From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l
This week we begin the Book of Deuteronomy, with the Torah portion of Devarim. As the Torah relates, Moses complained that the leadership of the Jewish people was too great a task for one person. "How can I myself alone bear your weight, and your burden, and your strife?" he asked. The Jewish people are simply too numerous and diverse for one individual to be able to guide them all. In answer, G-d instructed Moses to "Choose wise and understanding men...captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, etc." This would relieve the burden and help Moses lead the Children of Israel.
From this we learn a practical lesson: Every Jew has been entrusted with a special mission by Moses: to conduct his life according to the dictates of the Torah, and to exert a positive influence on the people around him so that they, too, may comport themselves in the same manner.
An individual may find this daunting, and ask how it is possible for a single person to wield so much power. "How can I alone fulfill such an important mission?" he might wonder.
The Task of Bringing Happiness to G-d
Furthermore, every Jew has been enjoined with the task of bringing G-d happiness, by transforming the world into a suitable "dwelling place" for the Divine Presence, as it states, "Let Israel rejoice...and be happy in the joy of the L-rd Who is pleased and glad to dwell in the lower spheres." A person may question how he can be expected to derive the strength for such an awesome assignment. The Torah's answer is that G-d grants every Jew the ability to successfully fulfill his function in life, including having a positive influence on others.
G-d Gives Unique Powers to Every Jew to Fulfill their Life Purpose
Every Jew receives the Torah from Moses as a personal inheritance, as it states, "The Torah that Moses commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Jacob." Therefore, when a Jew holds the Torah dear, he receives all the necessary powers to conduct his life accordingly, in the same way that G-d helped Moses fulfill his mission (through the "captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, etc.") to lead the entire Jewish people.
The Midrash relates that had the Jews been worthy, the above Torah verse, "How can I myself alone," would have sufficed. Unfortunately, such was not the case, and we must therefore read the verse in Lamentations on Tisha B'Av, "How lonely sits the city that was full of people."
A Time When We Won’t Have to Recite Lamentations Anymore
From this it is clear that when a Jew conducts his life according to Torah and emulates Moses' example, he nullifies the entire concept of exile and the destruction of the Holy Temple. This will lead to a time when the recitation of Lamentations will no longer be necessary, as the Final Redemption with Moshiach will already be a reality.
Reprinted from the Parashat Devarim 5761/2001 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Brooklyn. Adapted from the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s talk on 3 Menachem Av 5741/1981.
