I’m going to take my cue from Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, who used to give his famous sichos mussar in the Mir on the parsha that had just been lained the day before. One of his talmidim once shared with me that the rationale was that the parsha had just been absorbed, was still fresh in everyone’s mind, and could be applied as needed. In my case, I presented the following concept in my Shabbos drosha, but I certainly believe the message is still quite relevant and current.

The world often calls this by various phrases such as carpe diem, literally meaning “seize the day,” and clichés such as “strike while the fire is hot.” However, as usual, the Torah anticipated all of these with the word and middah of zerizus. Contrary to popular mistranslation, this concept is not necessarily related to doing something fast (see Pachad Yitzchok, Pesach, Maamar 1) as much as doing it correctly at the appropriate moment. In Parshas Chukas, this relates to the sin of what is called the mei merivah, “the waters of contention.” Instead of speaking to the stone, Moshe Rabbeinu hit it. Although the miracle was great, bringing forth enough water for the millions of people and animals, Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon Hakohein were henceforth forbidden to enter Eretz Yisroel. As the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh points out, that error changed the world immediately. Had this not happened, we would have entered Eretz Yisroel and built the Bais Hamikdosh, which would have avoided all the future tragedies of churban and golus.

Although the explanation for the lapse of these great tzaddikim is beyond the scope of this essay, meforshim are unanimous that the sin was infinitesimal. In the words of Rav Eliyohu Eliezer Dessler (Michtav M’Eliyohu 1:100), it was indeed microscopic. Rav Leib Bakst goes even further, saying that the dire consequences were not the result of sin, but of a missed opportunity. In other words, despite the constant availability of teshuvah, some things can simply not be instantly restored. They may require a lengthy process of healing and rectification. He cites the Gemara (Brachos 7a) that when Hashem first appeared to Moshe Rabbeinu, he “hid His Face” (Shemos 3:6). Later, when Moshe requested, “Show me your glory” (ibid. 33:18), Hashem responded, “You will not be able to see My face” (33:20). The Gemara explains pithily that Hashem was telling Moshe Rabbeinu, “When I wanted, you did not; now that you want, I do not.” As Rav Bakst concludes, this is not tit for tat or even middah keneged middah. It is a missed opportunity.

I would like to suggest that this has been the saga of mankind from the beginning. Adam and Chava sinned and were banished from Gan Eden. They did an incredible teshuvah for over 130 years (Eruvin 18b and see Dorash Moshe, Drosha for Shabbos Shuvah, page 197), but were not readmitted to Paradise. The great return is still waiting after almost 6,000 years. The Tosafos HaRosh asks why Moshe was punished for a moment’s hesitation by never being able to see the Shechinah. But according to Rav Bakst, it is not a punishment at all, but sometimes, once the moment has been lost, it is irretrievable.

The Piaseczna Rebbe, in his guide for yeshiva students, Chovas Hatalmidim, written under horrific circumstances during the Holocaust, cites a striking Medrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:22): “A man was traveling from Eretz Yisroel to Babylonia, stopped to eat a bit, and saw an incredible sight. Two birds were fighting, one actually killing the other. Apparently regretting its action, it flew away, returning with a certain herb. He placed it upon the mouth of the dead bird, which came back to life. The herb fell from the bird’s mouth as he flew away. The traveler picked up the precious grassy prize, planning to awaken the human dead, but first came upon a dead lion. He gingerly placed the magic herb on the lion’s mouth, which promptly jumped up and swallowed his benefactor. The Medrash concludes its homily with the warning: “Don’t do kindness to something evil (i.e., dangerous) so that no evil come upon you. Shaul took pity upon Agag [the king of Amaleik] and what was the result? We inherited Haman and his evil decree.”

