In this week’s Parsha Klal Yisrael were given the Mitzva of Korbon Pesach. Even in Mitzrayim they brought the Korbon Pesach. There are many Halachos of Korbon Pesach. The Korbon Pesach is unique in how it has to be eaten. The Sefer Hachinuch explains the unique way the Korbon Pesach has to be prepared, eaten, not leaving leftover, not breaking bones, not taking it out the house, all these things are ways of royal people and officers who eat roasted food, don’t have to leave anything over for the next day, don’t break the bones etc.
As we became the Royal Nation Hashem commanded us to behave this way and every year on Pesach we eat the Korbon Pesach this way to remember the miracles Hashem did for us when we left Mitzrayim. And by doing these actions it has an effect on our souls for life.
The Sefer Hachinuch continues and explains that a person may ask why is it necessary to do so many actions to remember the miracles in Mitzrayim, wouldn’t it be just to remember the miracles?
The Sefer Hachinuch answers that a person is influenced by their actions and a person’s mind and heart will surround their actions.
Therefore even a person is a wicked person, who has bad thoughts and intentions all day, if that person starts spending their time learning Torah and doing Mitzvos it will influence them to become a better person.
Similarly, if a Tzaddik starts spending their day doing bad things, as the Sefer Hachinuch explains, for example, if the King gave this person a bad job, it will influence them to become a bad person.
This is why Hashem gave us so many Mitzvos in order that we should be busy all day with Mitzvos and therefore be influenced to become better people.
Once Rabbi Yisrael Salanter travelled from Kovno to Vilna and sat in the carriage that smoking was permitted. As he started smoking a young Jewish man scolded him and said, “How can you smoke? You are poisoning the air in the carriage.”
Rabbi Yisrael Salanter apologized and extinguished the cigarette.
The young man continued and said, “and what does it help after you’ve poisoned the whole carriage!”
Rabbi Yisrael got up and opened a window to air out the carriage.
The young man called out, “and you don’t care that everyone gets freezing cold and catches pneumonia?”
Rabbi Yisrael immediately closed the window.
Shortly after the train arrived in the station. As the young man was about to go off the train he noticed that the platform was full of Jews. He wondered who they were waiting for. It didn’t take long till he saw his neighbor from the train coming off the train and everyone going to greet him.
He went over to ask someone who it was and was shocked to learn that it was the renowned great Tzaddik Rabbi Yisrael Salanter.
He checked out where he was staying and came over to ask for forgiveness.
Rabbi Yisrael forgave him and started having a conversation with the man. The man told him that he had been supported by his father in law for a few years and now that it was finished he needed some sort of parnassa. So he decided to learn to become a Shochet and he had an offer but he first needed a certificate from a known Rav that certified that he was worthy of being a Shochet.
Rabbi Yisrael sent him to his son in law Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Grodzinski.
The man went for a test but it turned out that he didn’t know his Halachos. Rabbi Yisrael suggested he stays a few days to review his studies.
The man was concerned. He had bought a return ticket and had no money for food and lodgings.
Rabbi Yisrael undertook his food and lodgings.
But the problem wasn’t over. Rav Yisrael’s son in law told his father in law that the man was completely ignorant.
Rabbi Yisrael asked his son law to find him a Talmid Chacham who knew the laws of Shechita to teach the young man.
So the man stayed for a few months, with his study partner, food and lodgings all paid by Rabbi Yisrael.
After he finally finished and was tested, Rabbi Yisrael found him a town where he would be accepted as the Shochet. He even spoke to the man’s wife and family to convince them to support his new move.
Rabbi Yisrael and his son in law waved the man off at the station and watched as the train left the station.
Now Rav Eliyahu Eliezer turned to his father in law and said, “you know I collect money for the poor people in our city. I never asked you because I was sure you had no money. But now I see you do, I would like to ask you for a donation.”
Rabbi Yisrael smiled and said, “You were right, I don’t have a spare penny to my name. I have someone wealthy who supports me what I need so I can utilize my time to the utmost for Torah and communal matters. But this young man was different. He offended me on the train and I had the right to be offended by him. But after he asked for forgiveness and I forgave him I had no right to have any hard feelings against the man. But in my heart I still felt that I had hard feelings against him. So I had to find a way to wipe out those feelings. But how? By following the words of Chazal that if you want to love your fellow man you have to do him favors and kindness. And by doing these actions it will influence the person to love his fellow man. So I had no choice but to use the money that was really meant for me and shower him with kindness till it aroused my love towards the man and I managed to wipe out any hard feelings.”
This is a very important message for us to know that if we want to influence ourselves to change for the better but find it hard, by doing good actions we will naturally change and become a better person.
