Passing Tests
People who serve Hashem are confronted with tests, and some of the tests and challenges are very hard to pass. What idea can we pose to help us pass the tests? One concept is to know that with every test you pass, you send down Hashem's kindness to all Yidden. You will undoubtedly gain from passing the tests. Rebbe Michel of Zlotchev zt'l teaches that when one serves Hashem beyond the rules of nature, Hashem will do kindness with him, beyond the rules of nature. But you aren’t the only person who will benefit. All Yidden will receive Hashem's kindness and brachos together with you. Remember this, and this thought will encourage and embolden you to pass the test.
In parashas Eikev, Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael (Devarim 10:12) אִם כִּי מֵעִמ ָּ ךְ שֹׁאֵל א ֱלֹק ֶיךָ 'ה מָה יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַת ָּה א ֱלֹק ֶיךָ 'ה אֶת לְיִרְאָה, "Now, Yisrael, what does Hashem ask from you? Only to fear Hashem..." The expression 'ה אֶת לְיִרְאָה אִם כִּי א ֱלֹק ֶיךָ, "Only to fear Hashem," seems like Hashem is asking for something small, but is fearing Hashem so easy to attain? Indeed, the Gemara (Brachos 33b) asks, מילתא יראה אטו היא זוטרתא, 'Is fear a small thing?" Why did Moshe make it sound like it was small?
We can say that the pasuk answers this question, מָה יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַת ָּה, "Now, Yisrael, when is fear מָה, something simple and easy to attain?" The answer is מֵעִמ ָּ ךְ שֹׁאֵל א ֱלֹק ֶיךָ 'ה, when you know that Hashem is testing you. When you realize that this is a test, it is easy to pass the test.
Someone told his rebbe that he had trouble controlling his anger and wanted advice on how to control himself. The rebbe told him to wait outside his room, and he would call him in soon to give him advice. The man sat outside the rebbe's room, waiting for the rebbe to call him back. In the meantime, the door to the rebbe's room was left somewhat ajar. The rebbe was speaking loudly, and he overheard the rebbe telling his gabbai to go out to "the person waiting outside" and try to make him really angry. The gabbai came out of the rebbe's room, and, as instructed, tried different ways to anger that man. The man knew that it was a test, and so he remained perfectly calm.
The gabbai then told him that the rebbe wants to see him. He went into the room, and the rebbe said, "I was watching you the past few minutes, and I see that you can control your anger. The gabbai did several things that should have upset you, but you remained calm. You didn't even raise your voice." The man replied, "Perhaps the rebbe didn't notice, but the rebbe was speaking loudly, and the door was left open. I heard the rebbe tell the gabbai to test me. I knew the gabbai was testing me, so I was able to pass the test." The rebbe replies, "Aha! Be aware that whenever you are tempted to become angry, Heaven is testing you. Remember, it is a test, and you will be able to pass the test."
The Power of Good Middos
The Chasam Sofer found this lesson in the pasuk (Tehillim 37:26) וְזַרְעוֹ וּמ ַלְוֶה חוֹנֵן ה ַיּוֹם כָּל לִבְרָכָה, "All day long he is gracious and lends, and his seed is due for a blessing." The Chasam Sofer teaches that this means that in the merit of doing chesed to others, one merits good children.
Chazal (Bava Basra 88b) tell us: של עונשן קשה עריות של מעונשן יותר מדות, the sin of midos is more severe than the sin of adultery. Literally, מדות is referring to the aveirah of having an incorrect scale for selling. This aveirah is more severe than the aveirah of עריות, adultery. This is because when one’s scale isn't correct, he will end up stealing from many people, and then it will be very difficult to do teshuvah. The Chasam Sofer (Shut Choshen Mishpat 20) uses this phrase of Chazal in the form of מליצה, play-on-words, to bring out a point. He translated מדות in its standard translation, to have good middos, to be kind to others. He said, "Just as the sin of bad middos is worse than עריות, so, too, the reward for having good middos is greater than the reward of בתורה אריות, being a scholar, a lion in Torah." (He changed the word עריות to אריות, which is an expression for a great talmid chacham.) The Chasam Sofer wrote this thought over to a community that was instigating machlokes against their rav, and he impressed on them the great importance of having good middos.
