Rav Mottel Slonimer, zt”l, writes (Ma’amar Mordechai p.342) that sometimes it seems impossible to overcome the Yetzer Hara and to change one’s ways, and indeed it is impossible without Hashem’s help. However, if we only try, then Hashem will help us.
He notes the following story: Two Tzadikim once made a pact with each other that whichever of them passes away first would come to his friend in a dream and tell him what happened in his judgment in Shamayim. A while later when one of the Tzadikim was Niftar, as promised, he soon afterward came to his friend in a dream to reveal what had happened to him.
He said, “When the court reviewed all my deeds, they saw that everything was perfect except for one Aveirah that I had, and that was the sin of taking a bribe.”
He explained, “Once, when I was serving as the head of the Bais Din, one of the people involved in the case I was judging placed money into my pocket without me knowing about it. I later found the money but I didn’t know that it was related to the court case from earlier, and I used it assuming it was money that I had placed there and forgotten about.
“For this, I was told that I would need to go to Gehinom to be cleansed, but I told the court that I didn’t want to go there, so instead, they brought me to a very large building. They told me that instead of going to Gehinom, I would have to demolish this building, and they handed me a small hammer to use. They said, ‘Tear down this building with the hammer, and when you finish, you will go straight to Gan Eden.’
“I was devastated. It seemed that I would be working on knocking down the building for many years, as it was a very large building and I only had a small hammer to work with. But then I thought to myself, ‘Didn’t I wear a Talis and Tefilin every day during my lifetime, and learn Torah and keep all the Mitzvos, only because I chose to do Hashem’s will?
“Well, right now, it is Hashem’s will that I break a large building with this small hammer. If so, what is there to be upset about? This is the will of Hashem, and I will do it with joy— even if it will take me many years to accomplish! With a heart full of Simchah, I raised the hammer and hit the building with all my might, and to my great astonishment, the entire building collapsed! I was then swiftly brought to my place in Gan Eden.”
Rav Mottel Slonimer teaches that this reminds us that at times it can seem like it will take forever to change ourselves, but we only just need to put up a little fight with the Yetzer Hara. Things may only seem impossible, but they aren’t. It is very likely that one strong blow against the Yetzer Hara will topple him, and we can grow into the person we have set out to be!
Reprinted from the Parshas Bereishis 5786 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
