Behukosai 5782 – Embracing the Yoke of Avodas Hashem
Consider sponsoring a shiur
Visit YTATorah.org
Shiur presented in 5778
Consider sponsoring a shiur
Visit YTATorah.org
Shiur presented in 5778
In this week’s parshah, the Torah tells us how the meraglim returned from their tour in Eretz Yisrael and brought back a bad report. Initially, they were very diplomatic; they didn’t say it openly. What they did, was they hinted to it. They spoke about the strength of the great nation that was in Eretz Yisrael. They compared their strength to that of Klal Yisrael. But anybody who could add one plus one would have asked themselves, “What chance do we have against such odds?” In this way, the meraglim created a feeling that it was a helpless matzav.
The month of Elul is a month for introspection and becoming aware of what one’s challenges are in this world. Do you know what our biggest challenge is? The biggest challenge that everybody has in this world is the same one. I share the same challenge as all of you. We both share a common enemy, and that enemy’s name is yeitzer hara or as the chassidim say yaitzer hurah or as the Sefardim say yeitzer ha-rah. But whatever the name is, however you pronounce it, it’s all the same thing, it’s the same enemy.
In the past, we have spoken about a massive problem, a challenge the people have with kinah, jealousy, and with sinah, hatred. Today, we would like to discuss the ways and means to deal with these issues. If you think about it, it is really a pachad how much kinah and sinah good individuals have and suffer from – even righteous people, chashuve people. I once heard of a story about two big tzadikim who had a sichsuch (argument) between them, and each one had tainos on the other. One of them was a very…
Consider sponsoring a shiurVisit YTATorah.org Shiur presented in 5778
Somebody did a big avlah to the Brisker Rav. The Brisker Rav was upset. This fellow considered himself the Brisker Rav’s talmid. My rebbi told me, “My father, the Brisker Rav, sent him a message: ‘I won’t have a shaychus to you from now on, not in this world and not in the next world.’” When I heard that, somehow, for some reason, it struck a chord, and I realized that what I have with my rebbi is not just while I’m with him in his house or sitting by his shiurim…You’re with them in the next world.
“These are the journeys of the Israelites…” Rashi cites Chazal, who ask why the Torah lists all their travels, and he answers that it was in order to make Klal Yisroel aware of the chessed of Hashem that they stopped and rested from one station to the next.