and have success in all his ways.
The moment a person goes for the sake of Heaven and thinks of the masses, he does not think of himself at all. This is the trait of Moshe Rabbeinu, who, because he knew his own lowliness so well, acted with self-sacrifice for the sake of Klal Yisrael. He acted with such self-sacrifice that he even wanted someone else to go and redeem Israel. He prayed for the Geulah (Redemption), but wanted another to merit the mission.
Intellectual Clarity in the Merit of Bringing Merit to the Masses
Everyone, the moment he purifies his intention, purifies his thoughts and his desires – he will see the Shechinah (Divine Presence) before him. He will discover the root of his soul, and wondrous things will be revealed to him.
In the merit of bringing merit to the masses, a person receives tremendous clarity in Torah study. He merits intellectual clarity and mental clarity, because all mental clarity and all intellectual clarity – everything depends on bringing merit to the masses.
A Mitzvah That Has No Claimants
The moment people merit to truly perform such a mitzvah of establishing Torah institutions, they will discover that this is a mitzvah that has no claimants. There is a lack of kollels in Jerusalem, there is a lack of yeshivas in Jerusalem, and there is a lack of kollels all over the world. This is truly a mitzvah that has no claimants.
But one must know that for the Satan, establishing a place of Torah for the sake of Heaven is a very severe blow. For the Satan, opening a kollel or a yeshiva for the sake of Heaven is worse than an atomic bomb.
Therefore, those who took this mitzvah upon themselves – even though it is a mitzvah that has no claimants whatsoever, it is a tremendous merit for the masses. And specifically because of its power, there are many obstacles, sufferings, and great disturbances regarding this matter.
Part 2 of 2 — Lesson No. 81
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