Their Aveiros Made a Parshah in the Torah
Sefer Maaseh Tzadikim relates that one summer, Rav Yaakov Aryeh of Radzimin zy”a (author of Bikurei Aviv) went to visit the Chidushei Harim zy”a. The two of them had studied together under Rav Boruch of Mezhibuz zy”a and were close friends.
The Chidushei Harim noticed that Rav Yaakov Aryeh appeared exhausted, as if he were coming down with a fever. He asked him why he looked so wiped out. Was he sick or just tired?
Rav Yaakov Aryeh replied, “I’m not sick and I’m not tired. However, every year when the summertime arrives and we come to these Parshios, and we read about the sins committed by the great generation of the midbar, I am greatly disturbed. This lofty generation witnessed amazing miracles and were spoken to directly by Hashem. How could they do these things? These thoughts make me very upset and weak.”
The Chidushei Harim told him, “What are you saying? Their aveiros were more valuable in Shomayim than all of our mitzvos. The proof of this is that their aveiros created entire Parshios in the Torah, but we don’t know what our mitzvos accomplish!”
