Fear of Man | Rabbi Uren Reich

My dear Vayimaen friends, many times, when we have our challenges, as we all do, we think to ourselves, We are so lowly in our generation. What would the Tana’im HaKedoshim, what would the Amora’im, what would the Rishonim v’Achronim think if they knew of our Nisyonos? Would they be able to relate to these kind of challenges? And I want to share with you a Gemara, it's very famous, about the Tana HaKadosh, Rabbi Yonchanan ben Zakai. And the Gemara tells us in Brachos 28 how his Talmidim came to visit him while he was lying on his deathbed. Give us a Bracha. I give you a Bracha that you should fear Hashem Yisborach as much as you fear other people. Is that all? Can we compare the יראה we're supposed to have from HaKadosh Baruch Hu to the יראה we’re supposed to have from human beings? It's incomparable. Hashem Yisborach is infinitely greater and more powerful. And Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai answered, It's true, but... הלוואי you should have that. I'll prove it to you. When a person does an Aveira, he's very anxious that other people shouldn't see. If a person is aware that someone's looking at him, he acts differently, he davens differently, he says a Bracha differently, everything he does is different, because people are looking at him. Does that mean we're all frauds? No. We want to be good. We genuinely want to do the right thing. But it helps that the other person is looking and observing us. There are areas in life, שמירת העיניים והמחשבה where other people are not aware, אין אדם יודע מה שבלב חבירו. We're on our own. And at that point, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai said, If you could just summon the level of Yiras Shomayim, just that, that HaKadosh Barcuh Hu should be a reality as much as the person next to you, just be aware that He's looking at you, do you know how much you'll avoid if you could come to that level of Yiras Shomayim? That's all? No, it's not all. But it is so much, because it takes away such a huge amount of our Nisyonos. This, Rabosai, is our Avoda. To just come to the level of מורא שמיים כמורא בשר ודם. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai wanted the Talmidim not to be ashamed to realize that even this level of Yiras Shomayim will help us to be successful in conquering the greatest of our Nisyonos. It's not easy, but every time we have a Nisayon, say to ourselves, What would I feel like if someone else would be watching me now? So and so, my friend, my Rebbe, would I be thinking and looking this way? This is the precious advice of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai for all of us, עד סוף כל הדורות.