G-d is like a “hostage” because the world hides him. In the Redemption through Moshiach, the world won’t hide G-d anymore; rather on the contrary, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea”.
On the 19th of Kislev, the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad, was freed from prison in Russia. We celebrate this date as the “Rosh Hashanah for Chassidus” (this year it is Shabbos, Dec. 2). He was redeemed when he read the verse in Tehillim, “Padah V’shalom Nafshi”, which means that G-d “redeemed my soul in peace”. This verse was originally said by King Dovid about his victory in his wars. It also includes the victory of King Dovid’s descendant, the King Moshiach, who fights the wars of G-d and wins, in an even greater way than in the time of the kings Dovid and Shlomo. The verse is also explained to refer to the Redemption of G-d and the Jewish People from exile. “G-d said, ‘Whoever is occupied in Torah and in acts of kindness and prays with the congregation – I consider him as if he has redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world.” G-d is with the Jewish People in exile and is redeemed together with us.
The redemption of the Alter Rebbe was the freedom to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus. The teachings of Chassidus are all about G-d; spreading Chassidus means spreading the knowledge of G-d in the world. The more that the knowledge of G-d spreads in the world, the closer we get to the time when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea.” This is the ultimate freedom of G-d. And the Jewish People will know G-d as much as possible – the ultimate closeness of the Jewish People to G-d.
(See talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita, 19-20 Kislev 5752 (1991))
