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How can we truly own our possessions while recognizing that everything belongs to God? The shiur develops a yesod from the Akedah that we genuinely own what God gives us, but only for our lifetime unless we use it to serve Him. When we utilize our resources for mitzvos and divine service, we eternalize them beyond death.
This profound shiur examines the third Perek of Pirkei Avos, specifically the Mishna of Ben Zoma teaching 'give to God from His own, for you and yours are His,' supported by King Dovid's statement during the Temple collection. Rabbi Zweig addresses the apparent contradiction in feeling that our possessions aren't truly ours while still living as owners who can enjoy wealth and defend our property. The key insight comes from analyzing the Akedah, where Avrohom faced the ultimate test despite having already proven his devotion at Ur Kasdim a century earlier. The Ran explains that God couldn't command the sacrifice since He had promised Isaac would be Avrohom's continuity - He could only request it. Rabbi Zweig offers a deeper understanding: Avrohom realized that while God gave him Isaac, he would only have his son for a limited time in this world. However, by offering his feelings of fatherhood to serve God, Avrohom could eternalize that relationship forever. This principle extends to all our possessions and abilities. Everything God gives us - money, talents, relationships - we truly own, but only for our lifetime unless we use them to serve God. When we utilize our resources for mitzvos, charity, hachnasas orchim, or other divine service, we eternalize them. A wealthy person should live better than a poor person, but should use that wealth to serve God more effectively. The shiur addresses tragedy by explaining that loss can be eternalized when used to strengthen our connection to God. While people might memorialize relationships through poetry or literature for decades or centuries, true eternalization only comes through divine service. King Dovid's apparent contradiction - first calling the Temple donations a gift, then saying everything belongs to God - reflects this dual reality: we own what God gives us, but true eternal ownership comes only through using these gifts to serve Him. The profound message is that the only wealth we truly take with us after death is what we used to serve God and connect to Him, for only what is connected to the eternal God achieves true eternity.
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Up Next in this Series
Why does Avos 3:7 condemn someone who stops learning to admire a tree or furrow? The Rambam's directive to study secular wisdom alongside Torah reveals that the problem isn't appreciating God's world, but compartmentalizing it as separate from Torah study. When properly integrated, all knowledge and experiences become vehicles for deeper Torah understanding rather than dangerous interruptions.
Why is silence called a "fence for wisdom" in Avos 3:13, and why is a healthy body found only in silence? The shiur develops the principle that speech can emanate from either the intellect or the body's physical drives. When speech expresses physical impulses rather than refined thought, the body gains independent momentum and man deteriorates from "adam" (person) into "basar" (flesh)—the transformation that occurred at the flood.
Why does the Mishna say there are three crowns when it lists four, and why is Kesser Shem Tov superior to the crowns of Torah, Kehunah, and Malchus? The shiur explains that Shem Tov means becoming the living definition of what's humanly possible—like Hillel, Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum, and Yosef HaTzaddik—so others see in you the true standard of halacha and mesirus nefesh. Chanukah celebrates this middah, as the Chashmonaim became the model of devotion, and the Menorah represents the Kesser Shem Tov that rises above all others.
Pirkei Avos 3:7
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How did Yigal Amir convince himself that murdering Rabin was a mitzvah? The shiur uses Avos 3:8 to establish a crucial test: authentic mitzvos build rather than destroy, while self-destructive behavior reveals spiritual delusion. When we neglect serious Torah study, we lose the sensitivity to distinguish between genuine religious acts and destructive impulses disguised as righteousness.
