A Timely Torah Message By Shaya Gross

  Parshas Tzav 5777

Thanks for the Pain

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.] 

In this week’s Parsha we have the halachos of the Korban Todah, which is an offering of thanksgiving that people are obligated to bring after being saved from danger. The Medrash on Tehilim tells us that there are two aspects of thanksgiving within this sacrifice.

What are these two aspects?
The Ksav Sofer explains that the person is obligated not only to thank Hashem for saving him from that danger, but to thank Him for being put into that situation of danger in the first place! This is because everything Hashem does is for our good even when it seems to be the polar opposite.

This is a major theme of the Pesach Hagadda as well. The three items we must discuss are Pesach, Matza, and Marror. As evident from the Pasukim, the Korban Pesach represents freedom, the Maror represents the bitter servitude, and the Matzahs represent the dichotomy of both the freedom and the servitude. Rabbi Yonah Sklare suggests that the symbolism of the ‘Seder Sandwich’ where we eat all three together (although unfortunately nowadays we don’t eat the Pesach) is that we are acknowledging that even the bitter servitude was for our good.

Let us all be reminded by the story of the Exodus, the story of the Megilla, and so many other stories throughout Klal Yisroel’s history where we WERE able to see the full picture, that there is ALWAYS a full picture where all the suffering is really unadulterated goodness from Hashem. May we merit to see the days of Moshiach when we will proclaim the bracha of Hatov Vihameitiv on bad events, acknowledging that everything we had to go through was one hundred percent for our benefit.