The Bottom Line
Although in practice we bring the korban chatas before the olah, the Torah lists the korban olah first, to teach us that it’s not enough to simply work on סור מרע (i.e. to stay away from negative actions); rather, we must take the concept of עשה טוב – of constantly growing and becoming the “best we can be – and integrate it as our main mission in life, despite the barrage of real and unforeseen circumstances that may deter us from that. This coming week – whether I am learning full-time or working – I will make a plan for myself to accomplish the spiritual goals that I set for myself, even though life’s circumstances will challenge me. Despite these obstacles, I won’t be swayed or discouraged by the yeitzer hora from continuing to grow and accomplish my goals. And in that zechus, when someone asks me, “Where are you holding?” I will proudly answer, “I am holding by shteiging.”
