Elections - Part 1: Voting

00:01 As we find ourselves in the season of elections in the United States, we will discuss a few sichas from the Rebbe on the topic of elections, what it signifies in Avdei Hashem. The first sicha the Rebbe delivered on the 20th of Chesvan Tov Shin Lamed He, late 1974. The Rebbe said the following, as it's translated here in English. There is another inyan that relates to these days, and especially from this day, which is a day of chires, election day. The Rebbe continues, he was asked, and probably they also asked others, what could we derive and learn b'negiat to the inyan of Yiddishkeit? A inyan which is shava lechol nefesh, something that's equal for all, because everybody participates in the elections. Sai Yidden and sai not Yidden, sai those who have brilliant minds and also simpler people. And as mentioned many times, that when it comes to these inyanim, it shows that everyone is equal, everyone has only one voice. And the simplest person, if it is documented that he is of a certain age, he has a right to vote and has his own voice by voting. There is the Teiros HaBashemtev, the teachings of the Bashemtev, that every inyan that a person, that a Yid hears or sees, he needs to search a hero, a directive in Avdei Hashem. And the mele he will surely find one. Since Vashgacha Protis, there is a hero, a directive in his Avdei to the Creator. And Alder Azar, likewise b'negiat to the inyan of elections. And the

02:16 Rebbe spells it out. The directive that we derive from elections is as is mentioned in Medrash, in Eicha Rabba, on the pasik Chelki Hashem Omron Nafshi, which is in Eicha Lamentations, chapter 3, pasik 24. That Chelki Hashem Omron Nafshi, that my soul says Hashem is my portion. It is a mashal, a parable of a king with ministers. They all entered into a country. And the people in the country, each one chose his favorite. One said, I will choose the minister. One said, I will choose another sort of a level in government. And then there was this smart person and he says, I am choosing the king. The question that is asked is, do we need someone that is very smart to choose the king? For this, even someone that's not so smart knows that the king is the priority, that the king is the main person. And therefore, he would not turn to the ministers. So what is the point of choosing a minister? So Tsidus explains, when a person chooses the king, he has to also commit himself a state of nullification, a bittle to the king. When he chooses a minister, so at times he follows the minister, he fulfills what the minister orders, but then he's an entity for himself. And he takes over the minister. He bribes the minister, etc. But when someone chooses the king, it makes a very deep impression on the person of a bittle goggle, a great state of nullification. And not everybody is able to reach

04:24 this point. Standing with a bittle legambri, as long as he will have the king. So the Rebbe asks further, this explanation is not sufficient. Since he wants to have the king by him, so which fool will say that he does not want this bittle, that he is not ready to be in a state of nullification to the king? And through this, he will lose the opportunity to choose the king himself. So the Rebbe connects it with a Gemara, the tractate of Seita, Hey Aleph, which is 5A, that when it gets to someone who is arrogant, Hashem says, I cannot be with him together in the world. What does it mean, someone that's arrogant? It doesn't mean someone that walks around and tears off by everybody their nose. The expression is, and he screams that he is a godol bisrol, that he is the great one amongst the nation. But a balgaiva is someone who is strong in his will. And when it seems to him that someone holds different of his opinion, this touches his essence and he cannot endure it. And there is nothing that will hold up this person To become aggressive against the one who disagrees with him. He will destroy everything as long as everyone should know that he is the one that made that person for nothing. That he brought that person down. Since that person felt that he is similar to him, to this arrogant person, or he has a different opinion, therefore he feels he cannot exist any

06:32 longer. He knows that Hashem and him cannot live in one same world. Nevertheless, he is so involved in this himself that he is ready to give up everything as long as he destroys his enemy. And the Rebbe now turns back to the concept of elections. When a person hears about elections, the first thing a person needs to remember is that every day he begins his service, his avedah, serving Hashem from the beginning. And as it says in the Midrash, he finds himself in a country where there's all kinds of heads of state. There are ministers. There's the king. One thing the person knows is he has to choose the king. So the person asks the question, it comes to elections, he doesn't see the king's name on the ticket. He doesn't see Hashem's name on the ticket. How could he choose him? So the Rebbe continues that this is what was discussed in a sicha and a talk of Simchas Teida, that when one person speaks with another person, and even when he's speaking for Goyim, he needs to know Hashem stands near him and he monitors his kidneys, what he's thinking, what he's feeling, if he is serving Hashem in an appropriate manner. Which this is an expression. This is an expression in Tanya chapter 41. And he needs to know that the main thing in his speaking is that with whomever he speaks, he should request that it should be accepted by Hashem. And then it'll bring success with whom he speaks. And

08:43 since there are people which we need to choose, so the main point is he picks Hashem. And he needs to check who is the most positive candidate for Shulchan Aruch and what is better for Yiddishkeit and what is better for Torah and mitzvahs. We will, with the mercy of Hashem, continue in the next installment.