7. When a person makes a brachah on an esrog and lulav, the pitom is down. In Yiddish, this is called מיט אראפ פיטום די, which is also an expression used to express someone going through difficult times. But we make a brachah specifically when the pitom is down because the challenging moments are the most significant ones of our lives.
The Yidden in the desert complained (Shemos 16:3), לשובע לחם באכלנו הבשר סיר על בשבתנו ... יתן מי, "If only... as we sat by the pot of meat, when we ate bread to satiety." The Chasam Sofer zt'l explains that they were reminiscing how it was in Mitzrayim, when they sat alongside the non-Jews who were cooking a pot of meat. They smelled and desired it, but they passed the test and didn’t eat it because it wasn't kosher. They only ate the bread/matzah, which was kosher. That is a good experience they missed because they appreciated the value of tests.
8. People asked the Ateres Yehoshua of Djikov zt'l why he had parnassah, while his father and grandfathers were all poor.
The Ateres Yehoshua answered with a mashal: A poor person passed a theatre. There was a long line of people waiting to buy tickets. "How much does a ticket cost?" he asked one of the people in line. "A regular seat costs a hundred dollars. There are better seats that can cost up to three hundred dollars." The poor man was shocked. "A hundred or three hundred dollars just to watch a show?! What's the show about?" "It's about a poor man collecting money." Now, the poor person was even more confused. He said, "I'm poor and I collect money all the time, and all I get is a few coins!" The man explained that people aren't interested in watching this in real life. They want to see an imaginary show, played by actors..."
With this mashal the Ateres Yehoshua explained to his chassidim, "My father and my grandfathers were true Rebbes, therefore they only received a small amount of money. But I’m an actor, copying what they did, therefore I get more money."
The Ateres Yehoshua said this with immense humility, but we can learn a lesson from it: Why do people pay money to watch actors? It’s because the actors show talent, expertise, years of training, and hours of hard work. People value that and are willing to pay money to see it. But when something comes naturally, it loses its value in people’s eyes. Hashem desires to see us doing deeds that require effort, talent, and willpower. That is what makes our good deeds precious in Hashem's eyes.
9. Some explain that מהר can be translated as "quick," indicating they traveled quickly away from Har Sinai.
This week's parashah has the two upside-down ן"נוs (see 10:35-36). Between them are two pasukim, words we say each day when we read the Torah. יאמר ובנוחה ...הארון בנסוע ויהי. Rashi explains that these pasukim are surrounded by the two upside ן"נוs to indicate that this isn't the right place for the pasukim. So, why are they written here? To separate between the punishments. We don't want to mention aveiros and punishment near each other, so we have these interrupting pasukim.
The problem is that we don't find a punishment or an aveirah in the pasukim before the ן"נוs. So what separation are these two pasukim (surrounded by the upside ן"נוs) accomplishing?
The Gemara (Shabbos 115.) answers that before the ן"נוs, it states (10:33) דרך 'ה מהר ויסעו ימים שלשת, "They traveled a distance of three days from the mountain of Hashem." The Gemara explains that we should read 'ה מהר ויסעו as 'ה מאחרי ויסעו, "They traveled away from Hashem."
The Ramban says that it can be understood with a Midrash that says that 'ה מהר ויסעו means that they were happy to leave Har Sinai, "like a student escaping from cheder." They were afraid to remain longer at Har Sinai because they feared that Hashem might give them more mitzvos, and that was their aveirah. The Ramban writes, "It is possible that if it weren't for this aveirah, they would have entered Eretz Yisrael immediately."
So, their aveirah was that they didn't want more Torah. But we are teaching the opposite approach, that one should desire Torah and mitzvos. And even when it is hard, this isn't a problem. In fact, the hardships make our avodas Hashem even more precious to Him.
