In his sefer Eretz Tzvi, the Kozhoglover Rav, Rav Tzvi Aryeh Fromer הי”ד, asks:
R. Shimon Bar Yochai said, ”הדין מן העולם כל את לפטור אני יכול, I can exempt all of the world from judgment.” If so, why didn’t he do it?
The Kozhoglover Rav explains that in order for a tzaddik to help someone and exempt him from din, the person must first be mevatel himself to the tzaddik. The Midrash compares tzaddikim to a shoshanah, a rose. Just as the rose was created so that we could enjoy its beautiful scent, tzaddikim are created to bring yeshuos for Klal Yisrael. Of course, in order to enjoy the scent of the rose, you must go near it. A person who wants to benefit from tzaddikim must be close to them.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu designed the world in this way because he wants us to be רגליהם בעפר מתאבק – to roll in the dust of the feet of tzaddikim (Pirkei Avos). Closeness to a tzaddik inspires us to improve and to do teshuvah.
The Eretz Tzvi then quotes the Gemara in Maseches Makkos:
“How foolish are people who stand up for a sefer Torah, but don’t stand up before a gadol in Torah. . . The Torah said יכנו ארבעים, a sinner receives forty lashes, and the Chachamim said this means thirty-nine.”
From all the many limudim of Chazal, the Kozhoglover asks, why did the Gemara choose that particular limud to illustrate the greatness of Chachamim?
He explains that when we stand up for a gadol, we are mevatel ourselves to him. The Gemara’s implication is that if we want chachamim and tzaddikim to be able to save us from harsh and painful judgments, we first need to stand up and express our bitul. That forges our connection, which enables them to help us.
Connecting from a Distance
Similarly, the mitzvah of aliyah l’regel is essentially an act of bitul and connection. When a person decides to be oleh regel, he commits himself to a journey, knowing full well that he will encounter many unknown difficulties. The journey to kirvas Elokim requires him to accept the principle of שיתמהמה פי על אף. There will be delays; there will be periods of time when he feels stuck and unable to progress. Sometimes he will have to backtrack. However, his very bitul and dveikus as he persists in his journey will allow him to experience kirvas Elokim from afar, even though he hasn’t arrived yet.
When a person truly believes that Hashem is waiting for him, he has the strength to continue his journey, little by little. That persistence truly expresses our emunah, dveikus, and longing for Mashiach. Those who travel in that way are connected even now to our destination — the Geulah Sheleimah.
