Question:

In Ethics of the Fathers it is written, "One who says something in the name of its speaker brings redemption to the world." What is the connection?

Answer:

Recognizing our creator, Who spoke and created the world, is the essence of our work to bring the Redemption.

Midrash Shmuel explains that one who is careful always to give correct attribution when giving over an idea will work harder to originate his own thoughts. This effort to originate new ideas in Torah will bring the Redemption, a time when "The world will be filled with knowledge of G-d, like waters cover the sea."

The Lubavitcher Rebbe offers a novel interpretation. When studying Torah, one must always remember and sense that it is the Torah of G-d. When we keep in mind the One who spoke the Torah, we also remember the One who spoke and created the world, since G-d created the world with ten utterances.

This in itself sums up our task in preparing the world for Redemption. Our purpose is to reveal the presence of G-d in every detail of the universe, and remove the concealments that cover over G-dliness.

As a proof for its statement, Ethics of the Fathers quotes the verse, "And Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai." In the Purim story, Esther approaches the king to tell him that Mordechai had overheard two of the king's guards plotting against his life. This set off a series of events that led to Mordechai being honored by the king, and Haman's plot against the Jews being averted. Thus, the miracle of Purim came about because Esther quoted Mordechai in her report to the king.

The Rebbe explains this story on a deeper level. The word Esther in Hebrew means "concealment." When the concealment (the world) itself testifies to the existence of the king, as a result of the work of Mordechai (the Jewish nation), this brings Redemption to the world.