25 Nov TOLDOS: HASHEM CHOOSES THE TESTS

Reb Nota Zenwirth
zt’l once came to the
beis medresh with a
broom and announced
that he was waving a
lulav.
They looked at him
queerly. Why was he
calling a broom a lulav?
He explained, “I took a
lulav on Succos because
it was Hashem’s will.
Now, it is Hashem’s will
that I take a broom and
clean up the beis
medresh.” (Dirt in the beis medresh made it
impermissible to daven there.)
This is because we don’t always choose our
avodas Hashem. It is what Hashem wants it
to be. People have ideas of what their avodas
Hashem should be, and if it isn’t as planned,
they feel that they can’t serve Hashem.
Actually, Hashem gives us the tests and
circumstances, and we must pass the tests,
no matter what is thrown our way.
Someone admired and loved the king of his
country. One day, he told the king that he
wanted to serve him and would do whatever
the king asked.

The king replied, “I have all the mayors and
officials I need for my kingdom. The only
thing I need is someone to stand guard in the
sewer outside the palace.”
The man backed out. That wasn’t the type
of service he had in mind.
The nimshal is when we say the Shema in
the morning, we pronounce Hashem king
and proclaim that we are prepared to serve
Him. But then Hashem sends us a test, a
situation, and we might say, “This isn’t the
type of avodas Hashem that I planned on.”
But it isn’t up to us to decide. We do
Hashem’s will with loyalty and with
devotion.
Rebbe Zusha of Anipoli and Rebbe
Elimelech of Lizhensk zt’l were once in
prison, and there was a toilet in the room,
preventing them from davening and learning.
Rebbe Elimelech was very upset about that.
It was hard enough being in jail, and now
they couldn’t even daven or learn there!
Rebbe Zusha explained to his brother that
there was no reason to be upset. “We can
now perform the mitzvah of not learning
Torah and not davening when there is
something impure in the room.”
Rebbe Elimelech agreed, and they danced
joyously around the toilet bucket. They were

happy they could do Hashem’s will.
The guard heard the singing and dancing
and ran to see what was happening. He said,
“Oh, so it is the bucket you are so happy
about,” and he took it away. Now, they were
able to learn and daven, as well.
On the night of the Seder, a young grandson
of Rebbe Yochanan of Tolna zt’l found a
bottle of beer (it was stored away and sold
for Pesach). The boy took the beer and
brought it into the room where the Seder was
being held. The family was horrified.
“Chametz in our home, at the Seder?!”
Rebbe Yochanan saw things differently. He
told his grandson, “Chazal say that when one
finds chametz in his home on Pesach, he
should cover it with a utensil. Thank you, my
dear grandson, for giving me the opportunity
to fulfill this statement of Chazal once in my
life.”
It wasn’t the type of service that most
people want on Pesach, but if this is Hashem’s
will, we perform it joyfully.
Why were Yaakov and Eisav twins? The
Ritvah (Hagadah shel Pesach) explains that
when you ask someone, “Why don’t you
serve Hashem as that person does? Don’t
you see he serves Hashem much better than

you do?!” The person will generally respond,
“How can you compare us? Do you know
who his parents are? If I were born to his
parents, I would also be like him.”
Here we have Eisav and Yaakov. They were
born to the same set of parents and at the
same time, so they had the same mazal, and
yet Yaakov became Yaakov Avinu and Eisav
became Eisav harasha. It isn’t the situations
that make you great, but rather your choices.
When you pass the tests that Hashem gives
you, you will reach the highest levels.