Down Payment for the Year | Rabbi Zev Smith

Down Payment for the Year R' Zev Smith I recently heard a story Rav Pam once told us of a young woman who decided to undergo excruciatingly painful treatment to treat the Machlah even though there was very little hope of it helping, and she was asked why, she says, I have young children, I have a mission in life, I have things to do, any extension of life is so precious to me. And then Rav Pam added, it comes Yamim Noraim, we ask for everything, זכרנו לחיים וכתבנו בספר החיים, מֶלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים וְכָתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר הַחַיִּים for ourselves, our family, what is our claim to all this? And he answered the words Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim. When a person is living with a mission, he has to do something with his time, when he's driven to live Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim for the Ribono Shel Olam's sake, that's a guarantee of Zochreinu L'Chaim and V'Chosveinu B'Sefer HaChaim. Over the years we've heard countless stories of people who faced crisis or needs, problems, and decided to tap into the enormous strength of a Vayimaen moment and were Mekabel to rise above their comfort zone and do something special, and they saw miraculous results. And to me it's not a surprise. The Ribono Shel Olam tells us, ירושלמי, ברכות א as the Yerushalmi says, if you give Me your heart and your eyes, אנא ידע דאת לי I know you're Mine. Imagine the Ribono Shel Olam says about this person, "You're Mine." Doesn't he deserve the Yeshuah or the Refuah that he needs? Is there any greater guarantee? Is there really any greater expression of Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim? And I'll say yes: here are those Giborei Koach, those unsung heroes who also face crises or great needs and rose above their comfort zone and have not yet seen their Yeshuah, but they're still living Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim because they know that that's the greatest success in life, to do what's difficult, to do what's challenging. Rav Pam would always speak in these days of Yamim Noraim, a person must make a Kabbalah. That's the way we approach Yom HaDin and that's the way we can be Zocheh to what we need, if we make Kabbalos. You might ask, one Kabbalah or two, could that do the trick, is that sufficient? So he would give a Mashal: when someone looks at a house, you don't know if he's serious, but when someone puts down a down payment, even though it's a fraction of the cost, you see he's serious. Our Kabbalos are our down payments, and there's no greater impact than having a Kabbalah of Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim. And I can suggest, I can reach out to the esteemed, beloved Vayimaen families around the world, we all need so much, and the secret is Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim. Take a moment or two in these days before Rosh Hashanah and sit down and think: what can I do a little more, again, rising above my comfort zone, whether it's at home, whether it's at work, whether it's where I travel, my vacations, or any other situation that I could do better, because I know Lema'ancha Elokim Chaim is the superpower, and the Zechus that we live Lema'ancha will be זוכה זכרנו לחיים וכתבנו בספר החיים, אמן