Q:
How can one begin the עבודה, the work, of seeing the צלם אלוקים in every Jew?
A:
I once heard a great man explain this so I’ll tell you what he said. “Choose one person,” he told us. “And don’t tell him that you’re thinking about him.”
Look at his face. The more you look at his face, the more you are impressed. Of course, you can choose the face of a צדיק, somebody you respect or somebody that you like. Men, at men’s faces. Women at women’s faces. Look at the face and little by little you become very much impressed. There is nothing in the world as impressive as the human face. The more you look, the more you begin to realize the truth of the statement that a man’s face is the צלם אלוקים. It’s such a deep statement; it’s so profound.
By looking at a person’s face thoroughly, you begin to realize that you’re looking at the face of הקדוש ברוך הוא. At first, it sounds ridiculous. It looks ridiculous. He’s a בשר ודם. He’s just a human being of flesh and blood. But הקדוש ברוך הוא said so! He said that אדם is My צלם. Man is צלם אלוקים. And if you practice, you’ll see it yourself.
TAPE E-237
