In honor of the Rebbe’s birthday on the 11th of Nisan (Thursday night and Friday of the coming week), we present the following adaptation of a question and answer session between the Rebbe and Hillel directors and college students.
How is G-d’s uniqueness seen in this world?
Everything in creation has in its innermost part a spark of G-d that unites it with everything else in the universe. It doesn't matter what - human, animal, vegetable or mineral - in their innermost core the molecules all are alike.
G-d is "ein sof" - everlasting, and He has imbued His creatures with this attribute. Physics states that nothing can be destroyed - the atom will always exist; it can be transformed, but not destroyed. This ink-well on my desk, for instance, has limitations in size, shape - it is round, etc.- but in its "innermost" there is something that cannot be destroyed. This is a manifestation of G-d's Oneness.
Is creation to be accepted on pure faith, or does it have a basis in logic?
Belief in G-d is more than just emuna, faith. In mathematics, for example, if there are only four possible answers to a problem and you have excluded three of them, it is logical that the correct answer must be the fourth one.
By similar deduction - exclusion of all other possibilities - you can conclude that G-d is the Creator. Furthermore, it is a matter of common sense. I would insult your common sense if I told you that this chair that I am sitting on was not made by someone. Also, whenever you observe orderliness you must assume that there is some force or power maintaining this order.
You said that we should make religion part of our daily lives. However, some of us feel that we cannot accept religion completely. Is there any value in compromise?
Nobody is perfect. There is no tzadik on earth that has never sinned. Even the most righteous is lacking in some aspect, yet this doesn't negate the good that he does perform. Every mitzva gives him additional power to continue.
I meant a permanent compromise. That a person is not interested in fulfilling some precepts at all?
Let him do as much as he can today - tomorrow he will try to fulfill even more, or maybe the day after tomorrow. G-d has infinite patience. But why postpone till tomorrow what you can do now?
“Questions and Answers with the Rebbe”, From our Sages & Moshiach Now! reprinted from LchaimWeekly.org - LYO / NYC
The Resurrection of the Dead
At the time of the Resurrection of the Dead, in which body will the souls that have had several incarnations arise? In general, the concept can be explained as follows: The soul (here the intent is to refer to three levels, nefesh, ruach, and neshama, or merely one of them, but not merely the level of neshama) reincarnates (in the predominant majority of instances) to perfect what it failed to perfect in its first descent to the body. Since the entire Jewish people are filled with mitzvot like a pomegranate is filled with seeds, in every descent and incarnation, certain levels of the soul are perfected. At the time of the resurrection, every body will arise together with the level of the soul that it perfected.
(from of a letter of the Rebbe, 7th of Shevat, 1946)
