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and the help of heaven will be multiplied thousands upon thousands In Mortal Danger The Ramchal testifies that this is easy advice that bears much
of times, beyond measure! fruit, that it is the greatest and most useful advice. Moreover, not
I took the name of this person to pray that Hashem will soon only is it the most useful, but there is no other way. None! As he
Everyone wants. Who does not want to be a master of bring him to repent fully. And I sincerely thanked my student for writes in The Path of the Just (Chapter 3):
faith, a master of good traits, happy, calm, spiritual, a this painful story that wounded my heart. I was already familiar
master of prayer, diligent in Torah, performing kind deeds, with this distressing reality. Even before I heard this terrible story, I see the need for a person to be meticulous and weigh
and so forth? As Rabbi Natan says, “Who is so foolish and my heart had been on fire to infuse the wondrous way of the work his actions every day, like the great merchants who
mad that he does not want the true and eternal good?” of the will into the hearts of the Jewish people. But after this story, constantly evaluate all of their business dealings so that
(Likutei Halachot: Arev 3). But in order to actually attain, we my heart flamed many times more. I realized that this is a matter of they will not deteriorate. He should set aside time
must make use of the spiritual principles, the rules of life. saving lives. Our present generation faces an existential daily danger, for this so that his evaluation will not be haphazard,
Only then will we truly change. without the slightest drop of exaggeration! In this generation, every but very regular, because that yields great results.
man, whether single or married, who does not engage in a half Our sages, may their memory be for a blessing, taught
hour of the work of the will on gaining holiness, on guarding his us explicitly the need for this accounting. They said, may
eyes, and on entirely nullifying the craving of licentiousness is in
tremendous danger. their memory be for a blessing, “‘Therefore, say the
rulers, Let us enter into an accounting’ (Numbers 21:27).
On the other hand, a person who does this minimal work, who This may be read as: Therefore, say those who rule over
stands every day before Hashem for half an hour and arouses strong their evil inclinations, Come and let us consider the
intentions and pleads with all his heart not to stumble over any of reckoning of the world: the loss incurred by a mitzvah
the impediments that exist in this generation, will at least—even if compared to its reward, and the reward of a transgression
he does not succeed in being perfectly clean—keep from pursuing compared to its loss…” (Bava Batra 78b).
sins. He will not put himself into challenging situations. He will
not have an unfiltered internet or unfiltered smartphone. That is And only those who are no longer controlled by
because he cries out every day to Hashem to rescue him from their evil inclination but who rule over it can offer
forbidden matters that come to him against his will. Is it conceivable this true advice and recognize its truth. However, if
that such a person will consciously transgress and sin? In truth, as I a person is still imprisoned in the jail of his evil inclination,
wrote in Chapter Three, if a person regularly does the work of the
will every day, not only is he saved from purposefully transgressing, his eyes do not see this truth and he cannot recognize it,
but he will receive heavenly assistance and he will be able to attain because the evil inclination literally blinds his eyes. He is
high and awesome levels. Even if he does not initially see results, like someone walking in the dark with stumbling blocks
his efforts are appreciated as being the maximum that he can do. before him, which his eyes do not see…. But those who
Therefore, heaven will guard him from transgressing, and he will rule over their evil inclination, those who have already
have no judgments against him—neither in this world nor in the emerged from the paths and clearly see all of the paths
world-to-come. And if he remains persistent, he will certainly attain before their eyes, can advise a person who wants to
the complete rectification of the “covenant” and rectification of the listen, and we must believe them. And what counsel do
“foundation,” so that he will be entirely cleansed of this craving. they give us? “Let us enter into an accounting—come
and let us consider the reckoning of the world.” That is
because they have already experienced, seen and known