3:10 Satisfaction

"Anyone from whom people have satisfaction, G‑d has satisfaction." (Avot 3:10)

The Baal Shem Tov taught:
...some are considered the "head" of the people, and some are considered the "legs"... Just as each and every person is an entire microcosm, so is the entire Jewish people one single spiritual organism. Thus, some are considered the "head" of the people, and some are considered the "legs," which is why the leaders of a generation are referred to as, the "eyes of the congregation" (Num. 15:24).

However, when these leaders become a fitting vehicle upon which the Divine presence can rest, they then become the "heads" of the generation, through whom the Divine presence can spread throughout the entire people.

This, then, is the meaning of the Mishnah, "Anyone from whom people have satisfaction." The root of the word used for "satisfaction" in this Mishnah means "to rest." Hence, if the Divine presence rests on a generation, it is through him.

However, when the Divine presence does not rest on the leader, he should not blame it on the people, but on himself. Thus, the Mishnah concludes, "Anyone from whom G‑d does not have satisfaction" - that is, the Divine presence does not rest upon him - should realize that he himself, and not the generation, is to blame.(Toldot Yaakov Yoseph, Achrai #6.)

The second half of the Mishnah is thus not just repeating over the first half in the negative, but adding a complementary idea. In a larger context, this teaching conveys the importance of knowing one's place within the "body" of the Jewish people, and submitting oneself to the guidance of its leaders (Degel Machaneh Ephraim, Matos).

This teaching, though, is not only relevant for the great leaders of the generation, but to each and every person. For every person lives within a group, even if only one's own family, and every person wields some authority over others. Within this context, we are all "leaders," and are responsible when the spiritual level of our particular group is not what it could be. (Likutei Moharan I 34:4; 56:1)

[Translation from Kesser Shem Tov Hashalem, ch. 125, and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua Starrett. Reprinted with permission from //www.baalshemtov.com .]