The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Vayikra 22:29 the Torah discusses the bringing of a Karban Todah (sacrifice of thanksgiving) -- and states וְכִֽי־תִזְבְּח֥וּ זֶֽבַח־תּוֹדָ֖ה לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה לִרְצֹֽנְכֶ֖ם תִּזְבָּֽחוּ - when a person brings this sacrifice, he should do so willingly.
But these sacrifices are for a person who was healed from an illness or survived an accident. These are sacrifices that people want to bring. Why does the Torah need to instruct us that we should bring them willingly?
Rashi gives an answer that the pasuk is talking about not bringing the sacrifice with an improper intent such as piggul or to eat it in the wrong location. R' Frand also quoted the Ksav Sofer who writes that when a person is sick and gets better he can have the attitude - he would rather not have had the illness and then would not need to be healed. But the point of the karban Todah being offered willingly is to teach that the person should also thank Hashem for the trouble. Because a person who went through this illness and by being healed has developed a closeness with Hashem. The karban Todah is a way of saying thank you to Hashem both for the illness and for being healed. Furthermore, by recognizing the yesurin for what they are, a person also gives thanks that he will not have to deal with a more severe punishment in the World to Come.
R' Frand also quoted R' Bukspan who states that a person may find himself dealing with a problem such as an illness and when he has recovered or the problem has been dealt with, he will recognize that he has grown from the experience.
R' Frand also quoted R' Yonasan Shteif (sp?) who explains that the Gemara which discusses the people who are obligated to bring a Karban Todah defines them with their problem and their escape - someone who went down to the sea and came back, someone who went to prison and was released, someone who was ill and was healed. But why not just state - someone who was healed from an illness? Because must thank Hashem for the experience and the salvation.
R' Frand told a story of R' Boruch Sorotskin who was a Rosh Yeshiva in Telshe and went through cancer and had a remission and then it came back. He reportedly said that if you asked him before he was ill if he would raise $1 million dollars to avoid being sick he would have said yes. But after going through the illness and being healed he said that he would not give away the experience even for $1 million dollars because he learned so much from the experience. This is someone who has learned the lesson of the Karban Todah.
R' Frand closed the vort by mentioning an article which ran in a Jewish paper which was a first person experience of a young mother who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and thanked Hashem for the experience and survival. I don't have the paper or more on the story and if you read this and can provided it, please post it in the comments below.
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