A Vort From the Rebbe Parshas Ki Savo, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro - 5786

A word from the Rebbe on this week's parsha, parshas Ki Savo. Parshas Ki Savo, we learn about the mitzvah of bikurim. And the Torah says that when a person brought bikurim to the Beis Hamikdash, there were certain psukim he would have to say. Amongst the psukim, we find the words "Vayeired Mitzrayimah." That Yaakov Avinu went down to Mitzrayim. In the Haggadah, this is mentioned. And in the Haggadah, it explains, what does it mean "Vayeired Mitzrayimah?" He came down to Mitzrayim "onus al pi hadibur." He was forced by the words of Hashem. That means he really didn't want to go, but Hashem told him, so he was forced to go. But the Rebbe asks the question, how come we say that Yaakov Avinu felt forced to go if Hashem told him to go? Yaakov Avinu, for sure, anything Hashem told him to do, he would do it. We would call it "besimcha uv'tuv levav" with the greatest joy. He wouldn't feel forced. He'd be the happiest person to do something that the Eibershter told him to do. So, how do the two things fit together? That he went because the Eibershter told him, and nevertheless, he felt onus. He felt forced. That he really wouldn't like to go there, and he wouldn't like to be there, but he was forced. But he did it because Hashem told him to. So, for sure, he was happy about it. And the Rebbe explains that really this that he felt forced is part of what Hashem wanted him to to feel. Meaning like this. When a person comes down to a place sometimes which is lower than the madreiga ruchnis, the spiritual madreiga he is in, where he was before. Like here, Yaakov Avinu went down to Mitzrayim. Mitzrayim is a much lower madreiga than Eretz Yisrael. That's why the pasuk says "Vayeired." Not only physically he went down. It's going down. It's a descent in the ruchnisdike madreiga. But we know that if someone is sent to a lower Madre get the to a place where there's a lower Madre get there's a purpose. There's a mission there that he should bring more Kadusha, more holiness, more godliness into that place and automatically elevate that place that that place should reach a higher Madre get the people of the place and the place should reach a higher Madre get. But it's possible that instead of him elevating the place, it'll be the opposite. It'll lower him. It'll schlepp him down. It'll drag him down to a lower Madre get. But there is something to do to be guaranteed that this won't happen. And that is that if constantly when you are in that lower place, you keep in mind that this is really not your place. This is really not where you belong. And you're only there because you're on of the and a mission to elevate that place. So it comes out we have to have both. It has to be that you have to go down because Shem wants and you do it with the greatest joy because you're doing the of but at the same time you have to feel that you're there only because of the you cannot feel comfortable in that lower Madre get. The moment you start feeling comfortable and it's okay to be in that lower place, then you should be afraid that maybe that lower Madre get will influence you too. And this is what happened here. He went and went down there was a to go down. So the it says what does that mean? On it he went down with him so there was a here to elevate the place. But at the same time how did the work that it didn't affect him because he felt this is a he felt this is not really his Madre his place. And the wants him to feel that because the knows if you feel that then you will not be schlepped down in that lower Madre get. So the two things is not a contradiction. Actually this is the of you should go down the to go be happy to do the at the same time you have to remember you're only there because you're a to bring to that place, but you yourself don't feel that place is yours and it's only you're only there to pick it up then you will not be swept down, but you will only accomplish your mission of bringing more and elevate that place.