Why is misas tzaddikim considered a kapara for the Jewish people?
ANSWER:
When we see how Hakadosh Baruch Hu takes away the righteous, and we think that that's the sof kol adam no matter who you are, the time will come.
Even this tzaddik has to pass away? So you begin realizing something you never thought about. It never occurred to you that someday you'll have to leave this world, that's the biggest surprise to most people. And even if they say, certainly I understand that, they don't believe it.
They think that only those people who belong to the shtarbers (dying) association are going to die; I never signed up in the shtarbers club. The awareness of death is so far away from us, had it been closer to us we would live a different life. We would try to utilize our days, to achieve more.Therefore misas tzaddikim is a great kapara for people who wake up and see: hurry up, hurry up.
Another thing is this, when you see tzaddikim who lived a perfect life, and they completed the job down to evening, at the end of their lives they continue to be perfect, it's a big inspiration.
Yeitzei adam l'foalo, yeitzu tzaddikim lkabeil s'choron vlavodoso adei erev, b'mi sh'hishlim avodoso adei erev (Baba metziah 83:2), those tzaddikim who remain tzaddikim all their years in old age to the last moments, these are the examples that inspire the world.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
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