Shnayim Yomi - Tazria-Metzora - Chamishi - #5 - Rabbi Yechiel Gabay - Potential Demands More

Parshat says we are metzora hamishi. This aliya is at the end of the purification procedure for the metzora when he has to bring several carbonas, several animals as carbonas. And the aliya begins by saying that if he's poor, he can't afford to buy so many animals for his carbonas, then special allowance is made and he's allowed to bring instead of the animals one animal, a mincha, and a couple of birds. However, the halacha is that if a wealthy person wants to take advantage of this, he will not be yoitzei. Somebody who really can't afford it will be yoitzei with his cheaper carbonas, but a wealthy person is mechuyav to bring the full more expensive carbonas. Chofetz Chaim takes a limud, a mussar limud from this, and says that very often a person will feel good about his avodas Hashem because he'll say even though it's far from perfect, he's a lot better than the next guy. He knows people out there in the world who do so much less than him, and he comforts himself that at least I'm better than them. Says the Chofetz Chaim, we see from this halacha that this is a mistake. If somebody is an oshir beda'as, if somebody has the seichel and the understanding of what's required in avodas Hashem, then he's not yoitzei with the avoda of an oni. With an oni beda'as, he'll be yoitzei with his lesser avoda, but somebody who's capable of more, more is expected.