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The Ba’al Hatanya says that the Torah delineated all of the various levels
in Am Yisrael to indicate that the nation needs both the important people
and the simple ones. Bnei Yisrael are compared to a body, composed of
a head and feet, unable to exist without both.
Achav merited victory in battle and had untold authority despite the
fact that he promoted idol worship. He displayed tremendous reverence
for the Torah, and there was mutual kinship among his people. Their
Yetzer Hara for avodah zarah, though, was overwhelming, drawing
them into sin.
David Hamelech’s generation were believers, but they fell in battle due to
the sin of lashon hara and rechilut. Achav’s generation had the advantage
of unity.
Yeravam sinned and caused the masses to sin, due to his pursuit of honor.
He was unable to do teshuvah because the sin of the multitudes is
attributed to him. The tzaddik sins so that when he repents, he can pull
up the neshamah of the rasha with him, due to the achdut prevalent in
Am Yisrael. Not only does the tzaddik benefit the rasha; the rasha benefits
the tzaddik, for the tzaddik’s neshamah is purified through the teshuvah
he does after this sin.
Moshe told Bnei Yisrael, “You are standing today,” and not, “We are
standing,” in order that the nation should never wrongly believe that the
obligation of responsibility toward the people rests solely with Moshe
Rabbeinu. On the contrary, it is an obligation of each and every member
of the nation. Moshe demonstrated the trait of taking responsibility for
others when he tried to lighten his brothers’ burdens in Egypt. He thus
merited becoming their leader.

