צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה וגו' וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ (ו, ב)
Command Aharon and his sons saying: This is the law of the Olah, this is the Olah on the fire...and the fire of the Mizbeach shall burn on it. (6:2)
Torah L’Shma Creates a Nachas Ruach for Hashem:
Sefer Noam Elimelech explains that the word “zos” refers to the Shechinah. Thus, the pasuk is saying “Zos Toras Ha’Olah” – if one learns Torah for “Zos”, meaning that he learns l’sheim Shomayim, he can merit having his Torah ascend upwards like a Korban Olah, and it will provide a nachas ruach to Hashem.
Aharon’s Intentions Were Good:
The Ben Ish Chai asks why the Torah begins the Parshah of korbanos with the Korban Olah, which is brought for bad thoughts, rather than starting with the Korban Chatas, which is brought for bad actions. It would seem that actions are more important than thoughts, and, therefore, the Parshah should begin with Korban Chatas.
He answers that the scoffers of the generation said, “How could Aharon Hakohen bring korbanos to atone for Klal Yisroel when he himself was guilty of making the eigel hazahav?”
They further claimed, “Even if you would say that he only made the eigel against his will, because they threatened to kill him if he didn’t do what they demanded, but he did make a Mizbeach on his own.” (It says in Shemos 32:5 that Aharon made a Mizbeach for the eigel, and it doesn’t say that he was forced to do so.)
The Ben Ish Chai explains this with a moshol:
A group of robbers and murderers were once hiding on the side of a highway, waiting for a victim to fall into their hands. From a distance, they saw the king’s son approaching. This made them very happy, as they assumed he would have a lot of money on him that they could steal. The leader of the group told the others, “The king’s son is a weak person. I can kill him myself. You all go to our hideout and wait. I’ll stay here and kill the prince and take his money, and then I’ll bring it to you for us to divide“.
When the prince reached the place where the robber was hiding, the thief took his money and horse, but he did not kill him. Instead, he yelled at him to run away as fast as he could. He took the money to share with his friends, but he allowed the prince to remain alive.
The prince went home and told his father, the king, what the leader of the thieves had done to him. When the king heard this, he sent his guards to find the man. They caught him and the king sentenced him to death.
Before taking him to the gallows to be hanged, the king’s guards began beating him on the legs. As he was being whipped, the robber cried out, “Oy! My heart! My heart!“
”Why are you screaming about your heart?” the king asked. “They aren’t hitting you on the heart. They are hitting you on the leg.”
The thief said, “But my heart is hurting me!”
He then told the king what had really occurred. He said, “In my heart, I was concerned about your son. I did not want him to be killed. I had no choice but to take his money in order to appease the other thieves, as they would never have allowed me to let the prince go by without robbing him. I only took it in order to push them off“.
When the king heard this, he freed the man and appointed him to an important position in his cabinet.
So too, Hashem knew that Aharon only made the Mizbeach in order to push off the people and delay them from committing a sin. He reasoned that if everyone was involved in building an altar, it would be done very quickly and would be completed that very day, which would allow them to begin serving the eigel right away. He knew that if this happened, there would be no way to save Klal Yisroel. Therefore, he said that he would build it himself, knowing that it would take until nighttime. That is why he told them that the holiday for the eigel would not be until the next day.
And, in truth, Aharon was successful. When the pasuk says that people got up early the next day and served the eigel, it is only speaking about the eirev rav. The rest of Klal Yisroel never had a chance to sin.
Aharon risked his life to save Klal Yisroel from destruction, and, in this merit, he was appointed to serve as Kohen Gadol and offer korbanos to Hashem upon the Mizbeach. This was the answer to scoffers claims of how he could bring korbanos.
Hashem, of course, knew this and, therefore, commanded Aharon first about the Korban Olah, which atones for improper thoughts. This was a hint to the fact that Hashem knew Aharon’s thoughts, and was aware that they were pure.
One Must Do Teshuva for Bad Thoughts:
Rashi states: “’Tzav es Aharon. (Command Aharon)’ The word ‘tzav’ always denotes urging for the present and also for future generations. Rav Shimon said: The Torah especially needs to urge people to fulfill commandments where monetary loss (‘chisaron kis’) is involved”.
