Living Al Kiddush Hashem | Rabbi Shlomo Landau

R’ Michoel Ber Weissmandl z”l survived the Holocaust, came over to the United States of America and built the Nitra Yeshiva. Sadly, in the מלחמה, in the Holocaust, R’ Michoel Ber lost five sons. Later, after he came to the United States, he reestablished his Mishpacha and he had five additional sons. At the Bris of his fifth child born in the United States, his tenth child, R’ Michoel Ber Weissmandl stood up and he spoke to those that were in attendance. And listen to his incredibly powerful message. He says: You know, my first five sons all died Al Kiddush Hashem and they are certainly in the highest and loftiest places in Shomayim through their Kiddush Hashem. He says: But my five sons that I was zoche to have alive and to have with me here, in the United States, they, too, can also be zoche to a Kiddush Shem Shomayim, but not through their death, but through their life. He says: And that's my Tefillah. My Tefillah is that these five children should be able to enact Kiddush Shem Shomayim in this world the same way that my other children are enacting Kiddush Shem Shomayim in the loftiest places. And then he shared something so amazing. He said: We say every single day in davening, Ribono shel Olam, let there be Kiddush Shem Shomayim BaOlam, in this world, in the same fashion of the Kiddush Shem Shomayim of those that have ascended to the loftiest of places in Shmei Shomayim. And the truth is that we should never be tested to see if we would be willing to give up our lives Al Kiddush Hashem. And, hopefully, we would. But we have an opportunity that's even greater than giving up our lives, than dying Al Kiddush Hashem. And that is living Al Kiddush Hashem. Every time that we don't look at something, every time that we upgrade our level of Kedushah in our lives, we're being Mekadesh Shem Shomayim in the greatest way possible, perhaps even greater than כשם שמקדישים אותו בשמי מרום. Let's appreciate the opportunity, let's embrace this opportunity and let's all together be Mekadesh Shem Shomayim, in the most incredible way possible.