The Secret of Upright Generations: Mesirus Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice), Holiness, and Purity of Thought

Lesson No. 248 | Cassette 248 Wednesday, Parashas Shlach, Eve of 19 Sivan 5760 - Gathering for the Kollels of the Shadarim, Zvhil Hall, Jerusalem, May it be built and established - Part 2 Sunday, Parashas Chukas, 1st day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5760 - Admos Yishai Neighborhood, Tel Rumeida Neighborhood, Hebron, May it be built and established

An in-depth article explaining how mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) for the Torah and the parents' purity of thought are the foundation for raising upright generations. Through the Prophet Yeshayahu's struggle against the decrees of King Achaz, the secret is revealed of how one merits pure children who run on their own to serve Hashem.

A person who walks with the books of Rebbe Nachman strengthens and encourages people, telling them about the virtue of Jerusalem and how good it is to live there. Once, Yaakov Kozlitz came to ask the advice of a tzaddik whether his father should move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, after he had already exhibited mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) to immigrate from Russia to Tel Aviv. The answer he received was clear: "As much *mesirus nefesh* as it took to go from Russia to Tel Aviv, now you will have to exercise twice as much *mesirus nefesh* to come to Jerusalem." Here you have to build a family, here you have to establish a cheder (Torah school for children) and another cheder—the mesirus nefesh required to educate children in Jerusalem is multiplied many times over.

We saw an example of such mesirus nefesh for the Torah in a Jew named Meir Anshin, who knew the entire book of 'Etz Chaim' by heart. He worked for his parnassah (livelihood) in tailoring, sitting opposite the yeshiva and sewing for eight hours a day, and while doing so, he would review and finish the 'Etz Chaim' by heart. A person can also read books of Kabbalah and Zohar while traveling, for every passage in the holy Zohar is the foundation of emunah (faith) and contains words the likes of which are not seen anywhere else in the world.

The Decree of Achaz and the Response of the Prophet Yeshayahu

The holy books discuss the era of King Achaz. Why was his name called Achaz? Because he seized (achaz) synagogues and study halls and closed them. There never was and never will be such a wicked person; he closed all the synagogues and did not leave a single yeshiva, with the goal of uprooting the Torah from the Jewish people. He believed that by doing so, the end of the Jewish people would come, Heaven forbid.

What did the Prophet Yeshayahu do during that difficult time? He did not despair. He went out to the street, gathered children, and told them: "Let's learn a little Chumash (Pentateuch), a little Mishnah, a little Siddur (prayer book)." But Yeshayahu did not settle for merely teaching them the texts; rather, he taught them the foundations of holiness and purity.

Purity of Thought: The Foundation for Educating Children

Yeshayahu taught them that the holiness of the Jewish home is the foundation for raising upright generations. When a person is dragged after his desires, it directly affects the souls of his children. If a person acts out of selfish desire, he is liable to father "children of falsehood," sons who are liable to fall into a bad culture, not wanting to learn and not wanting to pray.

The matter depends on the father's mind. The child receives his mind and intellect from the father, while the mother builds the body. Therefore, if the father's mind is blemished with desires, the child is liable to be born with a tendency to seek negative things in the streets. A person must cleanse his mind, constantly working to attain a holy and pure mind, closing his eyes and desiring nothing but holiness.

"Chattering" Against the Evil Inclination: The Constant Battle in the Field

One must fight for this with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). We saw this with tzaddikim like Rabbi Shmuel Shapiro zt"l, who would cry and cry out to Hashem in the field. In the merit of his tremendous spiritual work over sixty years, during which he cried out to Hashem to uproot from him every trace of desire, he merited that all his children and grandchildren emerged as geniuses, tzaddikim, holy and pure from the womb.

A person must learn from "Putiel"—who would "chatter" (mepatpet) against his evil inclination. That is, all day long he would speak against the evil inclination and fight it. It is impossible to withstand the trials of the generation without crying out and praying. A person must fight all day long, chatter against his evil inclination, go to the field, and cry out to Hashem: "Save me from this!" Whoever merits this will merit righteous and holy children, who will run on their own to learn Torah and wake up in the morning to serve the Creator, without the need for harsh discipline.

The Power of a Mother's Prayer

Not only the father, but the mother also has a crucial role in the holiness of the children. The holy Zohar says that King Solomon was formed from the pure thoughts of his mother, Batsheva. The Midrash expounds upon her the verse, "She considers a field and buys it" (Proverbs 31:16)—that all her days she would pray: "May it be Your will that my son will build the Holy Temple."

All the holiness of the child stems from the prayers of the mother and the pure thoughts of the father. Therefore, it is important for a husband to encourage his wife to go pray at holy sites like the Western Wall or the tomb of Shimon HaTzaddik, because these prayers are what create holy souls that illuminate the world.

This is exactly what the Prophet Yeshayahu did. When King Achaz closed the study halls and said that within a generation no trace of the Jewish people would remain, Yeshayahu answered him:

"Behold, I and the children whom Hashem has given me" (Isaiah 8:18).

He gathered the children, taught them holiness and purity, and proved that specifically from those small, pure children a new generation would sprout. When parents sanctify themselves and fight the evil inclination, the children are born with a Godly soul and a pure body, and they run on their own to the synagogue and to the service of the Creator.

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 248

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