The Yismach Yisroel zy”a explains that when people commit aveiros through sinful actions, they do teshuva as soon as they realize what they did. However, when one has sinful thoughts, without committing any improper actions, one often doesn’t even realize that he must do teshuva for sullying his mind. For this reason, Chazal say (Yoma 29A) that “sinful thoughts are worse than sins.” For sinful actions, one does teshuva and removes the stain of the aveirah. For sinful thoughts, however, one often does not do teshuva, and the stain remains.
Accordingly, Rashi says regarding a Korban Olah that one needs to be urged in a place where there is a “chisaron kis.” An Olah is brought for sinful thoughts, which is referred to as “chisaron kis” because a person’s knowledge is referred to as his “kis” (the “wallet” that holds his thoughts), and when one has such thoughts, he has a lack of knowledge that he must do teshuva.
Do Not Sin on Shabbos:
Sefer Ahavas Shalom explains this Rashi by quoting the verse (Daniel 4:24) that says that sins are redeemed through tzedakah. By giving tzedakah, one can push away the middas hadin and his aveiros will not be able to cause him harm.
However, one can only give tzedakah on weekdays. He cannot do so on Shabbos. Therefore, one must be very careful not to sin on Shabbos because if the middas hadin is aroused against him, he won’t have the merit of giving tzedakah to protect him.
Thus, Rashi says that one needs more urging in a place where there is “chisaron kis”, which is a reference to Shabbos, when one is missing “his wallet” and cannot give tzedakah. Therefore, he needs to be urged and encouraged not to sin on this day.
Zeal For a Korban Olah:
Sefer Olalos Efraim explains Rashi by quoting a story related in Talmud Yerushalmi (Maseches Terumos 8:4): Rebbe Yochanon’s goblet was once stolen from his house. On that day, his students asked him a question and he could not answer it. He told them, “The mind is dependent on the heart. If there is a loss of money, there is also a loss of wisdom.”
The same concept applies to the offering of a Korban Olah. The entire sacrifice is burnt on the Mizbeach and the kohanim get no part of it. Therefore, there is a concern that they will not be enthusiastic about offering it. For this reason, they need to be urged to do it.
Aroused to Teshuva by Small Problems:
The Skulener Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Noam Eliezer) explains Rashi by quoting the following maamar from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a:
Chazal say (Eruchin 16B): “What is the definition of tachlis hayissurim (the epitome of suffering)? Even if one sticks his hand into his pocket to take out three coins and he takes out two... (that is considered suffering).” This is hard to understand. How can such a small amount of inconvenience be called “the epitome of suffering”? How can needing to put one’s hand back into his pocket to take out one more coin even be considered suffering at all?
The Baal Shem Tov explains that the purpose of suffering is to arouse a person to do teshuva. It is meant to wake a person up and bring him to examine his ways so that he can rectify them. However, Hashem doesn’t want to cause a person a lot of pain. Therefore, He first sends a small discomfort, such as not immediately finding the correct amount of money in one’s pocket. If one takes it to heart and recognizes that this was not a coincidence, he will recognize that it is a sign from Hashem that he must rectify his ways. He will look into his past actions, see what needs to be fixed, and do teshuva for past sins. Therefore, he won’t need any more suffering, as the small discomfort has already served its purpose.
Unfortunately, most people do not take small inconveniences like this to heart and do not see them as signs to do teshuva. They merely think that they didn’t reach deeply enough into their pocket to take out the right amount of coins. The Skulener Rebbe says that this concept is hinted to by Chazal when they say that a person needs urging in a place of “chisaron kis”. When a person is “missing from his pocket”, meaning that he pulled out the wrong amount of coins, he should urge himself to see this is a Heavenly sign to do teshuva so that he won’t need any larger form of suffering.
