You are Promoted to the Major Leagues

0:00This Torah class is brought to you by Torahanytime.com. There's a saying, greatness is not measured by how higher person stands, but what he is willing to give up in order to climb even higher. True greatness is when a person is willing to surrender honor and status for the sake of the truth. The Torah tells us, he is right when out to the midbar to meet Moshir Rebeno. The Torah emphasizes that he is right to the midbar. What was that detail necessary? Sir Ash explains that this emphasis is to praise Israel. Even though he was coined midion, he was sitting at the height of honor in his own land. He was bechvoido shil oilam, surrounded by prestige and status. He gave it all up to join Klai Israel and learn Torah in the midbar. But the question is, was Israel really living in honor? Khazal tell us that after Israel rejected a voy de Zara and publicly renounced the adultery, the people of midion turned on him.

1:01He was ostracized, he was persecuted, he was mocked. So we was his honor. So the Khadu Shariaim says something very profound. It's true that in the eyes of the people, Israel may have lost the status. But in Shemaiam, Israel was sitting at the pinnacle of honor. Among all the nations of the world, he was the rear non-Jew who recognized Hashem. He was the only one who saw through the falsehood of every form of voy de Zara and rejected it entirely. He was unique. Bechvoido shil oilam, not in midion in Shemaiam. And Israel understood something even deeper. The moment he would join Klai Israel, that uniqueness would disappear. He would no longer be the lone individual standing above every other non-Jew. He would no longer be the exception. He would become one of many. Another Jew learning Torah, another voice in the crowd. Israel knew that coming to the midbar meant giving up not only comfort, not only position, but even his spiritual distinction.

2:04He was surrendering his exclusive stature for the sake of the MS. That was Israel's true greatness. He was willing to be less unique in order to be more true. What a beautiful idea. So often alive, a person hesitates to grow. Not because growth is impossible, but because growth is threatening. Where he is right now, he feels successful. He feels respected. He feels accomplished. So he will not move to a new neighborhood or to a different city, where it might be better suited to raise his family, because deep inside he fears that moving forward will mean starting again from the bottom. So he chooses comfort over growth, honor over truth, familiarity over greatness. Sometimes a person asks, why am I struggling so much? I'm doing the right thing. I'm a good person. I'm keeping mitzvah, I'm growing. I'm doing rats nashem. Why is life getting hotter?

3:04And the answer is, because you are doing everything right, you already mastered the minor leaks. You're hitting home runs against pitches throwing 75 miles an hour fastballs right down the middle. You're succeeding, we are comfortable. But then nashem says, let me move you up to the major leaks. Now, the fastballs are faster. The curve balls are sharper. The pressure is enormous. The margin for error is smaller. Hashem isn't punishing you, he's promoting you. He wants to see, when money is tighter, will he still give Zedaka? When your schedule is packed, we add a long, exhausting day at the office. Will he still go out to his share? When life feels heavier, will your mooner remain strong? He is where he could have stayed when he was. He was coin midion, a prince in his world, a man who had already reached the summit of a spiritual journey as a Nanjou. He could have said, I made it. Why risk everything now?

4:04But Israel refused to remain in the comfort of the status quo. He chose the midbar. He chose uncertainty. He chose a hotter leak. He was coin midion, but he really wanted to be known as Hashem's mission. And that is our message. True greatness is not staying where it's comfortable. True greatness is having the courage to move up. Even when it means giving up honor and security and prestige. Because only those who are willing to leave the peak they're already reached are worthy of climbing and even higher mountain. And now we know. Have a wonderful day. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by Torahanytime.com.