Every Jew is Unique, with a Unique Role in This World

Every Jew has a special stamp and pattern. The Sages taught: "To proclaim the greatness of the King of Kings, Hashem, for human beings mint many coins with one seal and they all resemble each other, but Hashem mints every person with the seal of the first man, and none resembles another. Therefore, every person should say: The world was created for me." (Sanhedrin 4:5)

Every Jew has a special stamp and pattern, and therefore, in his spiritual work, he must impress his stamp and not use the stamps of others, for those stamps are counterfeit for him.

The Midrash Rabbah on the Book of Esther extols the virtue of Mordechai the Jew, who stood alone against the world to proclaim faith, like our forefather Abraham. He is called "a Jewish man" in the scripture, and Chazal said: "Do not read 'a Jew' but 'unique'." (Midrash Rabbah, Esther 6)

The Essence of a Jew – To Be Unique

The essence of every Jew is to be a unique person. Each has a role that is only theirs, and trials unique to them. The Creator commanded us: "Do not covet your neighbor's house, his ox, and his donkey, and all that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:14). The Torah instructs: Do not covet what your friend has, neither in physical matters nor in spiritual ones, for you are two different worlds. Each of you has different trials and tools. Coveting should be far from you.

The Maharal (Netzach Yisrael 11) explains: Hashem calls us "My firstborn son, Israel." In a family, there is only one firstborn. This is the level of closeness of Hashem towards every Jew. He is considered a firstborn, a unique son. Every Jew is a unique child to Hashem.

Each Person Has a Special Role at Every Moment

Additionally, we must remember that each of us has a special role. Every moment our soul is within us, we should strive to live with great awareness of who we are and what Hashem's will is for us here in the world, and what our role is in this world. We must recognize our uniqueness and do not forget to adopt the words of Hillel, prince of Israel: "He used to say, if I am not for myself, who will be for me?" (Avot 1:14).

On the surface, this seems arrogant, but no! What does it mean, if I am not for myself, who will be for me? "If I am not for myself" – if I do not do my task, the task for which I came to this world, "who will be for me" – who can do it in my place? Every person, at every moment, has a unique task. This task cannot be done by him in the next moment, and likewise cannot be done by another at this moment.

The Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, said:

If another Jew could accomplish my task, I would not be here.

If another day could do what I must do on this day, that day would not have been created.

If I am here in this world, it is a sign that I have a task to fulfill according to my unique destiny that Hashem has designated for me, which no one else can fill.

As the "Sefat Emet" of blessed memory said: Every Jew has a name, and that name indicates the unique role only he has in the world.

Thus, our sages taught in Tractate Avot: "Do not be dismissive of any person, and do not disregard anything, for there is no person who does not have his hour" (Avot 4:3). And explained in holy books: "There is no person who does not have his hour" – every moment has a special role for a person, and there is no hour without its unique destiny – the value of time for a Jew...

"And there is no person without a place" – there is no place where a person is where he cannot fulfill his task. Every person reaches his place, according to the task he has to fulfill there at that hour (Maharal Netzach Yisrael chapter 8, Tanya in Iggeret HaKodesh, and more).

If each person has a special place in the world and a unique task, then we should learn from this not to try to change others, for they have been given special tools for the task they came into the world for. Likewise, we should not wish to be someone else, for if Hashem created us as we are, He also gave us the tools to correct ourselves and advance ourselves, and to utilize the good within us, to use it, and build ourselves according to Hashem's will, who gave a precise plan in this world for every Jew.

We must come to terms with the reality of things we cannot change, and this includes our surroundings. We cannot change people; everyone works on themselves at their own pace and ability. We must accept differences – just as their faces are different, so are their opinions different. Do not categorize people – this one is good, and that one is negative. Everyone has a different way of thinking and a different system of values. Who says I am better than the other? I have good things and so does the other. Each is unique and special and created by Hashem in the most precise manner for their role.

We must learn to appreciate the special tools and traits each person received for their role, and for our purposes, to accept ourselves with all the tools we received to fulfill our role in the world at every given moment.

Every Jew is Like a Letter in the Torah

This perspective, that every Jew is unique and singular, is explained in the words of Chazal regarding the connection between a Jew and the letters of the Torah (Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim, Midrash 2). The total of the Torah's letters corresponds to the count of six hundred thousand. The name "Israel" is an acronym: there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah, meaning every Jew has a letter equivalent to them in the Torah.

