A ליבבתיני Moment | Rabbi Yossi Schwartz

In Yerushalayim, in the 1940s, the heiliger Tzaddik, R’ Shlomke Zvhiller, was approached by a few Bochurim, who asked him to meet with their friend who was struggling with the Yetzer Hara, and, unfortunately, he had already given up. He had decided that he no longer wanted to fight anymore, he was no longer going to be religious. But they asked him to meet with the Tzaddik and he agreed. And so he goes in and he spends a few minutes with R’ Shlomke, and he comes out and indeed, slowly but surely, he changes his life around and ultimately becomes a ירא שמיים. And his friends asked him: What was it? What did the Tzaddik say that made such a profound impact on you? He said: The Tzaddik told me that I've always viewed it as if I have to overcome, I have to be successful, I have to win at this war, at this challenge. And he told me that all I have to do is realize that each Nisayon, anytime I overcome, in the Ribono shel Olam’s eyes, that's more חביב than the Avoda of all the Mal’achim. And even if a moment later and ten minutes later I fall again, that moment that I overcame, that struggle that I overcame, that lasts for all of eternity, that's real. In the Ribono shel Olam’s eyes, that's the most beautiful thing. You know, the pasuk says in Shir HaShirim, Shlomo HaMelech says, talking about the Choson, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and us, Klal Yisroel, Hashem says to us: You have captured my heart with one of your eyes. And the Medrash in Shir HaShirim asks, Why just one of our eyes? What happened to our other eye? The Medrash says that this pasuk is referring to Matan Torah. When Hashem gave us the Torah, we were like a Choson and Kallah, we were looking at Hashem. But, says the Medrash, we were only looking with one eye, because we had one eye already on the עגל. With one eye, we were already planning that horrible, horrible sin that we were ultimately going to do. And yet, says the pasuk, Even though with one eye we were already looking away, Hashem says: Despite that, ליבבתיני. Despite that, you captured my heart and I feel such love to you, אחותי כלה. R’ Nachman says in שיחות הר”ן, he says: We see from here an unbelievable Yesod. When a person is able to, in one moment, for one moment, overcome, hold onto their Kedushah, even if in the back of their mind they know that a minute later, ten minutes later, they're going to fall, it's going to happen, says R’ Nachman: It doesn't matter. That moment is real. That moment is a ליבבתיני moment. And Hashem says: Even though it's only אחת מעינייך, but in this moment you were able to be strong, in this moment there was a moment of Yichud, to me, that's unbelievably precious. And I think R’ Shlomke of Zvhil and R’ Nachman are not just giving us Chizuk, but they're giving us an עצה, they're giving us a practical strategy. In a moment of Nisayon, we have to realize that we're not just turning away, we are turning towards. We are turning towards Hashem Yisborach. And it's a moment of closeness, a moment of Yichud, a moment of אחותי כלה. And therefore, what we should do in that moment is talk to Hashem, and tell Hashem: Hashem, I'm doing this for You. You know how hard this is for me, but I love You, and I know how much You love me. Hashem, I'm doing this for You. And please, make it a little bit easier next time. Give me the strength to overcome again. And You know, once You’re at it, Ribono shel Olam, maybe help me out with Parnassah a little bit, make life just a little bit easier. Because there's anything that the Kallah will ask of the Choson that the Choson will say no? Even though it's only באחת מעינייך, even though we're thinking: Yeah, but I know five minutes later what's going to happen, it doesn't matter. Zogt the Ribono shel Olam: ליבבתיני, you have captured my heart. And with that, when we're able to hold on, with that, Ribono shel Olam will taka show us a time of ותחזינה עינינו, when with both of our eyes we’ll be able to look at Hashem Yisborach, and He will tell us how He has never taken His eyes off of us.