Hashem Does Not Act Alone

Before Kol Nidrei, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz would tell over a teaching he heard from his uncle, the Ateres Yeshua, in the name of the Berditchever, the advocate of the Jewish people. The Berditchever would say to Hashem: You have a parliament made up of the sages of Klal Yisroel in every generation. By Your own Torah You must ask their permission before You decree anything harsh. If You wish to give bounty and blessing, You need no approval, but You cannot act harshly without their agreement. This, he explained, is the verse "Ata haresa l'daas ki Hashem Hu haElokim, ayn od milvado" (Devarim 4:35). The name Elokim hints at harsh judgment, so the verse reads: if You wish to act with strict judgment, then "ayn od milvado", You are alone, the parliament does not agree, and You cannot decree it. The Imrei Chaim paused to add that Hashem would first have to ask the holy Berditchever, who always sought the best for Klal Yisroel, or his own father, the Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz. He then continued with the Berditchever's reading of "L'oseh niflaos gedolos l'vado ki l'olam chasdo" (Tehillim 136:4): if Hashem wishes to do great wonders and send bounty and kindness, He can do so "l'vado", entirely on His own.