Understanding the True Value | Rabbi David Ozeri

We all know the famous Midrash of Rabbi Matya ben Charash, where Rabbi Matya ben Charash was given this Nisayon in the strongest fashion possible to any human being ever. And when Rabbi Matya ben Charash felt himself getting slightly weak in this, he told his Shamash, Please bring me a fire pan and bring me a spike. And we all know what he did. He took the fire pan, he made the spike red hot and he gouged out his eyes. The Satan fainted and he went back to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu said: You see? I told you, you can't get Rabbi Matya ben Charash to sin. And HaKadosh Baruch Hu sent Refa’el to cure Rabbi Matya ben Charash. Rabbi Matya ben Charash asked: Who are you? He said: I’m Refa’el, the Mal’ach. I came to cure you. He said: No, thank you! I'd rather not be cured. This time I passed the Nisayon. Maybe next time I won't pass. I'd rather be blind for the rest of my life. Now I ask you, Does Rabbi Matya ben Charash have his priorities in order? Because he may have sinned for a moment he gouges his eyes out? He has an opportunity to recover, to have a Refuah Shlemah, and he says No? What's wrong with Rabbi Matya ben Charash? And the answer is nothing is wrong with Rabbi Matya ben Charash. Rabbi Matya ben Charash understood the value. Not the עונש, the שכר, the reward that somebody gets for protecting themselves from this terrible sin. He understood what that was and he said: It's כדאי for me to be blind the rest of my life, where I won't have that Nisayon and I will be zoche to that Ohr HaGanuz, that special light, for those people who protect themselves from this עוון. This was Rabbi Matya ben Charash. It was actually an opportunity. He was not worried so much about the עונש, but he understood the greatness of the שכר of protecting one's Neshama from this terrible sin.