We find a dichotomy in sefer Devarim where many of the parshiot are spoken to both the individual and community. The well known parshiot of Shema contain this split with the first parsha said to the individual ושננתם, על ידך, בין עיניך while the second parsha is said to the community, ולמדתם, על ידכם, בין עיניכם. Similarly in Reah, the message is spoken to the nation, רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה but in Nitzavim (30:15) a similar expression is expressed to the individual, רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַטּוֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּוֶת וְאֶת־הָרָע. Again in Shoftim it says שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך, a communal obligation spoken to the individual. We see that there are two dimensions to a person. Every individual has their own private tikkun, their own mission, but one is also part of the community, a detail in history who has a page to complete in the ultimate history book. This point is brought out by the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom here.
In the previous post the Sfas Emes was cited where he cites the Baal Shem Tov that when eats they are elevating the Godliness that exists within the food. There are different ways found in Chassidut as to how to explain this teaching of the Baal Shem. The Sfas Emes views the sparks are inherently placed in the food and it draws food to the food so that it gets its tikkun. Why is this specific person connected to this specific piece of food? The Baal Shem לשיטתו holds that every action happens as part of the Divine plan. The fact that this individual met up with this piece of food means that it is their neshema that is drawn to this spark.
Other schools of Chassidic thought see the sparks in the food as an outgrowth of a breakdown. In Keter Shem Tov 194 (cited in Baal Shem on the Torah Ekev,) it says the sparks in the food were planted by the בונה עולמות ומחריבן. The breaking led to the sparks falling into the דומם חי וצומח and it is the job of man to elevate them. In this approach the elevating of the sparks in the food is viewed as party of the historical job of man to gather all the sparks sprinkled throughout the world. One act of eating the food to elevate the sparks is part of the great chain of history to elevate all the sparks.
The Rodomsker (Bechukosay) says the sparks of man’s sins get trapped in the food and therefore one is attracted to pick up the pieces of himself that became trapped in the world. He views the desire of man to the find as the desire to fix him/herself. This view puts the focus on mankind looking to fix themselves.
These two approaches may reflect a generally different approach of different strands of Chassidut. In Chabad the emphasis is placed (mainly) on man’s mission vis-à-vis making the world a Godly place. Man’s mission is viewed as a detail in the wheels of history to come to the ultimate fruition. The message of the Baal Shem of the sparks in the food is expressed as a form of fixing the world. In Chagat Chassidut the emphasis is placed mainly on man’s job of perfecting himself. Therefore, the teaching of the Baal Shem is taught as one perfecting themselves.
The two go hand in hand. קרבה אל נפשי גאלה, The Baal Shem (cited in Toldot Yaakov Yosef Shemini) teaches that the ultimate geulah depends on one redeeming their own soul. One has a personal mission, ראה נתתי לפניך and a global mission, ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם (based upon this article.)
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