Illuminating the Darkness | Rabbi Zev Smith

There was once a rumor of a magical machine. They would put in lead and it would transform it into gold. Of course, that doesn't exist. But we Yidden have something very similar, and that's a moment of greatness. When a person is faced with a challenging moment and he rises to the occasion, that's taking nothing and turning it into נצחיות, into eternity. Chazon Ish once said, We talk with great awe about a צדיק יסוד עולם. This is the foundation of the world, this great Tzaddik. But there's someone in a challenging moment, no one will know if he succeeded or succumbed to the Yetzer Hara, and when he rises to the occasion, in that moment, he's a צדיק יסוד עולם, because he did something that's purely for the Ribono shel Olam. Our problem is we underestimate those moments. We hear so much about the bad, bad, bad, about when someone falls prey to the Yetzer Hara, but do we hear about the good, good, good of someone that experienced a sweet victory, when he enjoys another Vayimaen moment? R’ Chaim Vital once asked his illustrious Rebbe, the Arizal, You always tell me how great my actions are. I don't come close to the previous generation’s great Tzaddikim. And the Arizal said: You're making a mistake. Greatness is not measured by actions. It's by the time in history that the greatness is achieved. And then he said, and I could almost quote the language of the Arizal, In our times, when the קליפה גוברת מאוד מאוד, when טומאה is just growing uncontrollably, and you do the right thing, you exceed the greatness of previous generations. I wonder what the Arizal would say to us, living in the world we live in. The world has given new meaning to the קליפה גוברת עד מאוד מאוד, and how cherished it is when someone experiences another moment of being a צדיק יסוד עולם. There's a well-known Chazal, When Moshiach will come, he will cry out, You humble people, it's time for the Geulah. If you don't believe in me, look at the light that's illuminating from you. And the question is obvious. If a Jew doesn't believe in Moshiach, he’s an אפיקורוס. Why do you call him the title of an עניו? Ask the average person, Do you believe Moshiach will come? Certainly, but not in our generation. Look what's going on in the world around us. But Moshiach will come and he’s going to turn to us and say, ענוים, you underestimated your potential. You underestimated your contribution to history. You live in the darkest period of Galus and your Mitzvos, like the Arizal said, lit up the world. You underestimated your contribution. ואם אין אתם מאמינים you don't believe in yourselves, ראו באורי שזורח עליכם, look at the light that you are creating in this most intense darkness of Galus, a light that only you could achieve. That is what we have to hear. It is our Shmiras Einayim that will bring the long-awaited אורו של מלך המשיח במהרה בימינו, אמן.