Lighting up souls

A group of college students were once in yechidus by the Rebbe, during which the Rebbe spoke to them, after which they had the opportunity to ask questions. One of them asked the Rebbe: “Rabbi, what do you do for a living?”

The Rebbe responded: “You know that every house gets heat and light through electricity. Where does the electricity come from? Near Niagara Falls there are generating stations, which take the tremendous energy from the currents, and transform it into electricity. This is then brought via electric cables to every city. In every city there is an electric company, from where the electricity is sent to the various neighborhoods. Then there are smaller wires that bring the electric force into each individual home.

However, even after the electric power enters a home, the home may still be enveloped in darkness. It is necessary for someone to flick a switch, in order to channel that electricity into actual light.

“The same is true”, the Rebbe continued, “with every soul. There is an “electric generator” in heaven, the root of all souls, that generates tremendous G-dly force. This is then contracted and brought down, until it is directed into every Jewish soul. Every Yiddishe neshomo is in possession of this tremendous force that can serve as a source of warmth and illumination in his life. However there is a need for the person to do something – to flick a switch – to actually take advantage of this potential. My job”, the Rebbe concluded, “is to guide people and assist them in flicking their switch”!