These men had become ritually contaminated, a status which precludes them from participating in the Korban Pesach. This was an epic spiritual experience from which they did not want to be excluded. So intense was their desire to participate, they petitioned Moshe Rabbeinu to somehow include them. In recognition of their nobility and unparalleled sheifah, aspiration/yearning for this mitzvah, Hashem appointed them to be the medium through whom He would reveal the new mitzvah of Pesach Sheini, which would be offered one month after the appointed time for Pesach. The normal course of the Torah was to issue mitzvos through Moshe Rabbeinu, but, because of these men’s extraordinary desire and striving to fulfill the mitzvah of Korban Pesach, Hashem made an exception and gave the mitzvah through them. Halachically, they had no basis for their appeal. Tamei, ritually contaminated, is tamei, a category with no room for negotiation. Yet, they refused to give in or give up. Their striving to fulfill a mitzvah earned them a special place in the Torah.
Often, the greatest barriers to achievement are self-imposed. A person either convinces himself that he is unable to succeed, or he is just too lazy or apathetic to make the attempt. When a person says, “I cannot,” it often reflects a mindset, rather than an actual limitation. He really is saying, “I refuse to leave my comfort zone and put in the effort.” In reality, human potential is far greater than we are willing to accept. Indeed, many of history’s accomplishments were achieved by people who simply refused to give up. They did not accept their perceived limitations. The moment we exchange “I cannot” with “I will try,” we open the door to growth, discovery, and success. By shifting the perspective and embracing the challenges that appear larger than they actually are, we often discover that we are capable of doing much more, or the insurmountable obstacle was really not that unconquerable.
The Klausenberger Rebbe, zl, once asked a close avreich, kollel fellow, to take care of something for him. The young man, of course, accepted the challenge, but the results were not to the Rebbe’s liking. When the fellow saw the Rebbe’s displeasure, he immediately remarked, “Next time, I will do everything possible to perform to the Rebbe’s satisfaction.” When the Rebbe heard this statement, he became somewhat agitated, “Be careful with your assurances! Do you for a moment have the slightest idea of what you are capable of achieving? Do you understand the commitment which you just took upon yourself? I am certain you did not think properly when you made that statement. I, too, never realized the extent of my strength until it was put to a test.” The Rebbe then related the following:
Even as a young man, the Rebbe’s fame as an extraordinary talmid chacham, scholar, spread throughout Europe, and students gravitated to his yeshivah from everywhere. His shiurim were far above the grasp of his students, but they came anyway with the hope that, with much review, they would understand. Veritably, just to bask in the presence of such a Torah giant was in and of itself an unprecedented experience. The Rebbe’s shiur was an experience. His brilliance, coupled with exceptional encyclopedic knowledge of all areas of Torah, worked together to present a tapestry of ideas, halachah, and profound svara, analytic logic, that was short of amazing. He like to read from his sources during the shiur. For this, he required the service of a strong student to bring him the various tomes from which he would be reading. Years ago, paper was heavy because the printing press was not as advanced as it is today. Sefarim were, by and large, heavy and bulky – too much for the Rebbe to carry – or so he thought. He wanted to do everything himself; his love for Torah was so intense he felt it an honor and privilege to personally carry and embrace each sefer. Because of its weight, however, he deferred to a student to provide the sefarim based upon his necessary citations.
Fast forward to 1944-1945 when the Rebbe was interned in the Nazi death camps where the first order of business for these fiends was to break, destroy and denigrate the Rabbanim. Once the leaders broke, the people would follow. As a towering and fiery leader, the Klausenberger Rebbe was a primary target. This occurred after the murder of his Rebbetzin and eleven children. The evil ones decided to have the Rebbe work on the construction crew, which meant carrying large cinderblocks on his shoulders up a hill for fourteen hours a day! Each cinderblock weighed between 75 and 85 pounds! The Rebbe did this all day! As he was trudging up the hill carrying this heavy weight, he looked back to his days as a Rosh Yeshivah when he felt lifting a Gemorah was too much! Now he was carrying four and five times as much. This is an indication that one never knows how much he is capable of doing when he must absolutely act to save his life.
This was the Rebbe’s message to the kollel fellow. We possess tremendous potential for achievement; often we are unaware of this potential until we are literally pushed against the wall and must shore up whatever strength we have to confront and triumph over challenges. A person should be very circumspect in making the statement, “I will do everything in my power,” because one has no idea of the power he is able to gather when he must. The Brisker Rav, zl, was wont to say, “Do not say, ‘I cannot’; say, ‘I do not want to try.’” Cannot is a way of saying, “I do not want to put in the effort,” or “I am afraid of failure, or “I do not believe in myself.” Indeed, the greatest failure is not the one who tries but is unsuccessful, but the one who never even bothers to make the attempt. Growth, success and achievement can be possible only when one is willing to take the plunge and take the first step. It is not up to us to complete the venture, but to start. The effort itself has value – even if one does not make it over the finish line. At least, he tried.
