יִשְׂרָאֵל נִמְשְׁלוּ לַכּוֹכָבִים הַמִּתְנוֹצְצִים בִּשְׁמֵי רָקִיעַ, אֲשֶׁר לְאוֹרָם לֹא יִתְּעֶה גַּם הַהוֹלֵךְ בְּמַחֲשַׁכֵּי הַלַּיְלָה.

כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, בֵּין אִישׁ וּבֵין אִשָּׁה, יֵשׁ בּוֹ דֵּי כֹּחַ מוּסָרִי וְרוּחָנִי, לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ לְהַעֲמִיד גַם אֶת מַכִּירָיו וּמְיוּדָעָיו בְּקֶרֶן אוֹרָה.

The Jewish people are likened to stars that sparkle in the heavens. Thanks to their light, even a person walking in the darkness of night will not err.

Every Jew,1 man or woman, has the moral and spiritual power to become a source of influence for his friends and associates, and to situate them in a ray of light.2

Peering Over the Horizon

“The name Yisrael (ישראל) is an acronym for the Hebrew words, יש ששים ריבוא אותיות לתורה — ‘The Torah has 600,000 letters.’” Moreover, “the soul of every Jew is connected to a particular letter of the Torah” — a dimension of spiritual truth that he personally is destined and duty-bound to reveal. Every individual has something to contribute to the world at large.

This is especially true concerning one’s close friends and associates. If Divine Providence has ordained that these people be near and dear to us, there must be a reason for it. Our souls are intertwined, and the spiritual insights one person gains can also help his friends grow in their own Divine service.

As the Rebbe Rayatz urges in the letter cited above, this concept is especially relevant in our time, in the last moments before the arrival of Mashiach. People are desperate for truth and meaning, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find in the broader world. Never has there been a greater need for every Jew to be a beacon of such light to those around him.