A person can follow all the rules, do all that is expected of him; yet, without that special blessing, that prayer, that everything he has done find favor in the eyes of Hashem, it could all be for naught. Klal Yisrael had done it all, executed everything in accordance with the direction of Moshe Rabbeinu; still, the Shechinah, Divine Presence, had not reposed upon the Sanctuary. Something was missing. Only after they received the blessing of Moshe and Aharon did the work achieve fruition, and Hashem’s Shechinah reposed on the Mishkan.
One can have the correct and proper intentions; his goals may be lofty and noble, but he still requires a blessing that his endeavor will increase kavod Shomayim, the glory of Heaven. Throughout the millennia, the gedolei Yisrael, Torah giants, would pour out their hearts in profound weeping when they established a makom Torah, a place which would serve as a bastion of Torah study. They prayed for its success, because they knew that, without the Heavenly blessing, their work would be rendered futile.
Horav Ephraim Zalmen Margolis, zl, established a yeshivah in his city, Brody, which was in the Lvov district of (then) Austria/Poland. While it was a good yeshivah, it nevertheless did not achieve the fame or success that was enjoyed by Yeshivas Volozhin. Once, Rav Ephraim Zalmen met Horav Chaim Volozhiner, zl, founder of the Volozhiner Yeshivah. After comparing notes, he asked Rav Chaim what could be the reason that the success of his yeshivah was limited.
Rav Chaim asked him, “What did you do on the day that the yeshivah was dedicated? How did you celebrate the milestone event?”
“We arranged a large, festive meal, accompanied by a band and much sensation and festivity,” replied Rav Ephraim Zalmen.
“When we dedicated the Volozhiner Yeshivah,” Rav Chaim said, “we decreed a fast and recited Selichos, accompanied with great emotion and weeping. Indeed, anything for which tears is part of its foundation will endure.”
When the Ponevezer Rav, Horav Yosef Kahaneman, zl, laid the foundation stone for the Yeshivas Ponevez in Bnei Brak, he was suddenly overcome with extreme emotion, and he broke down crying. Everyone in attendance was moved by this expression of emotion. The Chazon Ish, zl, told him, “When one initiates a Torah project with liquor and sweets, there is a question of whether it will succeed or not. When one ‘sows with tears,’ he is assured that he will ‘harvest with joy.’” Tears are the guarantee of success, because it is an indication of the sanctity of the project.
