Everlasting Kedusha!
At the end of this week’s Parsha following the Akeida, the Torah (כב:י״ד) tells us that Avrohom called the place of the Akeida “ה' יראה”. Rashi explains that Avrohom was proclaiming and davening to Hashem that He should choose this place - “הר המוריה” upon which to rest His Shechina and as a place to accept Korbonos in the future. Indeed, this became the place of both Botei Mikdosh with eternal Kedusha resting there, and even today, it’s forbidden to ascend the Mokom HaMikdosh, since in Golus, we are all considered to be Tomei.
The Sefer מקדש הלוי (ע״ו) makes a fascinating point. He asks, why was it as result of the Akeida, that Har HaMoriah attained such incredible levels of Kedusha and remained holy from then onwards, whereas Har Sinai, the place where Matan Torah took place and Hashem spoke directly to Klal Yisroel, didn’t retain any Kedusha once Hashem had left Har Sinai, and it’s permitted for us to venture up it? How do we understand the difference between these two mountains - Har HaMoriah and Har Sinai?
He answers because at the Akeida, Avrohom and Yitzchok were given an immense challenge, and despite the fact that it was such a great Nisayon, they nevertheless succeeded in overcoming it. This created Kedusha of such magnitude that it became ingrained into Har HaMoriah forever! However, Har Sinai was different, because although Hashem’s presence was there, since the Torah was given to Klal Yisroel as a gift, the Kedusha didn’t remain and it departed when Hashem left.
This gives us a glimpse into the tremendous power of putting real efforts into Avodas Hashem and the everlasting impact that this creates. The following story highlights the importance of this point too. There was once a great Talmid Chochom who was offered a position to become a Rosh Yeshiva and receive a beautiful building for his Yeshiva. He decided to consult with Rav Shach zt”l - very much expecting Rav Shach to gladly give him his Brocha. However, to his great surprise, after Rav Shach heard the proposal, Rav Shach told him to refuse. He asked Rav Shach, “Why? Isn’t this a wonderful opportunity - to become a Rosh Yeshiva and receive a beautiful building? What could be wrong with that?” Rav Shach answered, “Because a Yeshiva is built with Mesiras Nefesh, not with fancy buildings!”
The eternal Kedusha of the Mokom HaMikdosh came about due to the awesome Mesiras Nefesh of Avrohom and Yitzchok in doing the Akeida. This teaches us how in Shomayim, the real effort that we put into our Avoda together with the challenges that we overcome when doing so truly count and have the greatest impact eternally!
