It is quite impossible to translate the title words into
English. Martyrdom, to suffer for ones belief, is not the
exact meaning, nor is the phrase 'to put oneself out,' the
correct terminology. Therefore we will use the Hebrew
mesirus nefesh, although this is an article in an
English-language newspaper.
The term mesirus nefesh conjures up images from the
past, in our minds. Avrohom Ovinu, who was prepared to
sacrifice his beloved only son, because he was commanded to
do so. Channah and her sons who lost their lives in order to
sanctify the Name of Hashem. The Jews in Spain at the time of
the Inquisition, who were burned at the stake, and so very
many more, throughout the ages. The question arises, how does
mesirus nefesh manifest itself in our times?
Furthermore, in former days, just keeping mitzvos
involved mesirus nefesh. There were Jews who studied
and taught Torah secretly, in spite of the decrees of the
current ruler: there were great men and women who circumcised
their sons and remained steadfast in their meticulous
observance of all the other commandments, knowing that their
lives were in danger every second of the day.
In Communist Russia, some Jews outwitted the authorities when
they secretly baked matzos or managed to blow the
shofar. During the Holocaust, Jews pulled a thread
from the rags they were allotted as clothes, and used it as a
wick, to burn in the scrap of margarine they had saved from
their meager rations, as makeshift Chanukah lights. Stories
of mesirus nefesh abound through the ages.
Nowadays we are given everything on a plate. A plate of bug-
free fruit and vegetables which have been tithed for us and
which we can eat with a clear conscience, having been assured
that there is no danger of transgressing any of the laws
inherent in their growth. Arbaa Minim are brought to
our towns in abundance. Ready-made wicks, some of which are
even pre-inserted into the oil, are sold freely, to save us
time and trouble. We have reliable hechsherim which
enable us to buy ready salted meat and chickens, or even to
buy it ready cooked, if we wish. Once again, how does
mesirus nefesh affect us?
Each generation has its own trials and tribulations.
Mesirus nefesh does not necessarily mean that one has
to sacrifice one's life for certain ideals. Nefesh
does not only mean 'soul,' it can also translate as 'will,'
or 'wish.' Avrohom Ovinu said to Efron, when he wanted to buy
Meoras Hamachpelo from him, 'Im yesh es nafeshechem -
If you are willing.'
Every time we subjugate our wishes to those of our Creator,
we are displaying mesirus nefesh. For instance, when a
man might want to turn over in bed in the morning and snatch
another half an hour's sleep, but instead he jumps out to go
to shacharis, he is demonstrating mesirus
nefesh. When he refrains from eating before he goes to
his minyan, it is not just self-discipline, it is
mesirus nefesh. So is the tenth or even more of his
paycheck which he gives to charity although he does not have
enough for his own needs.
Mesirus nefesh for the sake of learning Torah is most
outstanding in our generation. Hundreds of young couples each
year join the ranks of those families who choose to live in
penury, so that the husband can learn. The young women accept
employment which might not be to their liking, in order to
live in their chosen life style. When they are blessed with
children, the struggle becomes more difficult, yet both
partners want him to 'stay in learning.'
A girl who has a few years in full-time employment before she
gets married, definitely lives with mesirus nefesh
once she is blessed with children. It is a life she has
chosen. Nevertheless, the total subjugation of her freedom,
both as regards spending money liberally, and also her time,
which is not hers any more, is mesirus nefesh.
The twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred
and sixty five days a year which she has dedicated to her
husband, so that he can learn undisturbed, and to her growing
family to be an example to them at all times, besides a good
mother, this, too, is mesirus nefesh.
In a generation where the allure of the street is so
enticing, where the moral codes are so lax, when parental
authority is so badly undermined, we have to know that we
also need to show mesirus nefesh. It is different from
that of former generations, but no less dear to our Father in
Heaven than that of our ancestors.
