Rashi states: “So that the children of Yisroel will not be afflicted with plague: So that there will be no need for them to approach the Kodesh.”
Sefer Imrei Noam explains this Rashi by relating the story of a famous, wealthy man who once came to the Magid of Kozhnitz zy”a. In addition to wealth, this man had much power and influence and excellent, healthy children. The Magid asked him what he needed, and the man replied that he lacked for nothing.
“If so,” the Magid asked, “Why have you come to me.” The man answered, “While I don’t need anything from the Rebbe right now, I want to ask the Rebbe to daven for me that I should never need anything from him!”
In this vein, the pasuk can be understood to be saying that Klal Yisroel should not have an affliction when they come to the Kodesh. When we come to a tzadik, it should not be because we are sick and need a refuah or because we need some other form of salvation. Rather, we should lack nothing and only come to the Rebbe to ask him to daven that we should continue to have no real need to approach the Kodesh.
A Good Parnassah Not at the Expense of Others:
In the tefillah of the Arizal, which is recited on Shabbos, we ask Hashem to provide us with sustenance and parnassah “without suffering and impediments.” The Shinova Rov zy”a explains that Hashem sometimes sends various forms of suffering that affect many people. This leads them to come to their Rebbe, with each individual asking for his own needs. One will ask for a bracha for health, while another will ask for children, and another will ask for parnassah, etc. The reason Hashem does this is to provide a livelihood for tzadikim, as each petitioner gives him a pidyon.
However, we daven that to have paranssah in a way that is not at the expense of others. We ask for livelihood that involves no suffering or impediments for any Yid.
