Chassidus explains that G-d’s choice of the Jewish people was not just for their souls and spiritual qualities, but specifically their bodies which resemble every other human being. True choice is an expression of one’s deepest self, a revelation of what is truly bound to the deepest part of you.
Therefore, “choosing” is not an appropriate description of G-d’s relationship with the Jewish soul, since that possesses overt spiritual advantages over other beings; it appeals to the logical structure of G-d’s “interest,” so to speak. When G-d “chooses” the Jew, we mean He is inherently bound up specifically with the body of the Jew, with his material self and concerns.
Therefore, when a Jew prays for his own material concerns, he is actually praying on behalf of G-d’s essence, since that essence is bound up with his material deficiencies. So, too, in the month of “comforting the Father,” the Father is inherently concerned for His son, therefore, the comfort extended to G-d includes any comfort a Jew can possibly need.
Thus, it is not just the righteous who can fulfill these expectations. The simple Jew’s request for material blessing and comfort also carries with it a deeper cry for the redemption of G-d’s essence which languishes in exile.
This perspective helps us understand the possibility of a Jew comforting G-d—seemingly, how can someone who is themselves in exile offer comfort? Chassidus explains that a son can display greater abilities than a father, but even those abilities are derived from the father. That is, the father imparts his entire essence to his son, even those potentials which were unrealized, and the son can actualize those potentials. So, too, the Jew is one with G-d’s essence, and therefore can provide comfort to the dimension of G-d which does experience exile.
