Maximum Impact

On the occasion of her birthday, a woman wrote to the Rebbe, mentioning her efforts during the past year to share the beauty of Judaism with her community.

After warmly noting her achievements, the Rebbe wrote, “...bear in mind, however, that a person who was granted the ability to impact one hundred people and reaches only ninety-nine has not yet fully realized their G‑d-given potential.”1

Previously, we learned that each of us is born with talents that help inform our life’s mission, and that our gifts find their most potent expression when we use them to heal and uplift our world. As we courageously live out our personal sacred mandates, an essential question to consistently ask is: Am I truly giving my all, or do I have more to give?

This line of introspective questioning formed the basis of a nightly ritual practiced by the Rebbe.

As he once shared with R. Yochanan Gordon:

“Every night, before saying Krias Shema She’al Hamitah (Shema Before Bed), when I make a spiritual accounting of the day, I ask myself: Did I give away everything I have to this day?”

The Rebbe repeatedly insisted that each of us, along with our particular constellation of individual talents and strengths, is placed in the world with a personally tailored capacity and wherewithal for impacting the world. Energy levels, general health, ability to deal with stress or lack of sleep—each of these things impact your capacity to strive and serve. Some can do more, some less. In either case, your capacity is as unique to you as your purpose, and, hence, an integral part of fulfilling your purpose involves using your G‑d-given capacity to its fullest, whatever that may be. In the Rebbe’s own words:

“…If someone has the ability to influence a thousand people and only influenced 999, then it’s likely that he will be rewarded for his work, but he did not fulfill the purpose for which he was created!”2

All in the Details

During a Purim farbrengen in 1973, the Rebbe used the example of Persian King Ahasuerus to illustrate just how far we must go to live up to our inborn potential. Drawing attention to the fine details of a lavish feast provided by the king to his subjects, the Rebbe explained:

“…it is not at all clear why the Megillah must relate, and we must read all the details of, how King Ahasuerus arranged his royal feast…

“To know that the king was merry is one thing. But of what significance are the tapestries of white and blue fine cotton,3 or the golden couches,4 or all the details of what was given to the guests who participated in the king’s feast?

“…The point we learn from this narrative is that when a person does something, he must do it to the fullest of his abilities—not to calculate that since such and such an effort is sufficient for someone else, then it is enough for me to do only a little more. Rather, since your potential is greater, it is not enough to make an ordinary celebration; rather, it should be a celebration in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.5

“The lesson we learn from this…[is that] a person…must contemplate: You have a mission from G‑d! It is not enough to do just as much as someone else who has less abilities than you…

“No! You must use your full potential! You must measure your own abilities—and then exceed them!”6

All too often we are tempted to calculate our capacity based on the contributions and expectations of others. But your level of effort and engagement, like so many other aspects of your purpose, are meant to be discerned by looking inward rather than outward.

As the Rebbe once stated emphatically, “Living a full life means using all the unique abilities that G‑d grants an individual—man or woman—and to harness them in the fullest measure, in a manner that is most beneficial to yourself and others.”7 8 9

In the Presence of Greatness

This was the empowering message the Rebbe shared with an individual who was struggling to find motivation and energy while pursuing his life’s purpose:

“One of the effective ways of overcoming this difficulty is by thinking deeply about the fact that G‑d is present everywhere and always, as the Alter Rebbe [R. Schneur Zalman] explains in the beginning of Chapter 41 of the Tanya:

“‘And behold, G‑d stands over him’...and He looks upon him and ‘searches his mind and heart’ (to see) if he is serving Him as is fitting…

“The point is to remember that inasmuch as G‑d gives one the great gift of time and mental ability, etc., one must not waste these great gifts given by G‑d.

“By way of illustration: Suppose a great and majestic king personally and graciously gave you a gift, and he stands by you, watching what you will do with it; what would it look like if you would drop it with complete disregard, and go out for a walk or engage in some other pastime, etc.?”10

The G‑dly purpose that you carry can only be developed and delivered to the world by you. No matter what may be standing in the way of maximizing the impact of your holy mission, know that G‑d looks to you for a return on the investment he made in crafting the miracle of you.

Dynamic Growth Potential

The same is true of new opportunities that invite us to stretch our existing capacity.11 While it may be tempting to remain in our comfort zone, new opportunities that come our way are Divine invitations to further expand the scope of our service. These growing pains, uncomfortable as they are, are simply a matter of course and should be viewed as opportunities to reach deeper and shine brighter.

