Loving Hashem - Antidote for the Yetzer Hara

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November 03 2011
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We find two instances in the Torah where Hashem instructs Avraham Avinu: "Lech Lecha".  The first is the opening pasuk of this week's parsha where Avraham Avinu is instructed "go for yourself, from your land, from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Bereishit 12:1) - to make the journey to Eretz Yisrael.  The second instance is with regards to Akeidat Yitzchak where Avraham Avinu is told, using the same expression Lech Lecha: "Please take your son, you only one, whom you love - Yitzchak - and go to the land of Moriah; bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you" (Bereishit 22:2).  The first command is for Avraham to forsake his past, leave his homeland, his relatives, and his father's house.  The second time he is asked to forsake his future by offering his son as a korban. 


 


We know that Hashem never intended for Yitzchak to be brought as an offering and Yitzchak in fact emerged alive from the Akeida.  By using the same expression, the Torah is teaching us that Hashem never intended for Avraham to give up his past entirely either, for we know that Terach did tshuva.  This was a nisayon - a test of faith.  The test of faith was that Avraham was unaware that everything would turn out for the good - he was tested to see if he would follow the words of Hashem even without knowing that the end result would be good.  We can say the same for the other nisyonot of Avraham Avinu such as having to enter the fire in Ur Kasdim and having to undergo a Brit Milah.  Regarding the furnace, Avraham was unaware that he would not be burnt, and regarding Brit Milah Chazal teach us that Avraham consulted with his friends for he was unaware of the risks involved.  Today every Jewish male child undergoes this procedure, almost all on their eighth day of life.  Hashem certainly knew that everything would turn out well.


 


There is a tremendous lesson here for us - if at times things appear very hard and difficult, we must understand that they are not as difficult as they may appear.  Hashem wishes for us to have a good life.  With this attitude we should be able to stand up to any nisayon which comes our way.  


 


Chazal teach us: "In the future time, Hashem will bring the yetzer hara and slaughter it in the presence of the righteous and in the presence of the wicked.  To the righteous the evil inclination will appear like a high mountain that can hardly be scaled, and to the wicked it will appear like a strand of hair that can easily be snapped.  These will weep and these too will weep.  The righteous will weep and say: 'how were we able to overcome such a high mountain?'  And the wicked will weep and say: 'how were we not able to overcome this strand of hair?'" (Sukkah 52a).  I believe that we can apply the same principle but in the opposite direction in our day.  The difference is that today the yetzer hara appears like a strand of hair for the tzaddik and as a high mountain almost impossible to scale for the rasha.  Today the tzaddik is able to conquer the yetzer hara while the rasha is not.  The tzaddik and rasha each have a yetzer hara, the question is only how they relate to it.


 


Whenever we experience something which disturbs our learning or observance of mitzvoth we must keep in mind that it is nothing more than a strand of hair and can be easily conquer.  Why then in the future will the yetzer hara appear to the tzaddik as an unconquerable mountain?   The tzaddikim will then appreciate what they have accomplished in their lifetime.


 


How can we hope to make the yetzer hara into nothing more than a strand of hair rather than a mountain which is impossible to scale?  One recommended way is to increase our love of Hashem.  The more we love Hashem, the easier it is to follow His will.  When a person wants to do for another, then anything appears easy and able to be accomplished.  However, when one is not interested then every little task appears insurmountable.


 


Yaakov Avinu so much wanted to marry Rachel that he was willing to work for Lavan for seven years for the privilege of marrying her (in the end due to Lavan's trickery he worked for fourteen years).  The Torah writes: "they seemed to him (Yaakov) a few days because of his love for her" (Bereishit 29:20).  The obvious question is that if someone really loves someone or something then every day of waiting should appear like seven years, not the opposite.  Rashi offers an explanation, but perhaps we can offer our own explanation based on our discussion thus far.  Yaakov values marriage to Rachel so much that seven years of work for her father is not too high a price to pay.  Just as we view a few days as not being a long period of time to wait for something, Yaakov viewed seven years as being "worth the wait" - it was not too high a price to pay.  When we love Hashem then any price we may pay appears insignificant compared to what we are receiving.


 


Being in Yeshiva we must strive to become talmidei chachamim and gedolei Torah.  When we value and appreciate the Torah then this is not a difficult task at all, if however we do not appreciate what we have, then learning Torah appears very difficult - why should I sit in Yeshiva and learn so much for so long.  If we are able to acquire a love of Torah, a love of being in Yeshiva, then we will want nothing more than "shivti beveit Hashem kol yemei chayai" "that I dwell in the House of Hashem all the days of my life" (Tehillim 27:4).  There is no way we can place any monetary value on learning Torah, but perhaps we can appreciate its immensity by trying to view it in terms we can relate to in this world.


