Parshas Tzav – Investing in Our Yiddishkeit
This week’s Parsha begins with Hashem instructing Moshe Rabbeinu, “tzav es Aharon,” to command Aharon regarding the halachos of the korban olah. Chazal explain that Hashem used the unique expression “tzav,” a word which highlights the need for focus on importance and alacrity specifically by the korban olah. Unlike other korbanos, where the person offering (makriv) would benefit from the korban by eating from it, the olah was fully consumed, causing him a “loss of money.” This Chazal highlights the challenge we have of separating from our money even to do mitzvos and the need to be mechazaik ourselves to do so. Tzadikim throughout the generations have developed themselves to overcome this difficult challenge.
The younger brother of The Vilna Gaon lived in a faraway city and would periodically travel to Vilna to come learn with The Gaon. When asked why he exerts himself to go back and forth and not just move to Vilna, he explained with the following backstory:
It was Erev Sukkos, and there were no esrogim to be found in the city. Saddened by the thought of not having an esrog for Yom Tov, he and his wife made one last trip to the market to perhaps find one for sale. To their surprise, they found one, but it was being sold for a tremendous amount of money, way more than they could afford. Without hesitation, the wife went to borrow funds to pay the merchant and made their house collateral for the loan. A beautiful Sukkos passed, and it then became more clear that they wouldn’t be able to pay the loan back and would need to leave their house. They left their house and moved into a smaller one nearby. However, when the wife of the brother of the Gaon would pass by their old house, she would stop and become overwhelmed with emotion, not from sadness but from the joy of having merited to do this tremendous mitzvah. This was the reason the brother of the Gaon didn’t want to move to Vilna because he didn’t want to take that simcha away from his wife each time she passed the house!
When we have the right perspective of the value of a mitzvah, we can overcome and grow closer to Hashem.
HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOS!
Rabbi Anton
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