Recently heard a vort that I wanted to share with my holy brothers. Reb Elchonon Wasserman Hy"d would go from Baranovich to Radin every year for the Yamim Nora'im to spend the days of awe in the presence of his rebbe, the heilige Chafetz Chaim. Each year, when he would go he would take along some talmidim, so that they, too, can bask in the Chafetz Chaim's presence. One year, when the bachurim walked in to greet the Chafetz Chaim he told them "I'm so happy to see you all!", and then the Chafetz Chaim explained himself, quoting Yaakov Avinu who said "עוד יוסף בני חי אלך ואראנו בטרם אמות". Now, we understand the pasuk to mean that Yaakov Avinu felt that he was old, so he told his family that he wants to rush down to Mitzrayim to see Yosef before he passes away. But the Chafetz Chaim added a pshat into what Yaakov Avinu was saying. Yaakov Avinu was told that Yosef was still alive, and not only was he alive but he was still a tzaddik, he was in a terrible land, which presented many nisyonos, he had the nisayon of Potiphar's wife, and through it all he remained true to His creator, true to his upbringing, true to what he should be. When Yaakov heard this he said, "Wow! My son has been in such a tough place. He has had to face so many bitter struggles, every day he had to deal with a person who tried every trick in the book to get him to sin, and he is still an ehriliche Yid?! He still serves Hashem?! Such holiness, holiness in the face of such adversity is so great, is unbelievable, his level of Kedusha is so high that when we will be in the next world I will not be able to see him, i won't be able to connect to him. So, אלך ואראנו בטרם אמות, let us rush down to Mitzrayim, so I can see in this world, in this world I can still hope to catch a glimpse of him, once we get up there he will be so high I won't see him." The Chafetz Chaim turned to these bachurim and told them, "You are yong boys, living in a decadent world, in a world that beckons from all directions, calling to you to leave the way Hashem. And yet, you stand strong, you stay true to the Torah way of life, you stay faithful to Hashem, when we will go the next world there's no way i will get to see such Heilige bachurim, that's why I am so happy to see you, because down here I can still get to see you!" Holy brothers, what would the Chafetz chaim say, if he were here today, to all of us. We live in a retarded world that treats filth and promiscuity as if they virtuous. We live in a world that offers every type of indulgence. It's all there for the taking. And we are still here, on GYE, trying hard, fighting mightily. Why are we struggling and not just doing whatever our heart desires? Because we have a stringer desire, a desie to grow close to Hashem, to make Him proud, to make ourselves proud. If Yosef, facing his challenges, was so holy that yaakov won't see him in the next world, if bachurim in the 1920s were so holy that the Chafetz Chaim told them that he wouldn't see them in the next world, then how holy is a guy in 2023 who faces a computer and walks away?
