Page 37 - DAAT-HAIM-2

Rabbi Chaim Walkin

Sefer Da’at Chaim

33rd ma’amar

what he did when the older sister got up, when the pasuk explicitly
says the opposite?!

The compelling explanation is that truthfully Lot did not know
anything about what he did since he was drunk. However, when his
behavior is carefully analyzed to its core – we can say that had he paid
attention to the murmurings of his spiritual heart and his inner spiritual
feelings he should have understood that something was not right in
what he was about to do, and he should not have drunk any wine on
that second night. Therefore although in the reality of what happened
Lot did not consciously know what he did when the older sister “got
up,” in the innermost feelings of his soul it is considered as though in
fact he did know what he did and what he was about to repeat, and he
chose to push aside and ignore those inner feelings.44

And from this insight into explaining the behavior of Eisav and Lot
we learn that the true core hidden within the source of a person is the
force that drives the way he acts and the direction he takes, as was
explained, that the basis for Eisav abandoning Eretz Yisrael – even
though the superficial reason for his departure was because the Land
could not support his very extensive possessions, as truthfully this is
how the pasuk explains his actions, however, the real inner reason
underlying his actions was that he wanted to abandon and escape from
the “contractual debt” that needed to be paid in order to inherit Eretz
Yisrael. And that same insight explains the actions of Lot.

The obligation is incumbent on us to work to direct the hidden-
core-desires within us that drive our actions to achieve a good
and appropriate goal, as the source of our actions is driven by the
hidden-core-desires within us; that inner desire is what truly dictates
everything we do. If that inner source is proper and correct, then the
outcome of our superficial actions will be honest \ straight and will be
accepted by our Father in Heaven.

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44. Please see the 2nd ma’amar in this sefer entitled “The source for our toiling in
mussar – The development of sensitivity to feelings and emotions” where we
developed an extensive explanation of this topic.

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