Tractate Sanhedrin — Key Teachings in Chassidus
Hebrew: מַסֶּכֶת סַנְהֶדְרִין
”Each Person Contains an Entire World” (Sanhedrin 37a)
“Therefore, Adam was created alone, to teach you that whoever destroys a single soul, Scripture accounts it as if he had destroyed an entire world; and whoever saves a single soul, Scripture accounts it as if he had saved an entire world.”
Chabad constantly returns to this teaching as the foundation of ahavat Yisrael and the infinite value of each Jewish soul. The Rebbe extended this in his teaching about reaching each individual Jew — because each is a world.
Moshiach and the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin 98a-b)
“Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi met Elijah at the entrance to the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai… ‘When will Moshiach come?’ He answered: ‘Today!’ … ‘He did not come today.’ Elijah said: ‘Today — if you will but hearken to His voice.’ (Psalm 95:7)”
The Rebbe cited this constantly: Moshiach can come today — the only condition is genuine teshuva and acceptance of God’s sovereignty. The redemption is not waiting for some external condition but for the inner readiness of the Jewish people.