Burning Within the Kohen:
It is related that the Chiddushei Harim zy”a was once testing his grandchildren on the Parshas Hashavua. When his grandson, the Sefas Emes zy”a, who was then a young boy, read the verse: “V’aish hamizbeach tukad bo”, he stressed the word “bo” (“in him”). The Chiddushei Harim asked, “In whom does the fire of the Mizbeach have to burn?” And the Sefas Emes answered, “In Aharon Hakohen. The holy fire must burn within the kohen himself.”
The meaning of this is that a Yid must have a fire of passion for avodas Hashem burning within him. However, it must remain “bo”, inside of him, and it should not burst out of him in a way that could harm others.
This idea is seen from the Gemara (Sukkah 28A) that says: “It is said that when Yonason ben Uziel would sit and learn Torah, any bird that would fly above him would be immediately burnt up.” The Sefas Emes asks that Yonason ben Uziel was a student of Hillel Hazakein. If this was the power of the student, the teacher must have been even more powerful. What would happen when Hillel learned Torah?
He answers that when Hillel learned, the birds that flew over him did not die. He was so strong that he was able to keep the burning fire inside of him, and it did not seep out to the outside.
Avoiding Causing Pain to the Workers:
It is said that the Rogatchover Gaon zt”l never personally took part in matzoh baking. Instead, he relied on upright Yidden that he knew to bake his mitzvos with utmost hiddur. He was once asked why he didn’t participate in the baking of the matzohs. Wasn’t the minhag of upstanding Jews for centuries to personally take part in this mitzvah and to oversee the baking to make sure it was done properly?
He answered, “If I go to the baking, I might notice some detail that may bring up a shailoh in halacha or that might contradict a detail in a Rambam. I would obviously ask for this part of the process to be changed, which might cause the workers to feel bad. But if I rely on others whom I trust to oversee the baking, I have the right according to halacha to depend on them. In fact, I am not really relying on them – I am relying on the Torah’s rule that I am allowed to trust them. Thus, I can fulfill the mitzvah l’mehardin without causing anyone any pain.”
A Mitzvah Without Shame:
Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld zt”l, Rov of Yerushalaim, would put a lot of effort into baking his matzohs with the utmost hiddur. One year, a member of his chaburah noticed that one of the workers was not fully paying attention while rolling out the dough. He said to Rav Yosef Chaim, “Should I scream at him?”
Rav Yosef Chaim replied, “Don’t do that. You certainly should not yell at a poor worker and cause him pain just because I want matzohs mehudar. I am ready to do all I can and to pay a lot of money for good matzohs, and I daven to Hashem to merit having the most mehudar matzohs, and I trust in Him to accept my prayers. But I don’t want matzohs mehudar if they come at the expense of another Jew’s pain!”
A Bit of Anger – A Bit of Chometz:
One year, during the baking of the matzohs, the Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz zy”a saw the foreman yelling at one of the workers for doing something wrong. As he yelled, he noticed that the Rebbe was looking at him disapprovingly. He started to defend himself by saying that he yelled at the worker for not being careful enough to make sure that the matzohs don’t become chometz. He added, “The prohibition of chometz is so severe that even a tiny amount is forbidden!”
The Rebbe replied, “Believe me, a tiny amount of anger is worse than a tiny amount of chometz!”
A Mitzvah That Comes Through an Aveirah:
Rav Yitzchok Shlomo Ungar zt”l, Rov of Chug Chasam Sofer-Bnei Brak related (in his Sefer Richumim B’Meshech), “I never once saw my mentor, the Vayaged Yaakov of Pupa zy”a, get angry besides for one time. There was a member of his kehillah who had a job of grinding flour for matzohs. There were some bochurim who wanted to make a few dollars who started to work for him grinding flour. He once was not happy with them because they weren’t working as fast as he would have liked, so he yelled at them, ‘You are lazy! Work faster!’
“When the Pupa Rov heard this, he yelled at him and said, ‘You are not permitted to spill blood to do a mitzvah. How could you scream like that at boys who spend their days learning Torah? How could such flour be used for matzohs?”
