After the petirah of the Chozeh of Lublin, a wealthy individual came to the Chozeh’s widow and asked to sell him the Rav’s yarmulka. The Rebbetzin agreed to sell it for 2,000 gold coins, and he agreed. While he returned home to bring the money, the Chozeh’s Rebbetzin went ahead and washed out the yarmulka. She figured that since the buyer was spending such a large sum of money on the yarmulka, it should at least be nice and sparkling.
When the wealthy man returned with the money, she gave him the glittering yarmulka.
“This isn’t the yarmulka we discussed,” he protested.
She replied, “It is the same yarmulka. I just washed it.”
The wealthy man said, “I wanted the sweat soaked in the yarmulka. That’s why I agreed to pay so much money.”
He didn’t want to pay so much money just for the yarmulka, without the signs of the toil and effort that was in it.
Similarly, let us recognize that it isn’t our beautiful deeds that Hashem enjoys most. It is the toil, the sweat that we invest in the mitzvos. It is the battles we wage against the yetzer hara that give the most pleasure to Hashem. Of course, when avodas Hashem is easy, we shouldn’t slack it off. Don’t think that these times aren’t precious just because they come easily. But when they come challenging, that is when they are exceptionally special to Hashem.