The Piaseczna Rebbe urges us to consider: “Imagine that someone has the power to revive the dead. He can bring back Moshe Rabbeinu, the Arizal, Rabi Akiva, Rav Shimon Bar Yochai, and bring the geulah sheleimah. But someone convinces him to sell the precious herb for a billion dollars. He does the deed, but later tears his hair out in remorse. The man in the Medrash could have saved humanity but instead revived a lion. His action can only be self-destructive and futile. If he had at least resurrected his parents or one human being, perhaps the act would have been justifiable. But to waste it all on a lion is both criminal and tragic.

The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 17a) tells us the inspiring tale of Elazar ben Durdaya, who committed many horrible sins. Finally, however, he repented powerfully, dying in the process. A voice rang out from heaven declaring, “Rebbi Elazar ben Durdaya is destined for Olam Haba.” When Rabbeinu Hakadosh heard this, he began to cry. “There are those who require many years to gain entrance into the World to Come and there are those who acquire access in a moment.” The question is asked: Why did Rebbi cry? Shouldn’t he have been happy for this amazing baal teshuvah’s successful journey?” The answer given by many is that Rebbi was crying for all of us who have missed opportunities to gain our own entry and accomplish so much.

To return to the lion-slayer, the Radal comments that this man was not interested in doing something unprecedented for mankind. No, all he wanted was to be seen as a Redeemer and Moshiach. If that is what you want, I will send you a lion. When given the chance to help a person, let alone all of mankind, you must jump and do the deed. If not, it is you who will be swallowed alive.

I couldn’t help but think that after all the wonderful things President Trump has done for Klal Yisroel, he was granted an incredible opportunity. We had Iran — Malchus Poras — by the neck. Their nuclear arsenal had been destroyed. Their army and navy were decimated. Don’t stop now. Seize the moment. Like Avrohom Avinu, act with zerizus. But sadly, bad advice prevailed, pettiness replaced foresight, and the focus turned to votes and midterms instead of eternity and gaining infinity. The lion won. The president and we lost.

Let us not fall into the same old game. It is not politics. We get what we put in. One of my members said it best. If chareidim are being beaten up in our own country of Eretz Yisroel, if yeshiva bochurim are being imprisoned for learning Torah, do we not expect the lion to bite us as well?

We are now in the period of the Three Weeks, when Chazal remind us that “whoever is alive when the Bais Hamikdosh is not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in his time as well” (Yerushalmi, Yoma 1:1). It seems that we are all granted that one chance to win the geulah lottery. But if we don’t even buy in, it is our own fault. This is the time of year when we are all given the opportunity to mourn over the churban, but also to explore what we can — what we must — do to rebuild it. We use technology at our peril, but we can all take a virtual trip though the Bais Hamikdosh and awaken our gaaguim gene, which may have taken a nap. In Daf Yomi, we have been toiling in Seder Kodshim for hundreds of dafim. Surely something has aroused our yearning for its momentary return to reality. The Chofetz Chaim instituted the learning of Kodshim because he felt that the time was ripe. We, too, have the magic herb in our hand. Let’s not awaken the lion. Let’s awaken the dormant veshochanti b’socham inside every one of us, which the Alshich Hakadosh and others say is our internal Bais Hamikdosh.

At this time of year, many of us learn the Gemara (Gittin 56b) about Rav Yochanan ben Zakai, who was given the once-in-a-lifetime ability to ask for whatever he wanted. He opted to request the rescue of “Yavneh and its scholars.” Vespasian assented and the result was the revival of Torah, purity and sanctity in Eretz Yisroel. This is not an appeal for money or funds, which are obviously needed by Keren Olam HaTorah. But perhaps even more importantly, when we contemplate the plethora of antisemitism, the loneliness once again of Klal Yisroel amongst the seventy — actually much more — wolves who would devour us, this is a moment of challenge and ability for us all. Let’s resurrect our own innate love of geulah and not awaken the lion.

It is well known that Albert Einstein eventually regretted having provided the magic equation which would result in the nuclear bomb. We, too, should learn from the failure of even our best secular leaders and do what we can to be mechayeh the meisim within ourselves and our people to love Torah and each other, and to bring the geulah sheleimah rapidly be’ezras Hashem.