The Moment of Truth | Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff

How hot was it in China? In Shanghai, in the ghetto? It was so hot that Yom Kippur that the Roshei Yeshivas were Goizer No one was to wear their jacket, their tie, their hat, during Davening on Yom Kippur. So the entire yeshiva Davened in their shirt sleeves, Except for one Malach Hashem Tzevakos, the Mashgiach, R’ Chatzkel Levenstein ZT”L. He Davened with his Kapata and Tallis over his head The entire 25 hour period of Yom Kippur. From Maariv into Shachris, Shachris into Mussaf, Shemoieh Esrei into Mincha, into Neilah. He’s still Davening. The Bochurim decided: How can they repay their Heilige Rebbe? They said they would make Havdala, break their fasts, and rush back to the Beis Medrash. And 400 bochurim took their seats and started learning with the intensity of a 2nd Seder. R’ Chatzkel finally finished Oiseh Shalom Bimroimuv Hu Yaaseh Shalom Aleinu, He turns around and he sees the Bochurim. He’s so inspired, that he walks up to the Bimah and says the following. We put in the Yom Kippur of a lifetime. We Davened so shtark, but what's going to be two weeks from now? Or a month from now? Back to Bittul? To Lashon Hara? He said the following: There was a very wealthy man who envisioned this magnificent castle, mansion, he would build. He contracted the best architects. He got marble from Italy and the finest building material. And they erected this magnificent mansion that the world had never seen. And as they completed building this mansion, he told the foreman of the crew, “I want to put the bauble on top of the highest spire”. They erected scaffolding. He climbed to the top of the building. He was leaning over to put this bauble on top of the building to crown his mansion. And a gust of wind came and blew him off the scaffolding and he tumbled to the ground. And he's lying on the ground, surrounded by family and friends, and he's crying. “My building has fallen. My mansion has crashed to the ground”. They reassured him, “Your building hasn't fallen, You've fallen. We'll patch you up, and you'll enjoy the building for a lifetime”. Said R’ Chatzkel, that moment of Hashem Hu Ha’elokim is eternal. It's a mansion, it's a castle in Shamayim that lasts forever. 2 weeks, 3 weeks, a month from now. That moment of truth, of resilience, the ability to hold back, to control oneself, one's eyes, one’s passions, even for a moment. That will never be taken away from us. That's the life. It's a series of such moments. The Yetzer Hara tries to tell us… So you're a good boy or a good girl for a minute, for an hour, for a day, for a week. But we know who you are. That's not who you are. We are defined by those moments, by that castle, by that mansion of that passion that we've conquered. The passion of having Kedusha. The passion of serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Of recognizing that we can control our thoughts, our minds, our hearts, our eyes. Let's strengthen ourselves. Let's continue building magnificent edifices in the sky. We will enjoy both in this world and the next. Hakadosh Baruch Hu should be Meitiv, everyone should be inspired to strengthen themselves in this Avodas Hashem, in Kedushas Einayim. We’ll be Zoche to the greatest Simcha in the world. The coming of Mashgiach Tzidkeinu Bimheira biyamenu Amen.