This was the challenge facing R. Yitzchok Dovid Groner, whose easygoing life as a rabbinic employee in New York had been upended by an assignment that placed him in charge of establishing a Chabad outpost in Melbourne, Australia.

In a letter to the Rebbe, R. Groner’s wife, Devorah, expressed her frustration with the burden of her husband’s new assignment, noting the comparative ease of his previous job in New York, where he had enjoyed ample support and appreciation from his colleagues. Noting the couple’s longing for their previous, uncomplicated life, the Rebbe responded in depth:

“…concerning the lack of appreciation, etc., ...which gave rise to your thoughts on the relative disadvantages of your husband’s present position by comparison with his previous one…the difference between his present work and his previous work is not a difference of place or surroundings, but a difference of the essential quality and character of the work itself. For previously he was in the capacity of an employed ‘clerk,’ and as such, there were certainly a number of advantages.

“A clerk has definite hours, and upon completion of his day’s work, he can dismiss it from his mind, knowing that the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of his superior. He needs only to do the task given to him, in the best way, and he can then feel no worries, responsibilities, or other commitments. Furthermore, such a job arouses a minimum of envy, less nervous strain, etc.

“On the other hand, when one has the task of an executive, upon whom the full responsibility rests, all the more so being at a great distance, and having to make decisions, and especially when he takes up such a job willingly and enthusiastically and is successful, it is bound to call forth envy.

“Obviously, one whose capacity limits him to a secondary position, such as that of a clerk, there is little he can do about it, as this is all that he can accomplish. [However,] one who has the capacity to be an executive and in charge of a responsible undertaking—if such a person should confine himself within the framework of a clerk’s job, it would be a gross injustice even for himself, not to mention to the cause.

“It is written, ‘More knowledge, more pain,’ and the more knowledgeable and advanced person is inevitably involved in more complicated things. One can say, ‘I don’t want to be on the higher level, so that I can be spared the pain.’ But this would be like a person saying, ‘I don’t want to be a human being; I want to be like an animal and be spared all the pain associated with human life.’

“…Furthermore, in a country where Judaism is still in its infancy…what a challenge and opportunity such work offers to the qualified person!”12

Assuring her that he meant no rebuke, and that their previous position would always remain available should they choose to return to New York, the Rebbe concluded:

“The important thing is that if the task is to be done successfully, the work must be carried on willingly, without compulsion.

“On the other hand, I would be remiss in my duty if I were not to point out the essential differences between one job as against the other, in the light of the quotation mentioned above, ‘More knowledge, more pain.’”

New Capabilities

From the Rebbe’s perspective, our capacity is dynamic, growing as we go from strength to strength. As our capacity grows, so does our responsibility and power to shine the light of G‑d in the world. It may be tempting to define the scope of our present endeavors based on the demands and achievements of the past. But this approach is similar to basing our ambitions on those of someone with fewer capabilities or resources than we possess. It is important to avoid the folly of using who we were yesterday to decide how much we might be able to accomplish today.

Meanwhile, every challenge to which we rise opens new channels of Divine energy and blessings.

The Rebbe crystallized this point to the wife of R. Avraham Alter Heber, who wrote to the Rebbe about the overwhelming demand that accompanied their communal work to establish a new community in the city of Kiryat Malachi.

At the time, she was deeply entrenched in promoting the various mitzvah campaigns the Rebbe had launched, and she confided that she sometimes felt like the demands that were made of her were beyond her abilities.

The Rebbe responded by sharing an adage of his father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe, who taught that “when someone decides to go beyond what they are normally capable of, that very decision opens up new channels of energy, granting them more abilities than they previously possessed.”13

From this perspective, even tasks that seem beyond us in the moment can be surmounted, as G‑d promises to provide everything we may need to complete the tasks He assigns as part of our Divine purpose.

Never Enough

At this point, it makes sense to ask: When am I permitted to sail into the sunset? Modern convention would say that, at the very least, we are expected to retire in our so-called golden years. This reward, for many, is a given—a final payout for a life of tireless toil. But time and again, the Rebbe fervently rejected the idea that there is ever a time to say, “Mission accomplished.”

As far as the Rebbe was concerned, there is always more good to be done in the world, and we are always beholden to the mission G‑d gave us, no matter what comfortable alternative beckons to us.

For example, a Jew from Montreal once approached the Rebbe with a question about his life as a businessman. After dedicating much of his life to his work, the man sold his business with plans to retire. But a recent opportunity to buy the business back had thrown his trajectory into question, and he wrestled with the notion of returning to the demands of his previous work.

