None of us are gonna be sitting with tannaim or even gedolim of this dor or previous doros.
Thinking otherwise is a good way to feel good, but I think it’s just a pipe dream.
Gotta wake up to the reality that we’re nothing too special, and unless we are moser nefesh 1,000%, we’re screwed.
Every shmuze I’ve ever heard in Yeshiva definitely seems to support this.
I’m sorry, but I have to interject with the following:
״כיום בדורותינו הכה אפילים, אף אם כל מיעוט גדלותנו הננו צדיקים גמורים ... בן ישיבה כיום המתייגע היטב על תורתן של הגדולים אשר מדורות שלפנים ולפני פנים, ועם כל יגיעתנו ועדיין אינו עומד על דבריו של אותו גדול, אבל סוף כל סוף יתכן והנהו יותר גדול מן אותו הגדול עצמו. באמת כי אין ספק בזה, אלא שאי אפשר לדבר על זה כל כך, מן הדברים האלה עלולים עוד להתהוות בעלי גאווה ... אולם הלא ודאי הוא הדבר בחשך נורא כזה אשר לא יודעים אנחנו מה שאנחנה אחת בדורנו אנו יכולה לפעול למעלה ראשי. כיום, הנה בני ישיבה ודאי יתכן כי הם גדולים יותר מאלה הגדולים אשר מדור שלפנים.״
-דעת תורה מאמרים פרשת שלח
Loose translation: “Nowadays, we are in a darkness. And even if we are small in our greatness, we are still complete tzaddikim … A yeshiva man, today, who works hard on the Torah of the Gedolim from previous generations, and despite his efforts still cannot understand the words of the Gadol, it is possible that he is greater than the Gadol himself. In reality, there is no doubt about this, just we cannot discuss it so much since these words will cause us to become ba’alei gaivah … However, certainly even in this great darkness where we are, we have the ability to become the greatest. Nowadays, a yeshiva man certainly can become even greater than the Gedolim from the previous generation.” -Daas Torah Dissertations Parashas Shelach
Take a look at the words of Rav Yeruchem Levovitz, the late mashgiach of the Mir. Just because we are living in a different time than previous Gedolim does not diminish our ability to become great. As Rav Yeruchem says later in the piece:
“ובכלל, כל גדול נחשב תמיד רק לפי הזמן שבו נמצא.”
“Every Gadol is examined according to the time that he finds himself in.”
And this is not coming from a cute Chassidish vort. This is coming from the man who said that the reason Jews were being sent to concentration camps and the crematorium was because people stopped believing in Gehenom, so HKB”H brought it to this world. He’s not exactly the type to sugar coat anything. And if this was the case during his time (close to 100 years ago), imagine what it is in our time.
Next, let’s take a look at the words of the Arizal, from almost 500 years ago, who gives the reason for this:
״רבינו האר''י ז''ל כתב בשער הגלגולים (ירושלים תרכ''ח דף ס''ב ע''ב) וז''ל של רבי חיים ויטאל: שאלתי למורי (הוא האר''י ז''ל) איך היה אומר שנפשי למעלה כל כך כנזכר בשער הגילגולים באורך, והרי הקטן שבדורות הראשונים היה צדיק וחסיד שאין אני מגיע לעקבו?
ויאמר: דע - כי גדולת הנפש אינה תלויה כפי מעשה האדם, רק כפי הזמן והדור ההוא, כי מעשה קטן בדור הזה, שקול ככמה מצוות בדורות הראשונים, כי ''בדורות האלה'' הקליפה גוברת מאוד מאוד עד אין קץ, מה שאין כן בדורות הראשונים, ואלו היית שם באותם הדורות הקדומים, היו מעשיך וחכמתך נפלאים יותר מכמה צדיקים ראשונים.
אשר על כן שלא תצטער על זה כלל, כי בלא ספק יש ''למעשה קטן'' כיום, מעלה גדולה ממעשה גדול של צדיקים ראשונים מזמן התנאים והאמוראים.״
-ספר שבחי ר' חיים וויטאל
“Loose translation: I (Rav Chaim Vital) asked my Rebbe (The Arizal), how can my soul be so high, if the smallest of the previous generations was a tzaddik and chassid to the extant, that I don’t even reach his ankle?
And the Arizal Responded: You should know, that the greatness of a person is not dependent on the actions of the person, rather it is according to the times and generation. A small action in this generation is equal to many mitzvos of the earlier generations. This is because the “klippos” in our generations are much greater until no end, which did not exist in the previous generations. And if you lived in a previous generation, your actions and knowledge would be much more wondrous than many of the tzaddikim. Do not be disturbed about this at all. Without a doubt, a small action today, is much greater than the tzaddikim from the times of the Tana’aim and Amoraim.”
