Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
Oorah’s new song, “Hashem Needs Every Yid (God Needs Every Jew),” has become an international sensation. But isn’t that heretical? Since Hashem is perfect and self-sufficient, how can we say He “needs” anything?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
Creation’s Purpose: Earning Divine Goodness
Of course, Hashem (God) is perfect and self-sufficient in every way, and He lacks and needs nothing. But being the epitome of goodness, it is His will to shower us with blessings, and for that, He “needs” us to do our part.
The entire purpose of creation is so that we can bask in His presence in the World to Come, which can only be enjoyed fully if we earn it, through studying Torah and performing mitzvot. In this way, Hashem “needs” us to do our part so He can fulfill His will to shower us with goodness. In the words of Rabbi Chaim Volozhiner (Nefesh Hachaim 1:9, and a number of times in the second Shaar [Gate]), “Avodah tzorech gavoah – Service [of Hashem] is for the need of the One above.” This underscores the beautiful idea that “Hashem Needs Every Yid” to complete His divine plan.
The Guesthouse Analogy: Understanding Hashem’s “Need”
Imagine someone who dreams of creating a guesthouse. To bring this vision to life, he needs an architect, a contractor, a decorator, suppliers, and workers. Does he personally need them? No. He could abandon the project and still lack nothing. But his desire to extend kindness makes these roles essential — not for his own benefit, but to fulfill his vision of giving to others. Similarly, Hashem needs every Yid to fulfill His ultimate desire: to shower us with goodness.
Serving Hashem with Reward in Mind
This is not just something abstract, but something for us to think about when performing mitzvot. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (1:3) teaches that we should serve Hashem not for the sake of receiving reward, but rather simply to fulfill His will. The Ruach Chaim points out that there is actually an even higher level of serving Hashem: serving Him for the sake of reward — not for selfish reasons, but for Hashem’s sake. When we perform mitzvot, we are facilitating Hashem’s will to reward us – the very purpose of creation – giving Him immense satisfaction.
The Vina Gaon’s Etrog
There is a famous story told about the Vilna Gaon. One year, no etrog could be found in the city for Sukkot. His students searched the surrounding towns and villages until they found a man with an etrog. The man was willing to sell his etrog to them, but with one condition: the Gaon had to give the man all his reward for the mitzvah. The students were forced to accept the terms but were terrified to tell their master. When they did, to their surprise, instead of being upset he rejoiced. “Finally, I have the opportunity to fulfill the dictum of the Mishnah: ‘Do mitzvot not for the sake of receiving reward!’”
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein: Valuing Individual Reward
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, however, refused to believe this story, declaring, “If the will of Hashem is to give reward, then we should want to receive the reward as well!” In Rav Moshe’s view, Hashem’s will is not just to give in general. Every Jew matters to Him, and His will is to reward each and every one of us individually. Therefore, He doesn’t want one Jew to lose out on his reward and be given to someone else.
Hashem Needs Every Yid to Partake of His Goodness
Think of a doting grandmother who invites her grandchildren on a Friday afternoon and serves them each a piece of kugel. If one grandchild gives away his piece to another, it would not please her. She wants each one to take pleasure in her delicious kugel and not miss out. So too, Hashem “needs” each and every Yid to do their part, so that each one can receive the reward He has in mind for him or her and partake in the goodness He wants to bestow.
In short: Hashem is perfect and lacks nothing, but He needs us to do our part in order for Him to fulfill His will to share His goodness with us, which we can only receive fully if we earn it.
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