In the letters of the Chazon Ish ( vol 3, letter 62), he brings an interesting lesson from Megilat Esther, based on a Gemara in Megillah. The Gemarah comments that Mordechai HaSaddik was initially listed higher on the rank of rabbis before the story of the Megillah, but he was seemingly demoted after the story of the Gemarah. The Gemara (16b) says that Talmud Torah is greater than saving lives. Originally, before the story of Megillat Esther, when Mordechai was a Rosh Yeshiva, dedicated only to his students, he was doing more than when he had to join the palace and get involved in politics.
At first glance, this is hard to understand, because there is nothing greater than saving a life. So what does this mean? Does it mean that if a person is sitting and learning and he sees someone drowning, he should just sit with his book? Of course not. So what exactly is the explanation?
The Chazon Ish says as follows: Just like we all understand that when it comes to amassing wealth and parnasa, our hishtadlut/ effort is only paying off a debt, and it doesn’t make a difference, ( heaven forbid to think my strength and my power made it) and we all understand that G-d decides how much money we will have on Rosh Hashana, when it comes to the hishtadlut of Saving a Life, why do we do it? It’s not because we are saving anyone, or because if we didn’t dive into the pool, he wouldn’t be saved; it’s because its a Mitzvah. It’s not that we are going to make a difference. When the lifeguard is running, or the Hatzolah member is doing CPR, in the beautiful words of the Chazon Ish,
When we are doing deeds, we are doing a Mitzvah. This is will arouse the gates of mercy and make it happen.
This is a beautiful Hiddush. Not that the Hatzolah guy should be thinking this while doing CPR, but we should understand that when he is doing CPR, he’s fulfilling a Mitzvah, and that Mitzvah of CPR arouses G-d’s mercy. So yes, he might save a person that wouldn’t have been saved, because his efforts are a prayer of sorts.
This is a big Hiddush: a person is in led in a deed of Saving a Life- whether it’s a person trying to get someone a vaccine or a doctor trying to help someone, he has to realize that he’s in involved in a Mitzvah. That Mitzvah will change things and arouse the gates of mercy.
But if we have two people, the Hatzolah member performing CPR, involved in a Mitzvah, and arousing the gates of mercy, and we have someone who is praying - the one who is praying is doing more, because prayer is more powerful than even the Mitzvah of saving a life. So therefore, the one who is praying is greater.
However, he says, if the Hatzolah man decides not to perform CPR, but to pray instead, he’s a murderer.
If a person sees a friend drowning, and he doesn’t save him, he’s a murderer.
But, he says, what happens when you can’t save the person? What if you don’t know how to do CPR, or if you are not at the scene of the crime? What happens if someone heard about a person in trouble in the ICU, and he doesn’t pray? He would be preventing the doctor from being successful! Of course, the man on the scene, and the doctor, have to do what they can do.
But the man who is praying is making things happen behind the scenes, in a more powerful way. His lack of prayer might impact the success of the doctor’s efforts.
The Chazon Ish explains that this is what happened with Mordechai HaSadik, before and after the story of Megilat Esther. Before the story, he was involved in the prayer aspect. After the story, he was on the scenes. Being on the scene doesn’t do as much as behind the scenes. That is always the rule.
He quotes another Gemara that says, if David HaMelech was not toiling in Torah, Yoav would not be successful in war.
We have to know that. For all the people out there who are not Hatzolah members, or doctors in the ICU, those of us that are regular, behind the scenes people, we should not underestimate the power of our prayers and what they can do. We have to understand and appreciate that learning, praying, all of those things, make things happen behind the scenes.
I’ll end with one of my favorite stories from Chacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul. He was walking on his way to Yeshivat Porat Yosef one morning, and he saw a boy from the Yeshiva reading the posters on a wall. He tapped the boy on the shoulder and to him to hurry, that there was a Hatzolah call at the Yeshiva. The boy, who knew CPR, went running with the rabbi, looking for the emergency. The rabbi then explained that the boy had been preventing Hatzolah calls. He told the boy that when he sat down to learn, he was helping make Hatzolah calls all over the country successful. He asked the boy if he would ever stop in the middle of a Hatzolah call to read a poster. Then he explained that being on the way to the Bet Midrash is no different than being on a Hatzolah call.
We have to appreciate the impact of our deeds, from behind the scenes. Even if we might not be on the front lines of the pandemic, we are definitely helping from behind the scenes. We have to appreciate what we can do there, and not relax in that effort.
Have a wonderful day.