622. Overcoming
October-November 1963
Concerning Abraham asking for advice about the circumcision, it is explained in Siftey Hachamim that it is to receive a greater reward for the Mitzva [commandment], and he thought that perhaps they would object to him.
We should interpret that Abraham saw that since he had a Mitzva that he could do only once in his life, meaning that he could make an effort on this Mitzva only once, he thought of an idea to ask his friends. Should they resist, he will have great labor to overcome them, and “According to the effort, so is the reward.” For this reason, he put himself into the test in order to receive reward.
We see from this that he so wanted to do the Creator’s will that it was worthwhile for him to put himself to a test only because he understood that doing the Creator’s will should be with a power of overcoming.
For this reason, although we do not need to put ourselves to tests, it is rather a daily thing that the world and the environment object to the work of the Creator and that we must overcome them and not consider what they say, and understand that this is to our benefit, that it is in order for us to receive a reward for this.
When some resistance to the work appears, we must be happy, since only now will it be possible to gain a great reward, just as when one is happy when he sees that he will make a great profit. He does not look at the effort, but only at the reward. As it is written, we must overcome in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments].
When we have disturbances, we will have joy from being given an opportunity to gain a great reward.
Likewise, with charity, we should overcome more than the environment obligates. Instead, each one should give more than he is able, and then it is regarded as overcoming.