הַבְּרָכָה צְרִיכָה לְאֵיזֶה דָבָר שֶׁתֵּאָחֵז בּוֹ, וּכְמוֹ הַמָּטָר עַל שָׂדֶה חֲרוּשָׁה וּזְרוּעָה, אוֹ הַיּוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ עַל תְּבוּאַת הַשָּׂדֶה וְהַכֶּרֶם. אֲבָל בִּשְׂדֵה בּוּר לֹא חֲרוּשָׁה וְלֹא זְרוּעָה, אֵין הַמָּטָר יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ מְבִיאִים תּוֹעֶלֶת.

A blessing requires some object upon which to take hold, like rain that falls upon a plowed and sown field, or like the early and late rains that fall upon the produce of the field or vineyard. But if a field is left fallow, neither plowed nor sown, the early and late rains will not be of any benefit.1

Living as a Chassid

In the letter from which the above teaching was taken, the Rebbe Rayatz speaks of the need for hiskashrus — cultivating a spiritual bond — with one’s Rebbe, and of how a chassid should express that bond in his deeds and Torah study. “Unless these conditions are met,” he writes, “I doubt whether the blessings that are granted to him will be of value.” He then offers the above analogy, implying that the blessings of a tzaddik will be effective only to the extent that the chassid makes himself into a vessel that is fit to receive and manifest them.