 


The greatest mitzvah a person can perform is learning Torah.  Chazal write that with every word of Torah which we learn, we make the world a better place.  There is no object, not even a holy object that is as valuable as Torah.  How many mitzvoth do I fulfill when I learn Torah?  The Chafetz Chaim calculates that a person has the ability to speak about 200 words a minute - I have the chance to perform 200 mitzvoth per minute.  Given that we do not receive a statement from the Heavenly Bank, we have no way of ascertaining how much we have in our account.  If we were able to witness our account growing every minute, we would be unable to tear ourselves away from our learning.


 


We have no way of relating to the immensity of the reward for Torah study.  What is the value of Mitzvot?  What is the reward for Talmud Torah?  I cannot give you a precise amount, but perhaps we can try to get some idea of the order of magnitude of the monetary value that can be assigned to Torah study.  We must keep in mind that the calculation we are about to make does not assign a true value to Torah study, for its reward is spiritual not physical, and the Mishna tells us: "Better ONE HOUR of spiritual bliss in the World to Come than the ENTIRE LIFE of This World"? (Avot 4:22).  If one were to add up all that this world has to offer - its money (dollars, sterling, and Euro), diamonds, food, drink, clothes, houses, and all the other benefits six thousand years of this world has given to the myriads of people that have passed through it, it would not even compare to one hour of "spiritual bliss" in the Next World!  It is for this reason that "the reward for fulfilling a Mitzvah is not given in this world", for this world does not have sufficient means to reward performance of even a single Mitzvah.  With this in mind let us try to calculate the reward for Torah study in terms that we can relate to.


 


Perhaps a well-known Baraita can help to give us some idea of what reward is in store for us: We recite each morning: "these are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in This World but whose principle remains intact for him in the World to Come .... visiting the sick, providing for a bride ... and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all" (Shabbat 127a).  What does the Baraita mean when it says that the study of Torah is equivalent to them all?  Of course the real payment for mitzvoth is in the Next World, but let us try to understand things in terms that we can relate to.  The mitzvah of visiting the sick does not only include inquiring about his welfare and wishing him a "refuah shlema betoch she-ar cholei Yisrael". Bikur cholim means insuring that he has proper medical care even if that entails having a doctor or nurse on the premises.  There are sick people who need to be flown to Chutz la'Aretz for an operation (chas vechalila).  Fulfilling this mitzvah can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. 


 


Similarly hachnassat kallah goes beyond dancing at the wedding and eating a piece of meat.  To fulfill this mitzvah one has to make sure the bride has everything she needs, whether it is an apartment, furniture, a washing machine, dishwasher, clothing, or anything else.  The expenses here too can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Hashem's reward for performance of a mitzvah is certainly greater than the expenses incurred. 


 


If after all this we declare that "the study of Torah is equivalent to them all" then the reward for each word of Torah we learn is at the very least hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Learning Torah is worth even more, because Olam Haba currency is worth more than all the dollars in the world!  If we truly understood the vast reward awaiting us we would not waste a single minute but would spend any free moment we have learning Torah, for time is money.  In fact time is even more than money.  Why then are we in need of mussar in order to inspire us to learn?  The answer is that our minds may understand, but we need the mussar to inspire our hearts as well.  Rav Yisrael Salanter was known to have said that when we learn, it must be not only with our sechel but with our hearts to.  We must feel what we learn.


 


Imagine!!  Hundreds of thousands of dollars per minute!  We have the opportunity to be wealthier than all the millionaires and billionaires in the world.   It is certainly worth our while to invest everything into the opportunity to learn Torah.  The reward for a new piece of Gemara we have just understood, Rashi, Tosafot make us multi-billionaires. The Gr"a writes in his letter that every moment a person holds his tongue back from being engaged in idle conversation he merits revelation of the hidden light of Hashem which any human being and even angels cannot even imagine or describe.  The Gr"a was only speaking of one who did not engage in idle conversation, how much greater is the reward for one who spent his time learning Torah.  The reward is so great and the price to pay is so little.  Is it not worth putting great effort to try to stand up to all the nisyonot which we are challenged with and spend our time in Yeshiva learning Torah?


 


To be worthy of receiving a share in the Next World, our souls must become receptacles.  When I go to the store to make a purchase, I must either bring or purchase a basket to contain the object.  If I am not equipped with such an object then I am limited in my purchasing ability, for I will be unable to bring the objects home.  Our souls must become a receptacle which can contain portions of the Next World and the light of Hashem.  It is up to us to develop our soul to become such a receptacle.   


 


Chazal teach us: "Come and see how unlike the characteristic of Hashem, is the characteristic of human beings.  The characteristic of human beings made of flesh and blood is that an empty vessel can hold what is poured into it, whereas a full vessel cannot hold anything more.  however, a matter concerning Hashem is not like that - a full vessel (a person filled with Torah) can hold an even greater amount whereas an empty vessel cannot hold that which is spiritual" (Berachot 40a).  A soul which is full and more developed has been molded to hold much more, whereas nothing can enter a soul which is empty.  The more we develop ourselves in this world, the more we become able to receive the G-dly light, the goodness and greatness of Hashem, for we have formed receptacles.


