Benefits of Yesurim
This week's parashah begins with the pasuk זָךְ זַיִת שֶׁמֶן אֵל ֶיךָ וְיִק ְ חוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי אֶת תְּצ ַוֶּה וְאַת ָּה תָּמ ִיד נֵר לְהַע ֲלֹת לַמ ָּאוֹר כָּת ִית, "You shall command Bnei Yisrael, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually." לַמ ָּאוֹר כָּת ִית means that the crushed olives will become oil and give off light. This hints to the people who go through hard times. It is a preparation for the great light that will come from it.
The Chasan Sofer zt'l (the son of the daughter of the Chasam Sofer zt'l) elaborates on the message of this pasuk. He teaches as follows: Many people go through hardships, yesurim and hester panim, each person in his own way. He asks bitterly, נשתנה מה, "Why did this have to happen to me? Why did all these tzaros come to me?" Actually, all these yesurim will purify him in this world so that he can receive his reward in Olam HaBa.
The proof is from Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest of all nevi'im. Who is greater than him? Nevertheless, he suffered yesurim his entire life. When he was born, he was brought to Pharaoh's home, and he had tests and yesurim there. Three months after he was born, he was already cast into the Nile, and from there he was raised r'l by Pharaoh, the rashah. Afterwards, he had to escape and leave his father's home, and his brothers of Bnei Yisrael, and he ran to Midyan. In Midyan, he didn't have honor and respite. As he said (Shemos 2:22), נָכְרִיָּה בְּאֶרֶץ הָיִיתִי גֵּר, "I was a stranger in a foreign land." Even after he became the leader of Bnei Yisrael, he said (Shemos 17:4) וּסְקָלֻנִי מְעַט עוֹד ה ַזֶּה לָעָם אֶעֱשֶׂה מָה, "What shall I do for this people? Just a little longer and they will stone me!" And he said (Shemos 32:32) ָמִסִּפ ְרְך נָא מְח ֵנִי, "Erase me now from Your sefer." (Indeed, Moshe's name was erased, to an extent, for Moshe's name is not mentioned in this week's parashah – parashas Titzaveh.) There are several other examples of the hardships Moshe went through. But this was all for his benefit. All these hardships raised him until he became "Moshe Rabbeinu," the לנביאים אב, the greatest prophet. He reached levels no other human being ever reached. Several times, he was in heaven for forty days to receive the Torah from Hashem's mouth. This teaches a lesson to all people. It tells them that they shouldn’t be upset when they endure yesurim. They should know that this will bring forth their sheleimus, perfection, and it will be for their benefit in the future.
This is the meaning of the pasuk (at the beginning of the parashah): יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי אֶת תְּצ ַוֶּה וְאַת ָּה, Bnei Yisrael should learn a lesson from Moshe Rabbeinu. לַמ ָּאוֹר כָּת ִית זָךְ זַיִת שֶׁמֶן, as the Midrash (Shemos Rabba 36:1) states, "Just as olive oil only comes out after the olives are pressed, so too, when a person undergoes yesurim, he becomes holy and pure. כָּת ִית, he is pressed, לַמ ָּאוֹר, to bring forth his light. The yesurim help him grow until he is a great light. He will shine and bring light to others, as it states תָּמ ִיד נֵר לְהַע ֲלֹת."
