He asked the very pertinent question: why do we need an intermediary between us and God? Why do we need a king? That is, why do we need a leader, and this also raises the question of what the purpose of the Messiah is?
The answer came in the context of a discussion of the law that says that a king must carry a Sefer Torah with him at all times. The reason is that a king has so much power, so he must be constantly aware of the Almighty King and Creator at all times so that he uses his own power appropriately. A king therefore must submit himself entirely to the power and authority of God Almighty. Rabbi Bell explained that the essence of kingship is this ability to nullify and submit oneself to God.
This then is the answer to why we need a king and leader. The function of a king and leader is to exemplify this quality of humbleness (אנבה) and nullification (ביטול). The reason is because it is these qualities that allow us to connect to God.
This lesson brought me to an interesting insight. In Kabbalah, kingship or malchut is the aspect that represents the "I". In order to achieve true kingship, one must free oneself completely from the negative aspects of the "I", and ego.
The paradox is that what makes people successful is the drive of the ego to accomplish something. That is, the desire to build the self, to be something.
Although this energy is necessary in our lives to accomplish something, the lesson of the Torah is that it cannot lead to true malchut in our own selves or in our leaders. Instead, this energy is from the domain of the side opposite to holiness, and unrestrained is a destructive power to the individual and/or his world. This is the reason so many successful and powerful people become self-destructive or destroy others.
The Torah guides us to rule this power so that it can be used for good, that is, within limits. This is one of the essential purposes of the Torah and its laws. The king is the model for us for how to transform power to good, through the contemplation and life according to the Torah.
This life reaches its wholeness and completion when we receive God's blessings and through the quality of humbleness acknowledge that everything is from and for God. This creates true kingship within the society and the individual.