Silence for Shalom Bayis:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen (Parshas Tzav) relates that Rav Pinchos of Koretz zy”a would put much effort into baking matzohs that were extremely mehudar and were made with many chumros. He would harvest the wheat himself and then personally examine each kernel. Everything was done with extreme care and, it goes without saying, that the matzohs ended up costing quite a bit of money. Additionally, Rav Pinchos would distribute matzohs to the poor people of the city as Kimchah D’Pischa.
One day, a poor man came to his home to ask for matzohs. The Rebbitzen, who was very busy preparing for yomtov, accidentally gave him the mehudar matzohs that Rav Pinchos had made for himself. After the poor man left, she realized her mistake and did not know what to do. She decided that it was better not to cause her husband any pain, so she did not tell him what happened. Instead, she put other matzohs down on the table for the Seder.
When Rav Pinchos sat down for the Seder, Rav Pinchos immediately realized that the matzohs he was given were not the mehudar ones he had made for himself, but he didn’t say anything and conducted the Seder as if nothing was wrong.
A while later, a shalom bayis question came before Rav Pinchos. The husband related that his father-in-law ate “gebrokts” and he, therefore, did not want to eat in his home on Pesach. His wife, however, was very upset about this and felt it was insulting to her father. Rav Pinchos told the husband what had happened to his matzohs and said, “I knew those were not my matzohs but kept quiet for shalom bayis reasons. You also are permitted to remain silent and to give in for shalom bayis!”
Respect for Others:
After the Mahariyatz of Lubavitch zy”a came to America, he invited numerous people to eat in his house, including some who were not familiar with chasidishe customs. At one seudah on Pesach, a commotion broke out amongst the guests and the Rebbe asked what was wrong. He was told that one man, who did not know that chasidim were strict not to eat gebrokts on Pesach, had dipped his matzoh into his borscht. He said, “It is better for the matzoh to become red (by being dipped in the red borscht) than for a Jew’s to become red from embarrassment!”
Don’t Work Them Overly Hard:
My ancestor, Rav Mord’chele of Nadvorna zy”a, once built a mikvah taharah. He insisted that all of the digging and building be done by Jewish people, and a group of bochurim were appointed to dig the “bor” (pit for the water). He stressed that no bochur should be forced to carry a full bucket of sand on his own. Rather, a few boys should carry each bucket together. He said, “Mordechai does not want to transgress the prohibition of ‘lo sirdeh bo b’farech’ (making a worker work overly hard).”
Not Causing a Loss for Others:
Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l once came to Warsaw to visit the Chiddushei Harim zy”a. The Chidushei Harim greeted him with much honor, and news spread in the city that a great man had come to see the Rebbe and had been honored greatly.
When Rav Yisroel went to daven Minchah, the bais medrash was filled with chasidim who clamored to greet him and to see his face. However, they were surprised to see that he davened a very short Shemonah Esrei, finishing before most of the others.
Rav Yisroel saw that they were surprised, so he explained, “I saw that many workers stopped working and many storeowners closed their stores to come see me. It would be wrong to daven for a long time, as this would cause them a loss of money.”
It Is Better to be Mevatel Torah Than to Embarrass Someone:
The Maharsha writes (Sanhedrin 11A): “Bitul Torah is a serious sin but embarrassing a fellow Jew is much worse. It is better to be mevatel Torah than to embarrass another Jew.”
A Heavenly Revelation for the Maharsha’s Honor:
On this topic, it is appropriate to relate a story that happened with the Maharsha himself:
It is known that the Maharsha had long hair, which some people would laugh at. The reason for this was because he would tie his hair to a hook on the wall so that he would be snapped back awake if he fell asleep while learning.
Every night, the gabbai of the shul would lock the door and learn in the bais medrash by himself. One night, a tall man walked in and asked the gabbai where the Maharsha lived. The gabbai couldn’t understand how the man had come in through the locked door, but he gave him directions to the Mahrasha’s house, and the man left.
The next day, a second man walked in and asked the same question. Again, the gabbai couldn’t figure out how he had gotten in, but he also gave him directions.
On the third night, the gabbai checked to make sure he had locked the door – but he was shocked when a third man walked in and asked when the Maharsha lived.
The gabbai asked, “How did you get in?”
