דנורא זקיקון adds that the tzaddikim who passed the test are greater than malachim. Malachim don't have a yetzer hara, but he had one, and with his good choices and immense effort, he overcame the yetzer hara. Tana d'Bei Eliyahu tells us that because he passed difficult tests, he is equal to the malachim in that he will see the Shechinah like them. But in other ways, due to his challenges, he becomes greater than the malachim.
A ָהֵפְרט refers to when a kosher animal is wounded, and the inner limbs are damaged, rendering the animal non-kosher. It states (22:30) אֹתוֹ ְׁלִכוּןַּשת ֶבַכֶּלל ֵלוּתֹאכ לֹא ָהֵפְרט ֶהָדּׂבַּש ָרָׂשוּב, "flesh torn in the field (treifah) you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dogs." Why are dogs rewarded with this food?
Daas Zekeinim m'Baalei HaTosfos explains that we should reward dogs for the service they do for their owners. They watch over the cattle and protect them from wild animals. We give the treifos to dogs as a reward and as an expression of hakaras hatov for the service they do.
The obvious question is, why do we reward the dog now when it fails its mission? A dog is supposed to protect the livestock, but this time, a wolf or some other animal entered the herd and attacked one of the cattle, rendering it a treifah. The dog failed to scare off the predators. So, why should we reward the dog at this time? We should punish the dog for failing in his mission, or at least not do anything. But why does the dog deserve a reward?
The Yismach Yehudah offers a wonderful answer, which applies to everyone: When a person fails to do something in his avodas Hashem, his first reaction is to berate himself and feel down. This halachah teaches us that instead of knocking ourselves down, we should build ourselves up with the realization that despite the challenges, we are accomplishing a lot. We deserve reward, not the opposite. Just as the dog was rewarded, specifically when he failed, we must also focus on our qualities and successes. Especially when we fail, we must think about these matters, so we will be encouraged to succeed next time.
Therefore, when one seeks to maintain the holiness of his eyes and mouth and fails, he should think about all the times he succeeded. This will embolden him to be cautious in the future.