In a Torah scroll, if even one letter is missing, the scroll is rendered unfit. Similarly, in Israel, if one Jew is missing and not fulfilling his spiritual calling, the work of the whole nation is flawed. All of Israel's holiness, their task, and purpose depend on every single one. Without the divine service of any Jew, even the least of the least, the complete function cannot be achieved, and the whole nation is lacking. Do not say: I am just a small letter, what is my importance? Because if even the smallest letter, like Yud, is missing in the Torah, the entire scroll is invalidated!

For this reason, it is stated in Tractate Bava Batra: "Whoever sustains one soul from Israel is considered to have sustained an entire world" (Bava Batra 11a), because the entire world's existence is for the Torah and for Israel, and Israel's existence depends on the existence of every single individual. Therefore, maintaining one life from Israel is like completing the missing letter in the Torah that brings the scroll to completeness, preventing it from being disqualified, fulfilling an entire world. Thus, the Torah is complete, the individual is complete, and the entire people are also complete. Thanks to the salvation of the individual, the collective is perfect. "The sanctity of every Jew's soul is precisely the sanctity of the Torah scroll itself" (Nefesh HaChaim 4:11).

Moreover, just as in a Torah scroll, if a letter moves from its place, it becomes invalid; so too, if a Jew moves from his place, his spiritual or material state granted by the Creator in His abundant mercy and kindness, desiring to be somewhere else, the Torah scroll will be invalidated – there is a deficiency in his soul and among the people of Israel.

Every Jew is a Messenger from Hashem for a Unique Mission

We must strengthen our recognition that every Jew is a messenger from Hashem for a special mission at every moment. The "Sefat Emet" of blessed memory and the "Shem Mishmuel" of blessed memory in Parashat Shlach regard these words from Chazal as a cornerstone. Accordingly, they explain: Essentially, every Jew is a messenger of Hashem to fulfill the commandments of the Creator in this world. When he fulfills Hashem's will and fulfills commandments, he fulfills his mission.

The soul of a person descended from the heights of the heavens beneath the Throne of Glory to our world, a world where there is much good but certainly many trials as well. The soul descended for a specific purpose, a mission, and at every moment, a person has duties and special missions from Hashem. Through fulfilling his task, he has the opportunity to reveal Hashem's will and also fulfill His will and nurture his soul.

Even if we do not know exactly what our mission is here in this world, if we strive at every stage to understand what Hashem requires of us and what message He sends us, and we endeavor to do Hashem's will, we earn the privilege of fulfilling our mission here in this world.

The awareness that we are unique, with a unique role, helps in coping with challenges

When we understand that every Jew is unique and has a unique role, it becomes easier to cope with difficulties

The awareness that every trial is meant to fulfill the unique function aids in overcoming challenges.

When a Jew lives with the feeling that he is unique and has such significant importance to his personal role in Hashem’s eyes and to the completion of all the people of Israel, he will have more strength to withstand trials because he lives with individual providence, the feeling that he is unique and singular and everything is precisely tailored for his path from above by Hashem and mistakes do not exist.

The occurrences around him do not disrupt his peace, and they have no power to deflect him from the pursuit of his purpose that Hashem paved in this world for him and for his correction. For he must think that precisely at this time and in this place, he has to fulfill his personal and unique task tailored to him most accurately by the Creator of the world. From here, he must elicit delight to Him and find strength to cope, when he knows, absorbs, and lives with the knowledge and understanding palpably that there is no other creature that can perform his personal task in his place and for him, it is only he with the tools Hashem gave him to fulfill his role.

When a person acknowledges his place and knows that this place is Hashem's will – he feels peace and can overcome suffering. Even if it is not always easy, this formula instills in us great strength of body and soul, filling us with a strong desire to overcome the challenges, for nothing is accidental, everything is from Hashem tailored perfectly for me and there is no one who can go through what I go through and be completed by it in my place, for everyone has been given a different mission in this world.

Then you feel unique before Hashem and His will, and you will not collapse if it seems as if another has it better because you understand that everyone has their unique part for their unique mission.

Rabbi Tauber brings that in Tractate Avot, the holy Tanna counts among the 48 ways one acquires Torah is "recognizing one's place" (Avot 6:6). This matter is among the virtues of the complete sage, for when a Jew recognizes his place and role, he is unimpressed even when his place is uncomfortable for him. He knows that this is Hashem's will, that he should be precisely in this place, and here he will serve Hashem. This recognition bestows peace and tranquility upon a person in any situation he may find himself. Through this, his heart is free to rejoice and serve Hashem truly at all times, in times of peace or war, sorrow or joy, abundance or lack. He always continues to bring delight to his creator and cause pleasure to Hashem through all his deeds.

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