But in reality, we find this even by Chazal:
״וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (קהלת ז, י): אַל תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה ... אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה כְּתִיב (דברי הימים א יב, כח): וִיהוֹיָדָע הַנָּגִיד לְאַהֲרֹן, וְכִי יְהוֹיָדָע הָיָה נָגִיד לְאַהֲרֹן, אֶלָּא אִלּוּ הָיָה אַהֲרֹן קַיָּם בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל יְהוֹיָדָע, יְהוֹיָדָע הָיָה גָדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ בִּשְׁעָתוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי סִימָאִי כְּתִיב (דברי הימים א ו, לד): וְאַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו מַקְטִירִים עַל מִזְבַּח הָעוֹלָה וגו', וְכִי אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו קַיָּמִים, וַהֲלֹא צָדוֹק וּבָנָיו הָיוּ, אֶלָּא לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיָה אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו קַיָּמִים, צָדוֹק הָיָה גָדוֹל מֵהֶם בִּשְׁעָתוֹ ... וְרַבָּנָן מַיְיתֵי לָהּ מִן הָכָא (עזרא ז, ה): בֶּן אֲבִישׁוּעַ בֶּן פִּנְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֥ן הַכֹּהֵ֖ן הָרֹֽאשׁ וגו' הוּא עֶזְרָא עָלָה מִבָּבֶל, אֶלָּא אִלּוּ הָיָה אַהֲרֹן קַיָּם הָיָה עֶזְרָא גָדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ בִּשְׁעָתו.״
-קהלת רבה א:ד
Loose Translation: “The posuk says in Koheles (7:10) Do not say that the earlier days were greater than these. Says Rebbe Berechia: The posuk says in Divrei Hayamim I (12:28) “And Yehodaya was the ruler of Ahron.” (However Chazal Darshen the Hebrew as if it were read and Yehodaya to Ahron). Is it true that Yehodaya was opposite to Ahron (in greatness)? Rather, if Ahron was alive in the times of Yehodaya, Yehodaya would have been greater than him. Rav Simai says: The posuk says Divrei Hayamim I (6:34) “And Ahron and his sons offered Ketores on the Mizbeach.” However, were Ahron and his sons alive? Rather Tzadok and his sons were? Rather, it is to teach you that if Ahron and his sons were alive, Tzadok would have been greater than him … And the Rabanan learn this from this posuk (Ezra 7:5): “…son of Abishua son of Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the chief priest—" But Ezra was the one who went up from Bavel to Eretz Yisroel? Rather if Ahron was alive during the times of Ezra, Ezra would have been greater.” -Koheles Rabbah 1:4
Do you think that Ezra Hasofer, from the times of the Anshei Kneses Hagedolah, even slightly reached the level of Ahron Hakohen, who stood at Har Sinai? Yet, Chazal tell us that Ezra would have been greater if they lived during the same time.
I’m sorry for being so sharp, but your attitude towered this idea is complete sheker. I’m sure you went to great Yeshivos, but I don’t know how you can argue with Chazal, the Arizal, or Reb Yeruchem. We have the capability to become as great as the Tanaim and Amoraim, even in our dor. We are not “screwed” if we do not put in 1000% (although if you do, you probably will get the front seat in Olam Habah). We don’t have the minds or bodies of the previous dors. We are not going to be omed in every nisayon. There are going to be times when we are “on,” and other times when we are “off.” I’ve read through your thread. You’ve been omed in many situations that a majority of our dor would have fallen. You put more effort into these inyanim than most of our dor. How can you possibly beat yourself up with unrealistic expectations. It’s nothing more than the Yetzer Hara trapping you. And this is beferish in Rav Yeruchims Maamer from earlier:
״הטענה מן המאמרים ז״ל (אליהו רבא פרק כה) ״חייב אדם לומר מתי יגיעו מעשי למעשה אבותי אברהם יצחק ויעקב.״ טענה זו היא כהיום מתחבולות היצר להדיח בו את האדם, ולהבירו מני דרך עבודתו.״
Loose translation: “There are those that claim the maamer from Chazal: “ A person is obligated to say “When will my actions reach the actions of my father’s Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.” This claim, nowadays, is one of the tactics of the Yetzer Hara to remove a person from his path of service.”
I hope that I was not too harsh.
May you be zocheh to many years of shalom and harvacha.
Have a happy birthday!
