A Soldier’s Focus

A Soldier’s Focus

on March 27, 2026

A Message from the Kalever Rebbe

Parshas Tzav - Shabbos HaGadol 5786

Seek to find favor in the eyes of Hashem alone

Archers of the royal Persian guard of Darius from the hall of Artaxerxes

"Aharon and his sons did all the things that God had commanded them to do through Moshe ..." (Vayikra 8:36).

The Pull of the Environment

The primary deterioration of young people in our times, often stems from the environment. A person naturally seeks to belong, to be accepted, to find favor in the eyes of others. Slowly but surely, this pull can draw a person away from just and right path.

It is therefore essential to internalize a deeper truth: The desire for the approval of others comes from a subtle but powerful illusion—that they possess the ability to help, to elevate, or to determine one's success. But, that is a falsity. Everything depends solely on Hashem and His Will.

And so, the true aspiration of a person must be to find favor in the eyes of Hashem alone. For when one compromises Hashem's Will in order to gain approval from others, he ultimately loses far more than he gains.

Living with Clarity

One who lives with this clarity, walks firmly on the path of the righteous, and will merit the World to Come.

As brought in the name of the Baal Shem Tov HaKadosh, explaining the Gemara (Taanis 22a) about the two jesters who were called bnei Olam HaBa, that the meaning is that the world ridiculed them—and they ridiculed the world.

They did not measure themselves by the standards of others. They were not concerned with how their Avodas Hashem appeared in the eyes of society. That independence, that inner clarity, is precisely what led them to true and lasting greatness.

A Preparation for Kabbalas HaTorah

We find that before Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim to receive the Torah, Hashem commanded them to take a lamb—the deity of the Egyptians—and tie it to their bedposts.

Chazal explain that this was so that when the Egyptians would see and question them, Bnei Yisrael would respond clearly and with confidence that they were preparing it to be slaughtered as a Korban Pesach, as Hashem commanded.

And indeed, this is what they did. A great miracle occurred, and the Egyptians were unable to harm them.

In commemoration of this miracle, the Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos HaGadol, as explained in the Tur (Orach Chaim, Siman 430).

After four days, they slaughtered the lamb and fulfilled the mitzvah of placing its blood on their doorposts—an act that appeared unusual and even risky. Yet they were not concerned with mockery, nor were they intimidated by potential retaliation. They did not allow the opinions of others to factor into their avodas Hashem. Their only concern was to fulfill Hashem's Will.

Training for Emunah

All of this served as a preparation for Kabbalas HaTorah.

Through these actions, they trained themselves and demonstrated to their families that when it comes to fulfilling Hashem's Will, one does not look to the environment for validation or approval.

This clarity—this unwavering commitment—made them worthy to leave Mitzrayim and receive the Torah.

The Lesson from the Soldiers

It is told that a certain tzaddik once passed by a large group of soldiers marching in perfect formation with remarkable precision. He stood and observed them for an extended time, and afterward remarked that he learned a fundamental idea in Avodas Hashem by watching them.

Each soldier walked upright, straight and focused. Not one turned to look to the right or to the left. Their gaze was fixed forward, exactly as required by the army's rules.

From this, we learn how a Yid must live. With azus d'kedusha, with inner strength and direction, moving steadily toward the goal—to fulfill the tafkid, the mission and purpose, given to us by Hashem. We are His soldiers in this world, and we must not allow ourselves to be pulled to the sides by distractions or influences that detract from our mission.

Chinuch Begins with Example

When it comes to educating our children, the very foundation of Yiddishkeit, it is well known that children absorb far more from what they see than from what they are told.

This is the meaning of the pasuk in Mishlei (22:6), "Train a child according to his way..." A child is educated according to his way. Meaning, the way of the trainer. A child follows the way he observes at home. It is the natural tendency of a child to internalize the behaviors and attitudes of his parents, especially how his father conducts himself.

And then, as the pasuk continues, "even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it..." - those impressions remain with him throughout his life.

What a Child Hears at Home

The Gemara (Succah 56b) relates the story of a young daughter of a Kohen who married a Greek official. When the Greeks entered the Heichal, she kicked the Mizbeach and cried out, "how long will you consume the wealth of Yisrael?"

When the sages heard this, they punished her family.

Why did they punish her family for her actions?

Chazal explain, that what a child expresses in the street is rooted in what he heard at home. She had absorbed the notion that mitzvos result in financial loss, that korbanos are a waste.

Without a deep emunah that everything comes from Hashem for the sake of mitzvos, a person can come to view mitzvos as a burden or a loss. This perception ultimately led her to abandon everything and to be drawn after the Greeks, believing that success and influence were in their hands.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential for a father to demonstrate before his family, that when it comes to mitzvos, he is not seeking to the approval of other people, but only in Hashem, the Creator and Overseer of everything.

When this idea is firmly planted in the heart of a child from a young age, it becomes a powerful shield, protecting him from negative influences throughout his life.

Returning to Aharon

With this, we can return to the pasuk: "Aharon and his sons did all the things that God had commanded - they fulfilled everything that Hashem commanded."

As Rashi explains, "they did not turn to the right or to the left ..."

Aharon modeled this for his children. Through his own conduct, he taught them not to turn right or left, not to be concerned with what others might say, and not to be influenced by the surrounding environment.

And through this, he and his sons merited to fulfill all the mitzvos of Hashem in their fullest and truest form.

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