Greater than Torah | Rabbi Yoir Adler

Sometimes we wonder, are we going to be the generation that's going to bring Moshiach? How is this going to happen? After all, previous generations were way greater in Torah than us, they were way more pious, they were way more pure. And we have to be the generation, the דור of bringing משיח צדקנו and Binyan Beis HaMikdash. How is this going to work? And I think the answer lies in a fundamental story. The heiliger Tzanzer Rov, the Divrei Chaim, was once in the town of Krakow, and he was visiting the Rov, R’ Shimon Sofer, זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה. And the Rov asked him, What are you planning to do when you're here in Krakow? And the heiliger Tzanzer Rov responded, I plan to go and visit this Talmid Chacham. The Krokever Rov, R’ Shimon Sofer, said to him: You, the great Tzanzer Rov, the giant in Torah, the giant in Kedushah, the giant in Chesed, is going to go visit that Talmid Chacham? He's nowhere close to your level. He's not on your Madrega. He should come visiting you. Said the Tzanzer Rov to R’ Shimon Sofer, Have you ever wondered, Where would you think should be the best place to build a Beis HaMikdash? And understand the Beis HaMikdash has to be built on a mountain. We had in our history two mountains that were extremely important. One mountain was called Har Sinai, where we were Mekabel the Torah on. There was another mountain called Har HaMoriah, where Avraham Avinu was עומד בניסיון, and he was ready to Shecht his son, Yitzchak. If you would ask us, Where do you think would be the appropriate place to build a Beis HaMikdash, we would say: For sure, on Har Sinai. That was the place where the whole Torah began coming down into this world. And that's not where it was. They built the Beis HaMikdash on Har HaMoriah. And this proves to us, Greater than Torah is Mesirus Nefesh. Said the Tzanzer Rov: True, perhaps I'm a greater Gaon in Torah than this Talmid Chacham, but I know this Talmid Chacham’s life story. I know how many challenges he has. I know how difficult it is for him to learn Torah and he had a lot of Nisyonos HaChaim, many trials and tribulations, and he stood so strong, and he withstood all the difficulties that he endured. If the Aibisther puts the Beis HaMikdash on Har HaMoriah, I'm intending to visit that individual. Perhaps previous generations were greater than us in many areas, but our generation, when we don't have so much passion, we don't have so much Chizuk, we don't have spiritual energy, and it's very difficult for a Yid today to watch himself, to say Vayimaen. When we find that inner strength and we say we are going to look the other way, those moments are the moments which will build the Beis HaMikdash. We have today thousands of Yidden that are Vayimaen Yidden, that are saying no and are looking the other way. They are the true builders of the בית המקדש השלישי, שיבנה במהרה בימינו.