פרשת תצוה
There is a Yalkut Shimoni (365) which says that when Hashem commanded Moshe to construct the Mishkan, Moshe became very nervous that he would not be able to properly carry out Hashem’s instruction. Hashem therefore reassured Moshe by telling him that all he needed to do was carry out the instructions he had been given and to build the Mishkan with the exact measurements that were delineated, and upon its inauguration, God would “limit” Himself to dwell within those given dimensions.
R’ Chaim Kamil Zt”l, the former Rosh Yeshiva of Ofakim explains that given that God is limitless in all respects, Moshe was concerned that any physical structure he were to create would not be adequate to host the incorporeal creator who is only spiritual. Hashem therefore reassured Moshe that if he merely followed the instructions he was given, God Himself would take care of the “impossible” aspect of dwelling within the physical structure, and there was no need to be concerned about the unfeasible aspect of this commandment.
R’ Chaim continues to bring a Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Teruma which tells a parable of a king who had an exquisite painting in his home. He was so proud of this painting that he asked his household to duplicate this painting as best they could. The residents of the house were afraid that they would not be able to successfully capture the true beauty of the painting. The king reassured them that they needn’t worry. He told them, “You just begin painting with your materials, and I will worry about My honor if the painting doesn’t come out satisfactory.” Similarly Hashem commanded Moshe to build the Mishkan. Moshe was concerned that he would not be able to carry out this monumental task. Hashem reassured him that all he needed to do was try his best and Hashem would take care of the rest.
The message for us from all this is clear. When one embarks on the holy task of perfecting himself spiritually, he realizes almost immediately what a daunting task it truly is. To think that one has to concentrate on all nineteen blessings of the Shmoneh Esrei can be frightening. And then to consider that one has to do this three times a day is mind boggling. And then to reflect on the fact that one has to keep this up for the rest of his life might be enough to send a person running in fear. Yet this Midrash is teaching us that all we need to do is put in our best effort, and Hashem guarantees us that He will take care of the rest. He doesn’t expect us to produce more than we are capable of with the abilities that He Himself gave us. With this in mind, a person will not be so intimidated by the overwhelming amount of work that a Ben Torah must accomplish in his lifetime.
R’ Yechezkel Sornow, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva used to say that this trait of putting in one’s best effort, and relying on the Heavenly aid which is sure to come, is a fundamental belief in Judaism that has been instilled in us by our forefathers. The Gemorah in Shabbos (88) says that there was once a Sadducee who challenged Rava and said, “How could your forefathers at Sinai be so impetuous and foolish to accept the Torah without knowing what would be in it?” Rava answered him by saying that such is the way of love. We trusted fully in our Creator that He wouldn’t give us a burden we couldn’t carry.
R’ Yechezkel used to explain the response that Rava gave. Ostensibly, the Sadducee’s reasoning was rational and perhaps very easy to empathize with. Does it make sense to get involved in a business contract before one has heard out all the terms which are involved and has determined whether or not he can stand up to those terms? Anyone who does such a thing would certainly be considered irresponsible. Indeed, this was why when Hashem went around with the Torah to all the nations, they responded by asking what was in it to establish whether or not they felt they could successfully fulfill the terms that were within. After they heard the terms they evaluated their own strengths and determined that there was no way they could stand up to the demands of the Torah. Yet this kind of “rational” conduct was not what Hashem was looking for, hence they were not chosen. However the Jews had a completely different attitude. Their acceptance did not depend on what was in the Torah. They were willing to keep it despite the fact that they anticipated that its contents would probably be overwhelming, reasoning to themselves that they would try their best and that Hashem would surely help them to succeed. This attitude was exactly what Hashem was looking for and He chose the Jews to receive the Torah. R’ Yechezkel explained that we learn from Rava’s response to the Sadducee that the correct outlook that every Jew should foster is one where we attempt to do the best we can, and feel confident that Hashem will not lead us astray and that we will be successful in our service of Him.
R’ Yechezkel also applied this understanding to explain a difficult Mishna in Avos. The Mishna says that anybody whose actions are greater then his wisdom, his wisdom will endure, whereas if his wisdom is greater then his actions, his wisdom will not endure. R’ Yechezkel explains that this Mishna means to say that if a person’s actions are greater then their wisdom – meaning if they are performing better then they estimate with their wisdom that they can, such a person will succeed because God will help them to succeed. Whereas if a person only takes on projects that he estimates he can handle, ironically, he will not necessarily succeed in the end. This attitude is very encouraging for those of us who don’t feel that we were blessed with extraordinary talents. According to this understanding, all one needs to do is put in his best effort and trust in Hashem, and he is assured that he will succeed well beyond his modest abilities. Such is the way of Torah: A Jew must always accept upon himself the yoke of keeping and learning the Torah, even though it is extremely daunting and he doesn’t know how he can succeed, and he should feel confident that Hashem will help him immensely and he will emerge victorious.
May we all merit to put in our best effort and to fully trust in Hashem that He will help us to reach our potential!