Under the Lantern | Rabbi Elchonon Jacobovitz

Officially, Avi was a student at Ponevezh Yeshiva, but everybody knew he didn't really belong there. When everybody else was in Beis Medrash, he was in the dorm. When everybody else was learning Gemara, he was analyzing Yediot Achronot, the secular newspaper. But somehow he made it through, and eventually, he even got engaged. Before his wedding, he went through the motions, like everyone else, and he went into the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shach, to get a blessing for his new home. But Rav Shach didn't just bless him. Rav Shach made a request. He said: You know, over here in Bnei Brak, most people are stringent not to use the public electricity. There's Shabbos generators on every corner. But you're moving to an out-of-town city, and over there, there are no generators. So instead, those who are stringent have to use kerosene lanterns. It's hard, but I want you to promise me that even though you're moving out of town, you're not going to use public electricity. You're only going to use lanterns, like the Chazon Ishniks. The groom agreed, Rav Shach gave him a blessing, and the groom leaves the room. As soon as he leaves the room, the Gabbai turns to Rav Shach and says: Rosh Yeshiva, I don't understand. Doesn't the Rosh Yeshiva know this Bochur? This is a Bochur who needs to worry about being stringent on electricity on Shabbos? This is a boy who reads Yediot. You're talking to him about stringencies? So Rav Shach said: Yeah, that's exactly the point. If I would tell him to stop reading Yediot, do you think he would listen? Of course not. But instead, I told him something else. I told him to view himself as someone who is stringent, as a Chazon Ishnik, as a special person. And I promise you that if he does that, under that lantern he won't be reading Yediot. In the old days, brute force may have worked. we were strong enough to just say no. But at this point, we're weak, we're soft, we’re vulnerable. We're like a Ben Zekunim [a son of one’s old age]. And Yaakov Avinu knew that for a Ben Zekunim you need a different approach. And he made for him a coat of many colors. He made his Ben Zekunim, his young one, his soft one, a beautiful garment. He made sure that Yosef felt special, felt dignified, felt elevated, so that when temptation would come, he would feel that it's below his dignity to fall for it. And when the time came, that's exactly what happened. He lost the actual coat of many colors, and therefore, the wife of Potiphar grabbed him by his undignified garment. And she grabbed him by his garment. And tried to convince him that he could be doing this sin. But Yosef remembered his coat of many colors, he remembered that he was something special, and he reminded himself that he was better than that. Chazal say that he told himself, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is accustomed to choosing from the beloved members of my father’s house for sacrifice. The Ribono shel Olam takes sacrifices from my family. He took Yitzchak as a sacrifice. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is accustomed to revealing Himself to the beloved members of my father’s house at night. I come from a family of prophets. I can't do this. It's below my dignity. And that is what saved him. My friend drives the Van Wyck Expressway every day, and anybody who drives the Van Wyck knows that there are signs telling all trucks to exit because of the low overpasses. But one day, right in front of him, there was a truck that didn't listen and smashed right into the overpass and got stuck underneath. And he told me that he saw the driver get out of the truck and he hears him saying to himself, I can't believe I got stuck. I didn't realize how big I was. We need to remember how big we are. So go get yourself a coat of many colors, take on a stringency, put on a gartel, buy yourself a beautiful pair of glasses. Do whatever it takes to build your self-image up in your own eyes. And then when temptation comes knocking, don't tell yourself how big the sin is. Tell the sin how big you are.