The man replied, “The first man was Shaul Hamelech. The second was Dovid Hamelech. I am Eliyahu Hanavi. We came to publicize how great the Maharsha is. In Shomayim, they value his Torah very much. He learns with extreme exertion and he doesn’t care if people make fun of him!”
Eliyahu Hanavi then said, “However, you should know that as soon as you tell people about this, you will have to leave this world.”
The gabbai decided to reveal what had occurred right away, and he would accept whatever happened to him. He gathered all of the city’s residents and revealed how much the Maharsha’s mesrias nefesh for Torah was valued in Shomayim. He said that the proof of this would be that he would soon pass away. And so it was.
ּופָׁשַ ט אֶ ת ּבְ גָדָ יו וְלָבַׁש ּבְ גָדִ ים אֲחֵרִ ים וְהֹוצִ יא אֶ ת הַּדֶ ׁשֶ ן אֶ ל מִ חּוץ לַּמַ חֲנֶה וגו', וְהָאֵ ׁש עַל הַּמִ זְּבֵחַ ּתּוקַד ּבֹו לֹא תִ כְ ּבֶה וגו' (ו, ד – ה)
And he shall take off his clothing and he shall put on other clothing and he shall take out the ashes out of the camp…and the fire on the Mizbeach shall burn on it, it shall not be extinguished. (6:4-5)
Remembering the Day of Death:
Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a (quoted by Sefer Pardes Yosef) stated that this pasuk contains a hint to the end of a person’s life. It can be read as follows: “He shall take off his clothing” – there will come a day when a person has to remove his earthly clothes, meaning that he will die. “And he shall put on other clothes” – he will put on his burial shrouds. “And he shall take the ashes to the outside of the camp to a pure place” – his body will be taken to a pure place, i.e., the cemetery. It will then ascend to Heaven, where the person will be judged and may be forced to go to the fires of Gehenim… “And the fire of the Mizbeach will burn…”
Removing and Putting on “Clothes”:
Rav Dovid Tzvi Chai zt”l, Rov of Chernigov, was a chasid of Rav Shmuel of Lubavitch zy”a (son of the Tzemach Tzedek zy”a), and he would often travel to meet with his Rebbe. One time, the Rebbe’s time of “yechidus” (private meetings) was taking very long. Rav Dovid Tzvi Chai, who had an important question to ask the Rebbe but had to return home that night, went into the room next door to the Rebbe’s room to wait for him to come out.
As he sat there, the Rebbe’s shamash came out. He had brought the Rebbe a fresh garment because the one he was wearing had become soaked with sweat. He asked the Rov, “Perhaps you know why the Rebbe is sweating so much? He was in yechidus for just one hour, but his garment is soaked through with perspiration!”
The Rov staid quiet and the shamash said again, “Why is he sweating so much?”
Suddenly, the door to the Rebbe’s room opened and the Rebbe appeared. He looked at his shamash and said, “I am dismissing you from your job. I will still pay you the full amount but you should go home now. Every week, I will send you your wages.”
He continued to say, “Why don’t you understand why I am sweating? Over the past hour, I had private meetings with 25 people. In order to give each person an appropriate answer to their question, I have to literally feel their pain. To do this, I have to remove my own clothing and put on theirs, so to speak. But when I have to give them an answer, I have to take their clothes back off because a person can’t give himself proper advice as he has too much personal bias. Therefore, I have to remove their clothes and put mine back on. This means that each time I am asked a question, I have to change my clothes twice. I had to that 25 times in an hour. Is it any wonder that I perspired so much?”
Clearing Room in One’s Heart for Avodas Hashem:
Sefer Ohel Yaakov explains this pasuk by saying that when the Torah says to remove one’s clothes, it is teaching us that one must shake off all of the frivolities of this world and then to allow kedusha to enter his heart. He explains with a moshol:
A simple villager traveled to a large city for business, and he succeeded in earning a nice amount of money. He wanted to return home dressed like a wealthy man, so he went to a tailor shop that sold expensive garments and picked out a fancy suit. However, when he tried to put it on, it would not cover his entire body. He turned to the proprietor and asked him why he had given him a suit that was too small. The man laughed and said, “The suit is exactly your size. The problem is that you are still wearing your old clothes. Before you put on the new fancy suit, you have to take off your old, worn-out clothes.”