 


In addition we must develop our character, our middot.  We must strive to be good to others.  The pasuk states: "let one who is like a wild donkey be reborn as a man" (Iyov 11:12).  Man enters this world as a donkey and must make a man of himself, not remain a donkey.  This is accomplished with proper middot - a good heart, a refined soul, trying to help others.  This is vital in order for the soul to be able to receive the G-dly light of the Next World.  We must prepare ourselves in this world in order to be able to receive a greater portion of the Next World.


 


When it comes to worldly matters we are taught to be mistapek bemuat - be satisfied with little.  When it comes to spiritual matters, we must strive for the maximum.  Many say: "leave that for the tzaddikim, I will be satisfied with a smaller portion of livyatan."  Would one so easily give what he deserves in this world?  Why must he give up a portion of Olam Haba which he is able to attain?


 


We must realize that when it comes to physical matters, it is a virtue to be satisfied with little - one must not be excessive in his physical needs.  This, however, does not apply to the spiritual world. The Gemara tells us that while we should restrict our requests from Hashem in worldly matters, in matters of Torah the rule is: "open wide your mouth and I will fill it" (Tehillim 81:11).  Not only should we not limit what we ask for, we must ask for an abundance.  Chana came to Shiloh to pray for a son.  Chazal tell us that she was a prophetess (see Megilla 14a) and there was certainly no doubt of her righteousness.  She desired a son not to have him play in the park, but so that he should reside in Shiloh and learn Torah.  It is very commendable to pray for a son who will serve Hashem, but this was not enough for her - "and give your maidservant 'zera anashim' male offspring" (Shmuel I 1:11).  Chazal teach us that when Chana asked for "zera anashim" (in the plural) she wished for "an offspring who is the equal of two men" (Brachot 31b).  One ordinary son is not sufficient, he must be the equivalent of two people, and not any ordinary two people, but two tzaddikim!  She was not referring to ordinary tzaddikim, not Abaye and Rava, not Rav and Shmuel, not R' Yochanan and Reish Lakish, not Yehoshua and Caleb nor Elazar and Itamar, she was only satisfied with someone on the level of Moshe and Aharon.  Would a son equal to "only" Yehoshua and Caleb or "only" Elazar and Itamar be considered insignificant?  Of course not!  But if she has the opportunity to get something greater than Elazar and Itamar then she must do her utmost to accomplish that.  Her prayer for a great son was not mere mouthing of words, it was from the depths of her heart - she put every bit of her soul into this prayer.  Her prayers were answered and she merited a son equal to Moshe and Aharon, as it we say in Kabbalat Shabbat:  "Moshe and Aharon among His priests and Shmuel among those who invoke His name" (Tehillim 99:6).  This does not, G-d forbid, mean that Shmuel was equivalent in all aspects to Moshe and Aharon, after all "Never again has there arisen a prophet like Moshe" (Devarim 34:10 - see also the seventh principle in our thirteen principles of faith), yet in some manner Shmuel was equal to Moshe and Aharon. 


 


Another opinion in the Gemara tells us that "zera anashim" refers to "an offspring who anoints two men, and who are they? Shaul and David" (Brachot 31b).  What would be so terrible if he were to only anoint one king?  Is anointing the kingdom of Shaul, descendant of our matriarch Rachel of little significance?  What about the kingdom of David, the descendant of the matriarch Leah, the eternal kingdom from whom the Moshiach will ultimately descend speedily in our day, is this too of little significance?  No!  But nevertheless, she wants both - the kingdom of the house of Rachel and the kingdom of the house of Leah - no less.  She refuses to compromise because in spiritual pursuits there is no room for compromise, in materialism we must restrict our intake, we must ask for the minimum.  In spirituality, however, there is no compromise!  Chana's prayers were answered here as well, it was her son who established the kingdom of the house of Rachel and then the kingdom of the house of Leah - the eternal kingdom whose restoration we pray for three times a day ("the offspring of Your servant David, may You speedily cause to flourish").


                                           


Why was her son Shmuel a fulfillment of all that she prayed for?  Because she truly believed in asking for the maximum possible, not the least.  (The fact that the Gemara says that Chana asked for a son who was "not too wise and not a fool" does not mean that she wished for a son with mediocre wisdom, rather that his wisdom not stand out, causing people to become jealous of him.  The proof that this is the correct interpretation is that her wish for a son "not too wise and not a fool" was not fulfilled, for her son was the wisest of his generation.  It must therefore be as we explained, that she did not wish for him to stand out, rather that he "blend in among the other people" (Brachot 31b).


 


There is no need for us to pray to become as wealthy as Baron de Rothschild, we should be satisfied that we are able to earn a living.  However, when it comes to spiritual matters we must strive for the maximum.  Our prayers must not be simply mouthing the words but we must truly wish for the maximum.  Hashem will then provide this for us.


 


We must love being in Yeshiva and love Torah.  Learning and understanding the Gemara and its logic can be difficult, but it is a hardship which is sweeter than honey.  If we love Torah then we can become gedolei Torah and merit seeing the light of Hashem - as we say every morning "may You shine a new light on Zion, and may we all speedily merit its light", amen veamen.


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