Sicha, 10 Shevat 5742
A. 32 Years Since the Rebbe’s Passing
The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything that occurs in the world carries a lesson for our Divine service. Even numbers and dates are not coincidental; they contain a message.
As we mark the thirty-second yahrtzeit of the Rebbe, it is worth reflecting on the significance of this number. The number thirty-two has the numerical value of the Hebrew word for “heart.” The heart is the center of life within the human body. The heart pumps blood and vitality to all the limbs.
This is also the role of the leader of the Jewish people. Our Sages refer to such a leader as “the heart of the entire people of Israel.” Just as the heart pumps life to every limb of the body, so the leader provides Divine spiritual vitality to all of the Jewish people.
B. The Jewish People—The Heart of the Nations
The Zohar relates that a non-Jewish philosopher came to Rabbi Eliezer with two questions. If the Jewish people are closer to G-d than the other nations, why do they suffer more than all other nations? And why is it that Jews, who are careful about kosher food, nevertheless appear weaker and more prone to illness, while non-Jews, who eat everything, seem stronger and healthier?
Rabbi Eliezer revealed the answer that he had previously heard from Elijah the Prophet: the Jewish people are the heart of the world. The heart is the central organ that gives life to all the limbs of the body, yet it is also the most sensitive and delicate of all the organs, and experiences pain more intensely. So too with the Jewish people. Because they are closer to G-d they are more spiritually sensitive and bear a greater burden.
Similarly, because the heart is the most delicate and sensitive of all the organs, it is nourished only by pure and refined blood, unlike the other organs, which are stronger and can be sustained by less refined blood. So too, the Jewish people, who are likened to the heart, are spiritually sensitive because of their elevated status and must therefore refrain from consuming forbidden foods.
C. The King Is the Heart of the Jewish People
The Torah gives a special warning to the king to not allow his heart to turn away from the Torah, because the king’s heart is the heart of the entire people of Israel, and the conduct of the nation depends upon him (Source 2).
The Rebbe asks: Why does Maimonides emphasize that the king is “the heart of Israel,” whereas the Midrash states that “the leader is everything”? If we are using the analogy of the human body, wouldn’t the brain be a better example?
The explanation lies in the distinction between the roles of the brain and the heart. The brain is a settled organ with no visible movement, and it remains removed from the rest of the body. The heart, by contrast, is a living and dynamic organ, constantly in motion as it pumps blood and life to every part of the body.
The same distinction applies to leadership. The role of a king is not to sit in a magnificent palace. Rather, it is to lead the people through continuous action—administering justice and waging the nation’s battles, “leading them out and bringing them in.” This form of leadership resembles the activity of the heart, which constantly sends life to all the limbs. The king continually provides vitality to the people, and he feels their pain and suffering just as the physical heart feels and responds to the condition of the body.
