The Cohen Gadol is not like (L'havdil) the Pope “who never sins”. Before he comes to be M'chaper on Klal Yisroel, he has to be M'chaper on his own sins, and the sins of his wife. He also has to be M'chaper on the Aveiros of the elite part of Klal Yisroel; i.e., the Cohanim (who may have inadvertently eaten Korbanos or entered the Bais Hamikdash while in a state of Tum'ah). It’s a totally different world when you realize that you are doing Teshuva together with our most holy Cohanim, including the #1 Cohen Gadol himself!
You no longer look at yourself like you’re a lowly bum, Chas V'shalom, and a sin doesn’t make you automatically a loser. It is just a stepping stone to further improve yourself and continue heading for greatness. Do you know why accepting Tochacha (rebuke) is so difficult?
Because the other person looks to you like he’s “Mr. Good-guy” and you’re the “nobody”; and that hurts!
RSRH Zatzal says that giving Tochacha shouldn’t be done in a condescending way, rather we are all in this together and we all make mistakes. The: ַחיִכוֹמ one who gives Tochacha should tell the person he is: ַחיִכוֹמ giving Tochacha to, that he can also give back Tochacha when the: ַחיִכוֹמ one who gives Tochacha does something wrong. There is no official Tzaddik Gamur and Rasha ַﬠ ַב ְר ָיין sinner, all are the same. All are always making mistakes.
בוֹטּ הֶשֲׂﬠַי רֶשֲׁא ץֶרָאָבּ קיִדַּצ ןיֵא םָדָא יִכּאָטֱחֶי אֹלְו כ ז תלהק
There does not exist a person who never sinned even once during his entire life. It is interesting that the greatest of all our leaders, Dovid Melech Yisroel, should be Nichshal in a grave sin. And the lowest of the low; what appeared like sinning with an: ֵא ֶשׁ ִא תשׁ יa married woman and killing her husband. Of course, it’s not: וֹטוּשְׁפְּכּ literally (Chazal), but it was still a supremely embarrassing episode.
For a Person to Be Truly #1, He Needs to Be a Baal Teshuva, Who Is Truly on Top
How is it possible that the Melech, the leader of leaders, and Dovid, who was an unusual Tzaddik, should fall into such a cesspool, Rachmana Litzlan? We can suggest that since:
ןיִלוֹכְי םיִרוּמְג םיִקיִדַצ ןיֵא םיִדְמוֹע הָבוּשְׁתּ יֵלֲﬠַבֶּשׁ םוֹקָמְבּ
Believe That You Can Become a New Person, Even Though You May Be Feeling Worse Than Usual
ADERABA!
Pesach is in the spring, when the world renews itself; the dead trees wake up, and things start blossoming. This is a Siman for us; i.e., we can actually become new people. Really believe this (even though you will be tested, and you may even feel worse than usual! Always say “Aderaba!”)
All those sudden appearances of beautiful flowers and leaves are like a Ness; look how a dead world suddenly wakes up! These are Nissim. Think all day of Nissim, and talk about them a lot (especially your own Hashgacha Pratis stories and answered Tefilos) and watch more and more Nissim enter your life!
Want To Get Much Further in Life? Start Believing in Compliments with Temimus
DO YOU HATE COMPLIMENTS?
I once complimented a substitute Melamed that I felt he’d be a great Rebbe someday. Afterwards, someone told him that I’m full of baloney, since I say that to everybody. The truth is that nobody can help a person except himself. Every human is loaded with all kinds of Maalos. But if he believes that he has those Maalos, and he takes compliments seriously, then indeed he will live up to himself.
R’ Ruderman Zatzal was told by the Alter of Slabodka that he can become a future Rabbi Akiva Eiger, and he believed him! Try to believe compliments with Temimus; you’ll get much further in life. Chazal say: ˃יֶשֲׂעַמ˃וּבְרָקְי ה קרפ ףוס תוידע הנשמ it’s up to you!
דוֹמֲﬠַל ברכות לד ב Baalei Teshuva are even GREATER than pure Tzaddikim; and therefore in order to be truly #1, you need to be a Baal Teshuva who is truly on top; nobody can stand in his place since he’s higher.
Without a sin you’re always second best, and a Melech who is on top has to be the BEST! תוֹנוֹדְזֶּשׁ הָבוּשְׁת הָלוֹדְגּ תוֹיֻּכְזִכ וֹל תוֹשֲׂﬠַנ יומא פו ב Teshuva transforms your Aveiros into Mitzvos, and the worse the sin, the greater is the Zechus of doing Teshuva! Such a lowly sin, by doing Teshuva becomes an unusually beautiful Mitzva. The very same wicked: ְמ ַק ְט ֵרג accusing angel which your sin created, has become a: ַס ֵניגוֹר defending angel, i.e., your friend who is constantly sticking up for you.
So the next time you’re depressed about something you shouldn’t have done, suspect that you’re destined for greatness, and Hashem wants you to do Teshuva which will make you much greater than you ever were. And always realize how we are all doing Teshuva, including our greatest Jews like the Cohen Gadol himself, and doing sins are a normal situation. (Editor’s note: This is your attitude to Aveiros done in the past; i.e., never let the Yetzer Hara get you down for what you did, Chas V'shalom. However, in regards to staying away from Aveiros in the first place, of course a person may not even expose himself to a situation where he may be Nichshal; i.e., the exposure itself is an Aveira, Kal Va’chomer from our Chiyuv to protect our physical wellbeing. Chazon Ish).