So too, Hashem tells us to get rid of our old, mundane thoughts, and to sanctify ourselves with pure, holy thoughts. But when a person finds it hard to do this, he complains to Hashem and says that He is asking him to do something impossible. The truth is, however, that Hashem is not commanding us to do anything we can’t do. But if we want to accept to live a sanctified life, we first must remove our “old clothing”, meaning that we must get rid of our old, unsanctified way of life. We must first clear out our minds and hearts of frivolous thoughts, and we can then fill them with holy, sanctified thoughts.
אִם עַל תּוֹדָה יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ וְהִקְרִיב עַל זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָה וגו' (ז, יב)
If he is bringing it as a Todah, he shall offer, along with the today… (7:12)
Seeing Hashem’s Kindness in Times of Difficulty:
The concept of a Korban Todah can be explained with a moshol:
There was a man who raised an orphan in his home and took care of all his needs. Over time, the orphan came to feel completely at home in his benefactor’s house. He considered it like his own home, and he didn’t feel like he was the recipient of chesed for all those years.
One day, a poor man came to the door, and the homeowner gave him a nice donation. The man showered him with blessings before leaving. The man’s wife then asked, “We did this man one favor and he thanked us so much. Why is it that the orphan whom we raised in our home and took care of for so many years never thanks us?”
Her husband replied, “I know how to get him to thank us!”
He called the orphan over and said, “We took care of you until now and I am very thankful to Hashem for granting us the opportunity to do this great mitzvah. You are now an adult and you can take care of yourself. The time has come for you to leave our home and to become independent.”
The orphan was shocked to hear this, but he was forced to go out on his own and to try to support himself. However, he was not successful and he fell into poverty.
The homeowner saw this and accepted him back into his home. From then on, the orphan understood that he must be grateful to him. He knew that his benefactor didn’t have to support him, and he was only doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Therefore, he must express his appreciation to him.
The nimshol is that Hashem provides much chesed to every living being. He does so on a constant basis, which can cause a person to take it for granted and to fail to recognize that he must thank Hashem for all of His kindness. However, when a person faces a serious challenge, such as an illness, he comes to realize that his entire life is a gift from Hashem and that he is obligated to thank Him for every breath he takes. By sending a time of difficulty, Hashem reminds the individual that he must thank Him. Therefore, it is certain that if one constantly thanks Hashem for his constant chesed, he will not need to undergo pain and suffering.
Serving Hashem Even When One Cannot Understand His Ways:
It is related that the renowned chasid, Rav Gad’l Eisner zt”l, once met one of his close friends from the pre-war days. He was very happy to see him and asked how he was doing. His friend replied, “I am no longer the same person I was before.”
The cold, distant look on his face indicated that he had changed his name and way of life. He had been unable to withstand the unbearable challenges of the war years and had left the path of Torah and mitzvos.
Rav Gad’l tried to reach him by saying, “Who taught you to talk like this? Was it Hitler, yemach shemo?”
The man started to cry and said, “I lost my father and mother and my entire family. How am I supposed to understand this? How can I go on?”
Rav Gad’l allowed him to cry his heart out. After a few minutes, he began to comfort him and he said, “Do you understand how everything works? Do you understand, for example, how a radio works? Did you ever figure out how it’s possible that a person can talk in America and his voice can be heard in Warsaw? Although you don’t understand how it works, you still use it. That means that you can do something even if you don’t understand how it works. Therefore, you can serve Hashem even if you don’t understand how His plan works…”
Rav Gad’l did not see this man for years after this incident and he had no idea what happened to him. After he moved to Eretz Yisroel, he was once walking in Tel Aviv when a frum man riding a motorbike called to him, “Rav Gad’l! Rav Gad’l!”
The man whom he didn’t recognize told him, “Come with me. Get into the sidecar of the motorcycle.”
Rav Gad’l said that he didn’t even know how to get into such a low seat, and the man replied, “So what if you don’t understand. Do you understand how a radio works?”
