LIGHTS AND MATCHES
"The Alter Rebbe once answered someone who entered for Yechidus (lit: Unity or Oneness - a private meeting between Rebbe and Chassid): The Children of Israel are called candles. A candle is composed of a vessel, a wick, oil and a flame. However one must kindle the flame, and then it lights up! The candle in you is good, however there is lacking someone to light it up. By means of strongly stricking the stone of the animal soul, a spark of fire flies out which illuminates the G-dly fire!"
"The candle of G-d is the soul of man" - teaches the Torah. It is only that sometimes we need someone to light it up!
The Rebbe Rashab taught that we all need to be lamplighters! Much like in the old days, the "lamplighter" would run along the streets literally lighting up each street lamp, so too does each Jew have an obligation to light the dormant spark resting inside the body of another Jew. That spark which is in actuality the soul of a Jew - the essential spark of G-dliness inside each of us.
Sometimes we are fortunate in being blessed that G-d mysteriously sends through a lamplighter to light ourselves. Other times - we are the mysterious lamplighters for others. And yet other times, there may be some obstruction holding back another from actually lighting us up!
When we find ourselves in such a situation, we must simply take the match that another gives us - and light ourselves with it, illuminate ourselves, and get ourselves inspired through the encouragement of another. Of course, simply being ready to be illuminated is the easiest option. All one needs is to stand ready to be lit up (and perhaps simply ask the lamplighter to light us)!! But when this fails - because for some reason we are not "taking to the flame presenting itself", we need to at least be prepared to accept the match that the lamplighter gives to us - and light ourselves up!
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