SMALL BUT PURE WINS THE RACE
Excerpted from the writings of my dear brother in-law, Rav Michoel Bodenheimer zt’l
There is a famous story which was told by Rav Shimon Schwab zt’l about his encounter with the great Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim, who was a Kohein, asked Rav Schwab if he was a Kohein or Levi, to which Rav Schwab answered that he was neither. The Chofetz Chaim proceeded to tell him why he and his ancestors were Koheinim and were chosen to serve in the Beis HaMikdosh and why Rav Schwab and his ancestors were not chosen. ”Moshe solicited the nation calling ‘All who are for HaShem come to me’ it was my grandfather who responded and not yours. The response to Moshe Rabbeinu’s call for action separated those who were to serve in the Beis HaMikdosh and those who would not serve.”
We must ask ourselves why, in fact, did all of the Jews not respond to Moshe? Out of 600,000 people only 3,000 people actually served the Calf, the rest did not. Why did they not respond to Moshe’s call? Furthermore, why should Levi’s response grant them the right to serve for the rest of history?
The Netziv explains that Moshe was soliciting people for the purpose of executing those who served the Calf. Those volunteering for this task were placing themselves in harm’s way. The ones being executed and their friends might retaliate and kill these volunteers.
There is a principle that one who is engaged in fulfilling a mitzvah is protected from danger. If, however, it is a risky situation where one can expect danger, the mitzvah will not protect him. At the same time, if the one performing the mitzvah is doing so with no personal gain whatsoever, then the mitzvah will protect him even in a dangerous situation.
Moshe was therefore calling upon people whose entire motivation was absolutely selfless with no personal interest. Only those people whose entire life’s drive was to fulfill HaShem’s Will and nothing else, would be candidates for this mission. Any other person, although he may be righteous, would nevertheless be endangering himself should he undertake Moshe’s mission.
Rabbeini Bachya writes in Chovos Halvovos how careful one must be that all his actions be done with the purest of intent for HaShem only. One should not perform mitzvos or learn Torah to become the greatest Rabbi, or to create the biggest Yeshiva. Those intentions detract from the value of the mitzvah. At the end of Shaar Yichud Hamaaseh he writes “it is better to exert all your energy to purify the intentions of your mitzvos rather than to do more mitzvos with less pure intentions. The few mitzvos that are pure have much value while the many mitzvos that lack pure intent have little value.”
Perhaps the reason for the Leviim’s role in the Beis HaMikdosh was because their response to Moshe indicated their purity of intent. As the Psalmist writes in Psalm 33 “Fear of HaShem is pure, it endures for eternity.”
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind