Sacrificing Our Soul | Rabbi Zev Smith

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Vayimaen’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

The Medrash tells us, when the Beis HaMikdash was burning, there were Kohanim that were so distraught that they jumped into the fire. Evidently they couldn't bear living without the Beis HaMikdash. R’ Chatzkl Levenstein commented, That's not a Chiddush. The Chiddush is, How did the other Kohanim go on living without a Beis HaMikdash? But perhaps we could suggest that those Kohanim understood that there’s an Avodah that’s greater than in times of the Beis HaMikdash. And that is the Avodah in the darkness of Galus. The Ramban was forced to debate with the non-believers, and the Ramban was asked a very painful, very spiteful question. Who do you think you're fooling? We know the truth. There was a temple. There were sacrifices. But today there's none of the above. Of what value is your service? And the Rambam responded, When I do my service amidst the ridicule and the persecution of the nations, אני עושה עולה לאלוקים מגופי.

Jump to a moment

1. 0:05The Medrash tells us, when the Beis HaMikdash was burning, there were Kohanim that were so…
2. 0:38The Ramban was forced to debate with the non-believers, and the Ramban was asked a very…
3. 1:08By our self-sacrifice to do the Ratzon Hashem in such utter darkness, that's a more meaningful…
4. 1:39and someone mentioned the word Bris Milah, and this 17-year-old boy says: What is that? He…
5. 2:09I’ve waited 17 years, I'm not waiting another day. He had five of his friends hold…
6. 2:40I'm convinced our lives in the Galus are the greatest Korban. When so much of our…
7. 3:10אוי ס׳גוט צי זיין א איד Oy, it’s good to be a Jew.…

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