Weekly Moment With the Rebbe

Busy Signals?

How can one find G-d? How can one feel truly and continually inspired? The Avner Institute presents an interesting letter where the Rebbe’s engineering background and knowledge of modern science help to explain the Divine soul which, like channel freed of “static,” will potentially shine with the love of Torah and mitzvoth.

in loving memory of Hadassah bas Shneur Zalman

“In Good Order and Properly Attuned”

B”H

Greeting and Blessing:

You write that you have read and learned that a man has to seek G-d and you ask if it is not the case also that G-d should seek man.

You are quite right, and indeed G-d seeks out not only certain individuals, but calls unto everyone through the agency of the Divine soul which animates every Jew. But, inasmuch as the Soul is incased in a physical body, it sometimes happens that the Divine signals which are sent to the Divine soul are either not received at all, or are received in distortion by the physical “static.” Nevertheless, the signals are there, and often remains buried in the subconscious, and form there impulses, thoughts, and stimuli to be admitted into the conscious state.

Modern science is increasingly recognizing the importance of the subconscious state of mind. Yet this has been recognized in our Torah and its commentaries for thousands of years. And, in the case of a receiver which can receive radio signals only if it is in good order and properly attuned, and will not receive anything at all if the switch is off, so in the case of the body. However, as far as the soul is concerned, which is part of G-d above, and always remains loyal to her Heavenly Father, it is always receptive, even though the impulses and stimuli are sometimes repressed and relegated to the subconscious.

That is why under certain propitious circumstances, the body and soul may suddenly become illuminated with the light of Torah and mitzvoth. That is why, also, an individual may suddenly experience an inner desire to return to G-d, and so on. All this is discussed at great length in the teachings of Chassidus, which explains in this way the statement of our sages that “every day a heavenly voice comes forth calling: Return to Me, My errant children.”

Needless to say, although G-d constantly seeks man and calls to him, this does not minimize the necessity of man to seek G-d, as it is written, “and you shall seek G-d,” for unless man reciprocates and makes and effort on his part, the signals are likely to remain ineffective. And the way man can apprehend and respond to the Divine signals is by observing the Torah and mitzvoth in everyday life.

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