Rav Gad’l suddenly recognized the man and was overjoyed to see that the words he had told him years earlier had such a profound effect and had brought him back to Torah and mitzvos. When Rav Gad’l told over this story, he was ecstatic that this Jew had turned his life around and had raised a frum family.
Until Now…And It Will Not Cease:
Sefer Zichron Tzadik related that the Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a once went to visit a sick man, whom he tried to encourage with his words. When he saw that the man was still feeling sad, he said, “Do you believe that Hashem has helped you until now (‘ad heina’)? So why can’t you believe that He will continue to help you (v’al titsheniu’)?”
These words succeeded in encouraging the man.
Every Penny is Decreed From Heaven:
The Kozhiglover Rov zt”l (Sefer Eretz Tzvi, Parshas Vayeitzei) writes the following astounding words regarding having emunah in Hashem at all times:
“Believing in hashgacha pratis is a mitzvas asei of ‘Anochi Hashem Elokecha’. One must believe that Hashem guides every detail of this world and no one can take for himself any drop of pleasure or honor that was not decreed for him on Rosh Hashanah. One cannot even take pleasure from a sin on his own – only if it was decreed that he would have this pleasure. If he had not done the sin, he would have gotten this pleasure is a permitted way. Thus, he used his free will to derive this pleasure from an aveirah instead.
“It is related that the Vorka Rebbe zy”a once collected money to purchase shoes for his shamash. He did this without the shamash’s knowledge. After he raised enough money to buy the shoes, the shamash stole it from him. The Rebbe told him, ‘You are so foolish! If you had waited a short while, you would have gotten the money in a permitted manner.’ We can learn from this story that even a thief cannot steal anything that wasn’t decreed for him to get. If he would have a bit of patience, he would get the money without committing a sin.”
The Poritz’s Salvation:
The following incredible story is related by Sefer Sichas Chaim (page 22):
The Rov of Ostilla had a daughter of marriageable age, but he didn’t have any money to marry her off. He decided to travel abroad to collect the money. Before setting off, he went to speak to Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a. As soon as Rav Meir shook his hand, he asked, “Who are you?”
The man humbly answered, “I am the son of the Rov of Ostilla.”
He meant to say that he was the son of the previous Rov of Ostilla. Rav Meir replied in a stern voice, “Ben Yitzhar, ben Kehas, ben Levi… But who are you?”
The man then answered, “I am also the Rov of Ostilla.”
Rav Meir asked, “What can I do for you?”
The Rov answered, “I need money to marry off my daughter.”
Rav Meir then raised his voice and yelled, “Does Meir have money? Meir has no money! The Poritz who lives nearby has money. Go to him!”
The Rov asked Rav Meir to at least be allowed to stay until after Minchah but Rav Meir screamed, “No! You can’t even daven Minchah with me.”
He ended up davening Minchah on the wagon as he traveled to the closest village to Premishlan.
When he got to the village, he heard the sound of crying. He sent his attendant to see what the matter was. The attendant was told that the Poritz’s wife was undergoing a difficult childbirth and the doctors had given up hope for her. The attendant went to the Poritz and said, “A great rabbi who is a miracle worker has just arrived in town. If you ask him to pray for you, I am certain that you will receive a salvation.”
The Poritz ran to the wagon and asked the Rov of Ostilla to pray for him. The Rov said, “You will have to pay me 300 gold coins for this. If you give me that amount, I guarantee you that she will give birth soon and both mother and baby will be healthy.”
The Poritz agreed and the Rov began to daven Maariv. He prayed excessively to Hashem and, as soon as he finished, he heard the news that a baby boy had been born and everything was fine.
The Poritz kept his word and gave the Rov 300 gold coins. The story spread and it became known that the Rov of Ostilla could perform wonders. People began to flock to him with kvitlach and money for pidyonos, and he easily collected enough to marry off his daughter. He now understood Rav Meir’s insistence that he leave immediately. He quickly went back to Premishlan to thank Rav Meir. This time, Rav Meir greeted him warmly and was overjoyed to see him.