Parshas Shemini opens with a description of what was to happen on the eighth day after the kohanim began preparations to conduct the avodah in the Mishkan. “This is what Hashem has commanded,” Moshe Rabbeinu tells the kohanim; “do it, and Hashem’s glory will become visible to you.” The Shem Mishmuel quotes the Kotzker Rebbe zy”a who points out that Klal Yisrael had already merited to see Hashem’s glory. Why did the kohanim now need to earn that privilege all over again?
The Kotzker Rebbe explains that Hashem does not require as much from a simple person serving Him to the best of his relatively low ability, as He does from a great tzaddik, of whom far more is expected. And, being that people don’t remain static in their avodas Hashem, as a person succeeds in becoming closer to Hashem, his challenges become more difficult and he has to do more in order to merit Hashem’s blessings. Therefore, now that Klal Yisrael had moved beyond the chet ha’egel and done teshuvah, more was required of them in order to be zocheh to see Hashem’s kavod.
The story is told that one year on Rosh Hashanah, as the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a was on his way back from Tashlich, he met up with his talmid the Ropshitzer Rov, who was heading back to the river although he had already been there earlier. The Chozeh asked him why. “I’m going to gather up the aveiros the Rebbe cast into the water,” the Ropshitzer replied. Hashem is far more makpid with tzaddikim such as the Chozeh, so much so that what would be considered an aveirah for him is like a mitzvah for someone on a lower level.
As people move up levels, they are not only expected to achieve more — they will also feel a need to strive ever further. Surmounting a challenge the first time may give us great satisfaction; repeating the same behavior won’t result in the same amount of sipuk because now, the demands on us are greater and the rewards will be, too. Sometimes, the challenge is simply to see a problem where we didn’t recognize one before. Becoming aware of where we’re going wrong and gaining sensitivity to the issues we may be creating, means that we are now obligated to do something about it — and thus become zocheh to even greater brachos.
