Why Hashem Needs Every Single Jew

Once you saw an advertisement that said: “Hashem needs every Jew.” Some people were happy to see it. Others were puzzled. What kind of thing is that to say? We need Hashem, not the other way around! But you should know that the truth goes deeper than that. Why the World Was Created Ask yourself: Why did Hashem create the world? It was not because He was missing something, heaven forbid. He is perfect in every way. Instead, He wanted it. He chose it. He desired it. And His deepest desire, so to speak, is what the Tanya, the classic book of Hasidic thought, describes this way: “It gives Hashem delight to have a home in this lower world.” This idea goes back to the Midrash Tanchuma, an early collection of the Sages’ teachings, which says: “Hashem longed to have a home in the lower worlds.” Notice the exact wording: in the lower world. Not in the higher worlds. Not among the lofty souls. Not in the heavenly palaces of the King. Here, in this physical world, with all its murkiness and all its limits. This is exactly where Hashem wants to be present, to live, and to be revealed. And this desire is not a need that comes from lacking something, heaven forbid. As the Tanya explains in its section of letters, Hashem is not missing anything at all. Rather, by His own free will He chose that His Godliness would be revealed, and the purpose of His glory fulfilled, through what is done down here, in this physical world. We Are the Only Builders Now comes the real question: Who will build this home? The answer is clear. We will: the Jewish people. As Hashem says through the prophet Isaiah: “You are My witnesses.” We are the witnesses. We are the ones who reveal Him and bring Him into the world. No power in the entire chain of worlds can do what a Jew does in his physical body. He does it when he puts on the leather prayer boxes, when he gives charity, and when he speaks a kind word with his friend. As the Tanya explains, when we actually carry out the commandments in real deeds, the dark side is subdued and Godliness is revealed in this lower world. Nothing else can take the place of that. So to speak, Hashem has handed the keys to us, and to us alone. The Soldier at His Post Picture a soldier in a huge army. He stands at his post, in a spot that seems empty and far from where the action is. He asks himself: What am I worth here? Does anyone even notice? But the supreme commander, who planned the whole operation, knows the answer. Something depends on this exact spot, this exact man, at this exact moment, and no one else can fill it. His position was not chosen by chance. It was set by Hashem’s precise personal providence, because Hashem guides every detail. This is exactly what the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement, taught. Every detail of a person’s life, down to a leaf falling from a tree, is directed from Above. Your place, your time and your work are not random. They are the exact address of your mission. There, and only there, you are needed.

Putting It into Practice

We tend to think: “When I have more time, more money, more strength, then I’ll do something meaningful.” But that is a mistake. This very moment is the great thing itself. The leather prayer boxes you put on this morning, the charity you gave, the kind word you said to your friend or your wife: these are not small acts waiting for someone’s approval. They are Hashem’s own inner desire coming true. As the prophet Isaiah says: “And Hashem’s desire will succeed through his hand.” You don’t need to be somewhere else. You don’t need to be someone else. You need to be exactly where you are, exactly who you are, and do what only you can do there. Because there, and only there, Hashem, so to speak, needs you.

Questions and answers

Q: Does Hashem really need every Jew?

Rabbi Landau answers: Once you saw an advertisement that said: “Hashem needs every Jew.” Some people were happy to see it. Others were puzzled. What kind of thing is that to say? We need Hashem, not the other way around! But you should know that the truth goes deeper than that.

Q: Isn't it strange to say Hashem needs us when we are the ones who need Hashem?

Q: Why did Hashem create the world if He lacks nothing?

Rabbi Landau answers: Ask yourself: Why did Hashem create the world? It was not because He was missing something, heaven forbid. He is perfect in every way. Instead, He wanted it. He chose it. He desired it. And His deepest desire, so to speak, is what the Tanya, the classic book of Hasidic thought, describes this way: “It gives Hashem delight to have a home in this lower world.” This idea goes back to the Midrash Tanchuma, an early collection of the Sages’ teachings, which says: “Hashem longed to have a home in the lower worlds.” Notice the exact wording: in the lower world. Not in the higher worlds. Not among the lofty souls. Not in the heavenly palaces of the King.

Q: Who builds Hashem's home in this lower world?

Rabbi Landau answers: Now comes the real question: Who will build this home? The answer is clear. We will: the Jewish people. As Hashem says through the prophet Isaiah: “You are My witnesses.” We are the witnesses. We are the ones who reveal Him and bring Him into the world. No power in the entire chain of worlds can do what a Jew does in his physical body. He does it when he puts on the leather prayer boxes, when he gives charity, and when he speaks a kind word with his friend. As the Tanya explains, when we actually carry out the commandments in real deeds, the dark side is subdued and Godliness is revealed in this lower world. Nothing else can take the place of that.

Q: Do I need more time, money or strength before I can do something meaningful?

Rabbi Landau answers: We tend to think: “When I have more time, more money, more strength, then I’ll do something meaningful.” But that is a mistake. This very moment is the great thing itself. The leather prayer boxes you put on this morning, the charity you gave, the kind word you said to your friend or your wife: these are not small acts waiting for someone’s approval. They are Hashem’s own inner desire coming true. As the prophet Isaiah says: “And Hashem’s desire will succeed through his hand.” You don’t need to be somewhere else. You don’t need to be someone else. You need to be exactly where you are, exactly who you are, and do what only you can do there.