The Test of Life, Part 4: The Greater Sacrifice Is Living for Hashem

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. You know, Yitzchak, Avinu, akeidah was a korban. It's interesting. You know, a korban can't become not a korban. Correct? And Yitzchak had special halachot of a korban. Yitzchak was not allowed to leave. Tell me, is that a real halacha in korban? A korban's not—a beheima that's kadosh is not allowed to go to Chutz Laaretz. I don't say it anywhere. Rabbi Weiss, I'm asking an unbelievable question. Show me where in the Rambam does it say that a korban is not allowed to go to Chutz Laaretz. Where does it say it? I'm not—you know what, maybe I should go back to Lakewood. Go back to Lakewood. I'm asking. It says that Hashem said, You should— So I'm asking you a question, but the halacha, in halacha, where does it say? It's weak. You know what the pshat is, rabosai? I thought about it for a very long time. Harami Bris chidesh yesod gadol. Yitzchak was not a regular korban. Tell me, was Yitzchak supposed to ever be nishchat? Never. Vehalelu l'olah. He was just supposed to be put onto the mizbeach as an olah. But what's that? But olah means that it should be nishchat. And the answer is, says HaRav MiBrisk, chidush. He was a special type, a unique korban. And what kind of korban was he? A korban mechayim, a korban that was going to live. He lived as a korban. A korban that has to live is a korban. Eino kedai lihyot bechutz laaretz, because a chayim, his life had to be kodesh, so he had to be in Eretz Yisrael. You hear, Moshe? Chayim. Adam yachol lihyot korban laShem, korban mechayim, from life. To be makriv your life, there's two ways how you can be makriv your life. You can be makriv your life by giving up your life, and you can be makriv your life by living, living with sacrifice, sacrifice for Hashem. Korban mechayim. Avraham Avinu, in Ur Kasdim, was ready to give up his life for Hashem. That's not that difficult, you know that? In one minute, a person could be an orer, a person could be moved to give up his life for Hashem. You know what the difficult is? Is to live as a korban every day laShem. That's the difficult part. Ur Kasdim is not from the asarah nisyonot, I believe. You know why? They threw him into a furnace for Hashem, all right. But to live with Hashem every day and have difficulties of life, lech lecha, nisayon of parnasa rav, hunger, nisayon of banim, nisayon, one after another, nisyonot v'nisyonot shel hachayim, shel hachai chai, yom yomi. That's nisyonot. מה שאברהם אבינו ישב על המה, עדיין לא חידוש. תורה, משהו נתן את החיים, דקה אחת לקדוש ברוך הוא, זה גם לא אומר שום דבר. אבל להקריב את החיים, lech lecha, habayit, rav, vayehi rav baaretz et haparnasa. The last of the Akedah, the last one is the Akedah. What's the Akedah? להקריב את אפילו הבן שלך. אין דבר שקרוב לאדם כמו הבן שלו. וגם זה היה מוכן. Tell me, is the Akedah the zechus of Avraham or the zechus of Yitzchak? It's a big machlokes. It's a big question. It's a whole question.

It's a whole question. Akeidas Yitzchak, l'zaro. Some put in l'zaro shel Avram, and some put in l'zaro shel Yitzchak. It's a whole question. We'll get the schus of the Akeidah. What's the question? Of course it's a sacrifice. He gave up his life. And the answer is, it's easier for one minute to give up your life, but for Avram to live that way for years to come, that he gave up his child, that's more difficult. Yeah? You hear the difference? Rabosai, life. Life. You know, it's very easy to come Yom Kippur by ne'ilah and to scream, Hashem Hu Elokim, and think to yourself, I'll be a good Jew, and I'll jump into learning Torah, and I will do all the mitzvot. That's one second, ne'ilah, at the height of hitorerut. It's another thing every day to live that way, when you wake up every morning and it's not easy, and this is bothering you and that's bothering you and this nisayon and that nisayon and this person and that person. Vlihyot chazak, vlihyot omed b'nisayon. That is called omed b'nisayon. That's called, Atah yadati ki yarei Elokim atah. Atah yadati. What? Hashem did not know till... After the Akedah, Atah yadati ki yerei Elokim atah. What does it mean? Nifla! HaKadosh Baruch Hu, You know what's in the heart of a person. Teidu sheblev ha'adam, זה רק לקדוש ברוך הוא. Adam balev. It's only for Hashem. And of course Avraham was only for Hashem. And Hashem knew that. What is nisayon? Why do we have nisyonot? Rabotai, why do we have nisyonot? Why, if Hashem knows what's in my heart, He has to test me? And the answer is, it solidifies. It tests how much, with what I have in my heart, how real is it? How strong is it? It can't be budged. Nothing could change it. There's nothing in the daily life that could, in Yiddish, also, shteren, that it should ruin it, that it should complicate it. I stand strong in my conviction to do. Atah yadati ki yerei Elokim atah. מה לעמוד בניסיון ולצעוק, ה' הוא אלוקים, זה לא יראת שמים, רבותי. אני לא אומר שזה רע, I'm not telling you it's bad. It's great, beautiful. But it still doesn't prove. You know what proves? Mar Cheshvan. This month is called Mar. Why is it called Mar Cheshvan? אין חגים. Back to life, back to parnassah, back to all the things that drag us down. ולהיות עומד חזק, תקיף. ללמוד, להתפלל, להיות חזק ביראת שמים, זה סימן. That's a siman. That's the proof, כי אתה ידעתי, כי ירא אלוקים אתה. That's the proof. I want to show you something interesting. Mesilat Yesharim explains in his first perek, aleph, chovato של האדם בעולמו. Why are we here? Just tell me, at some point a person thinks to himself, Why am I here? What am I doing here? What am I here for? Why am I here? Nu, you ready? Answer. Very simple. Mesilat Yesharim makes it pretty simple. Why are we here? נמצאת למדים, נמצאנו למדים כי עיקר מציאות האדם בעולם הזה הוא רק לקיים מצוות, ולעבוד, ולעמוד בניסיון. I asked you a question. Why the avot? Don't tell me about learning and their greatness in learning. עיקר קיום האדם בעולם הזה זה לעמוד בניסיון, to learn.

Because I like to learn, I enjoy to learn. I love to learn. Torah is beautiful. Who wants to learn? Mi lo yilmad? Habayai, k'sheze neged mashu, when it's challenged by something, oh, let's see, let's see if you learn. מה זה חידוש? אדם יושב ולומד, שאין לו בעיות, אין לו דאגות. זה חידוש, הוא מתפלל לקדוש ברוך הוא בכוונה, when nothing is bothering him. The chiddush is when it's rough, when something is, you say it stirs, it's in contrast, and you still learn and you still daven. Lamod b'nisayon. Lamod b'nisayon, זה. And that's what we saw in the Avot. And that's why the Avot is only about life, v'nisyonot. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.