“How much is enough?” he asked.

“Enough of what?” the Rebbe asked.

“We sold our business,” the visitor explained. “We have an offer now to buy it back. I am trying to understand: When should one feel that he has enough for himself and his family?”

“If you have experience in business, you must use it,” replied the Rebbe.

The visitor was still unsure.

“And [what are you supposed to do] when you have enough, and you feel that there’s enough for you, and you have reached your goal?” he asked again.

“That is not possible for a Jew!” exclaimed the Rebbe. “Because he [the Jew] has an endless message and mission from G‑d A-mighty!”

Here, the Rebbe’s question, “Enough of what?” was not meant to clarify but to challenge the very notion of “enough,” and whether such a rubric even exists in the context of one’s purpose in life.

This is not to discount the Rabbinic teaching: “Who is wealthy? He who is happy with his lot.”

Indeed, in accord with this maxim, it seems that the businessman’s question, “How much is enough?” was his way of asking whether, having achieved material success, perhaps it was time to move on to more spiritual pursuits.

However, from the Rebbe’s perspective, where everything available to us, including influence and wealth, can be used as a conduit for bettering our world, there is no separation between spiritual and material capacities, and there is therefore no such thing as enough. If someone has opportunity and skills in business or otherwise, they are called upon to use those tools to influence the world for the better. As long as we have the opportunity, we have a G‑dly mission to shine.14

Accelerating with Age

For the Rebbe, who remained extraordinarily active into his nineties, the idea of retiring was never a consideration. He saw every single day as an opportunity to further reveal G‑d’s presence and Providence in the world.

The Rebbe lived this philosophy to an extraordinary degree. On his seventieth birthday, for example, he received tens of thousands of letters from well-wishers around the world. Among them were many letters that suggested it was perhaps time he considered “slowing down” and “taking it easy” after many blessed decades as a global leader and activist, to which he responded at a public birthday gathering: “I have been asked: ‘Now that you have attained the age of seventy, what are your plans? It would seem that this is an appropriate time to rest a bit….’15 My response to that is that we must begin to accomplish even more.”

The Rebbe then announced the launch of a campaign to open seventy-one new educational institutions in the course of the coming year alone, virtually doubling the Chabad worldwide outreach network.

A decade later, at a farbrengen marking his eightieth birthday, the Rebbe did the same, calling for a massive expansion of Chabad activities.

Never Let Go

In story after story, the Rebbe repeatedly and vehemently challenged the very notion that it was even possible for one to outgrow their usefulness.

The very fact that G‑d has granted a person a single additional day to reunite the scattered sparks of creation means they have not concluded their mission in life. The mere opportunity to achieve some betterment demands we must rise to the occasion.

The Rebbe shared this motivating message with Esther Mentz at the end of her long and successful term as president of N’Shei Chabad in Crown Heights. She came to the Rebbe in a state of exhaustion, saying, “I can’t do this anymore. This is the year. I’m letting go.”

“Why are you letting this go? You’re doing such a great function,” the Rebbe asked.

“I’m tired. It takes all your strength out of you. There’s no one who cooperates with me. I’m doing this single-handedly. I have to do it myself. I’m tired. I don’t want to do it anymore.”

“You’re tired and you don’t want to do it anymore?” the Rebbe asked.

“That’s right,” she affirmed.

“What should the Rebbe say?” the Rebbe asked. “The Rebbe is tired. No one helps the Rebbe. But the Rebbe continues doing it.”

Esther replied, “I’m not the Rebbe.”

“But you’re not doing the job of a Rebbe. You’re doing the job that you can do,” the Rebbe replied. “Can you continue another year?”16

The Rebbe’s dedication to squeezing every ounce of potential from each moment can serve as a living example for every one of us. Whether you are a leader or a layperson, your sacred capacity is one of a kind—just like your Divine purpose. You don’t have to match anyone else’s contributions. You only need to live up to your own Divine potential and give your all to every day and opportunity granted by G‑d to bring the world one step closer to its ultimate redemption.

Quiz Yourself

Do the Thought Exercise

An integral part of fulfilling your purpose involves using your god-given capacity to its fullest, whatever that may be. Think about your abilities. Are you using them to the fullest? Could you push yourself to broaden your reach?

Take the Challenge

It is natural to use who we were yesterday to judge how much we can accomplish today, but our capacity is dynamic. And as our capacity grows, so does our responsibility to shine the light of G‑d in the world. Think of one area where you have fallen into the rhythm of always doing or giving a set amount and challenge yourself to stretch and do one step more.