Greater Than the Book in Your Hand | Yaakov Shwekey

There's a great story that R’ Shlomo Diamond, my Rosh Kollel, brings. He says, R’ Elchonon Wasserman, עליו השלום, השם יקום דמו he used to come to America and he used to collect for his Yeshiva. And he used to stay by a wealthy man's house. And one time, when he came in, the wealthy man had a gift for him. It was a book about his Rebbe, the Chofetz Chaim. And he was smiling and he was so happy to give it to him. He says: While I make you a tea in the kitchen, please read this book. R’ Elchonon went to the couch. He sat on the couch, opened up the book. The man went to make him a tea. It was two minutes in. R’ Elchonon came with the book into the kitchen, ran in. You could burn this with your Chametz. You could take the book. I think he used the words, He threw it on the floor. He says: What's the matter? The guy was shocked. He was so happy to give him a book about his Rebbe. He said: That's not my Rebbe. My Rebbe wasn't born that way. I open up these books and I read how... Yes, they were great, my Rebbe was great, but any child who reads this book thinks my Rebbe was born that way. That's not the case. The Chofetz Chaim worked on himself. And he was a child like everyone. Yes, I'm sure he was a child with an unbelievable future, and a lot of our children are, but they should know that when they read these books, he said, that's not how they were born. They're not born that way. It takes work, it takes Avoda. And Rabbi Diamond says, You know, when you pick up these books about Gedolim, there are some great books out there, don't feel down. The famous R’ Yeruchom Levovitz that Rabbi Diamond always brings down is that the person who's holding the Sefer and he's learning up a Rishon, an Achron, the person who's holding the Sefer, in our generation, with the struggles that we have, with everything we face, can be greater than the Sefer he’s holding. And of course, not greater in mind and Pilpulim, but greater in just passing the tests, the Nisyonot that we have, with technology, everything facing us, what to look at, what kind of songs, what do we listen to? What do we gravitate to? And the person could be עומד בניסיון? He could be greater than the Sefer he’s learning. And I think that today, we know what it is, but we should know not to give up hope. Not to give up hope. To say: You know what? We're going to work on it. And this is what it's all about.