Mussar Drosha: Vayechi

מוּסר דרשׁה: ויחי:

This parsha is Vayechi, and in it, Yaakov Avinu’s life was coming to an end.  And he got an illness, as we know, before he passed away (which is a discussion in and of itself).  So, the Torah tells us about how it was said to Yosef HaTzaddik that Yaakov Avinu was ill, and he came to him with his two sons.  And the Torah also tells us that Yaakov Avinu was told that Yosef had come with his two sons.  The verse says ‘Vayischazeik Yisroel, vayeishev al hamitah/And Yisroel strengthened himself, and he sat up on the bed.’

Now, as we know, we are all Yisroelim, i.e. Jews.  We are all a Yisroel.  And every day, if Hashem wills it, we wake up in the morning and get up to start our day.  But sometimes it can be hard to get up at a certain time - or get up at all, Rachmana Litzlan.  Like HaRav Shlomo Ganzfried zt”l writes in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Siman 1; Se’if 4):  

“Therefore, a person must strengthen himself like a lion, and, immediately upon awakening from his sleep (and having said Modeh Ani etc.), he should arise with alacrity for the Service of Hashem, may He be Blessed and Exalted, before the Evil Inclination overcomes him with arguments and excuses not to arise.  And he (the Yetzer Hara) will approach him with cunning to convince him in the winter (by saying):  ‘How can you arise so early in the morning, when the cold is great?’ And during the summer, it will convince him (by saying):  How can you arise from your bed when you have not yet had your full measure of sleep?’, or with similar arguments.”

But nevertheless, we still arise and begin our day!!  We might not realize it, but just sitting up in our bed to arise for our Service and overcoming the Yetzer Hara to stay in bed is so great and so beloved to Hashem!  Just that!  And we can learn this from the verse which we quoted above: ‘Vayischazeik Yisroel, vayeishev al hamitah/And Yisroel strengthened himself, and he sat up on the bed.’  When a Yisroel (a Jew) just sits up in their bed – getting ready to arise – it requires strengthening!  

And in Hashem’s eyes, it is so great!  But from where do we see how beloved it is to Hashem?  How does the Torah teach us this?  And the answer, I believe, is that just by listing the verse we have been quoting it teaches us this:  Only very important things are listed in the Torah, as we know.  So Yisroel strengthening himself and sitting up in bed obviously is very important!!  The same goes for everyone..... Every Yisroel. 

Everything good (and in preparation for good) is so beloved in Hashem’s eyes.  This is something to think about…. Tomorrow morning, when we wake up, may Hashem will so, let us take the time to think about how great it is to Hashem every little thing we do – including just sitting up in our bed to arise.  

Some people, Rachmana Litzlan, think that they and their actions are insignificant in Hashem’s eyes.  But this is not true.  Hashem loves His entire People and every “little” good thing that we do.

And there is a wonderful story that illuminates this matter very nicely quoted in the book Four Chassidic Masters (by Rebbe Avraham J. Twerski M.D. shlita): ‘When the Baal Shem Tov heard a maggid (itinerant preacher) rebuking the people for what he felt was laxity in observance of Torah, he said, “Do you not realize – when a Jew comes home, exhausted from a hard day’s work, and says, ‘Oy!  It’s just a few minutes before sundown’, and prays Minchah [the afternoon service] – do you not realize that the Heavenly Angels tremble from the holiness of that prayer?”’

My Bracha to the entire Jewish Nation is that we should always do more things that are beloved to Hashem and He should help us do so, Amein vi’Amein.

(This Dvar Torah is dedicated to all who need yeshuos - in any way.  May the learning from this be a zechus for them, Amein).

Have an awesome Shabbos full of Kedusha!