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took a few small topics and dedicated about ten minutes to each wanted nothing at all to do with sensuality, heaven would certainly Torah details this for us and repeats the warning again and again:
one, and the like. In truth, this is the only way to progress and and assuredly have guarded him from that sin. “Remember, do notforget, how you angered Hashem your God
change. Thus, he acquired a wonderful tool for life, a tool that in the desert. From the day that you left the land of Egypt until
helped him a great deal in his marriage and in all his struggles, and The Writing Is on the Wall you came to this place, you have been rebelling against Hashem”
a tool that will help him for the rest of his life. (Deuteronomy 9:7). Remember well: for 40 years, you rebelled
And if this were so in the generation of the desert, it is a million against Hashem! This is the message to all generations: see and
That student began a new custom: to celebrate the anniversary of times more the case in our generation: that unless we invest half study this well. We must study this not in order to disparage our
the date on which he had heard my lecture on anger as his spiritual an hour a day in the work of the will to ask Hashem to distance forefathers but so that we will learn from their tests and from their
birthday. On that day, he comes to bless me and thank me, and us from sensuality and licentiousness and to help us attain holiness errors. Then we will be able to proceed upon the proper path. This
he tells me, “It is true that I was born on day so-and-so, but I only and the ability to guard our eyes, we will not have the ability to is because the essence of the goal in learning the Torah is to know
began living after I heard this recording! Therefore, this is my true how to conduct ourselves in our own lives, not in order to know
birthday. This is the day on which I really began to live. And I choose freely and withstand tests! There is no necessity to expand what happened in the past. The Torah is not a book of history. The
on the details, because everyone can see with his own eyes the
thank Hashem with all my heart for having given me such a terrible human condition in regard to matters of holiness. Does anyone Torah teaches each person the proper way to live his life. And the
evil trait, because that is the only reason that I began to live with delude himself into thinking that he is inoculated? The opposite is proper way is the way of work: “man was born to toil” (Job 5:7).
faith. Thus, the trait of anger didn’t destroy my life, but it saved my true. In our generation, the unleashing of the drives and lusts of the
life. Because of my anger, I began to live!” Therefore, Moses rebuked the nation of Israel with the words,
body has penetrated even into the most guarded circles, until the “Hashem did not give you a heart to know” (Jeremiah 24:7). They
This is the story in brief. In the context of our topic, we can self-control of every individual, without exception, is in a constant had to awaken on their own to entreat Hashem to turn their hearts
now consider, see easily and understand what changed him. Not state of dangerous descent. The truth is written on the wall, in hot to heeding Him and keeping His mitzvot. This is discussed in the
his good will alone changed him, because even before he began to and bubbling blood, and it cries out: a person who does not work Gemara (Avodah Zarah 5). And Tosafot explain there (s.v. ad) that,
dedicate time to pray, he had an intense desire to change, but that on holiness in this area is liable to abandon everything in a single after having seen numerous times how they had fallen prey to
intention by itself did not change him. He suffered greatly, and he moment and fall from every level! grave sins—such as the golden calf, the spies, and their unending
went to advisors and rabbis, he learned books, he made efforts. But self-pity and weeping—the people of Israel had to come to their
In our generation, the evil inclination does not need to work hard
that did not change him. What did change him? The time that he in order to persuade people to sin. It has brought about the internet own realization that they were in danger and that they must seek
dedicated every day to express his will in personal prayers to the and all of the various devices that incinerate people’s lives and drag Hashem’s help (cf. the introduction to Hishtapchut Hanefesh). If they
Creator of the world—that is what changed him! would have turned their hearts to examine their ways and their sins
them down to the lowest level of Sheol. Everyone runs after these from the start, they would have understood the darkness and danger
As a result of my contemplating the pathway of my own life and devices and pays money in order to sin and not have a moment they were in. They would have reflected on the fact that even after
tracing the progress of my students, the secret of life—which is the free to do things that are truly good. The evil inclination is simply having heard Hashem Himself declare “I am Hashem your God”
secret of the Torah and the secret of free choice—was revealed to a genius. He has upgraded himself to the high-tech generation. Its and “You shall have no other gods,” they had descended to the
me. What is that secret? The secret is the will. The will determines devices do his work for him, and he can rest. Therefore, the evil terrible nadir of the sins of the golden calf and of ingratitude, for
and influences everything in a person’s life. Nothing can stand inclination has gone on pension…. which Moses rebuked them at great length.
before the will. By means of the power of the will, everyone can This is not the place to detail all of the problems of the
attain whatever he wants. But if that is so, why doesn’t everyone generation, and a word to the wise is sufficient. But this is not Moses speaks to each individual: know what the true work is.
succeed? Certainly, everyone wants wealth, happiness, a good life, merely theoretical, but a painful reality. We see and hear again and The true work is to request of Hashem every day: “Give us a heart
and so forth. Certainly, everyone wants faith, tranquility, good again about fine and holy families that were shattered into pieces to truly serve You.” As the Gemara says: “When the Holy One,
traits, and so on. Why doesn’t everyone attain them? blessed be He, said to Israel, ‘If only they would have this heart,’
because of the temptations of sensuality. People about whom you they should have responded, ‘Give it to us!’” As mentioned earlier,
The answer is simple and clear-cut: because people do not set never would have believed it possible have fallen tragically into this “heart” refers to the will. Everyone must know that his work
aside time to want. That is the principal secret that is hidden from realms of uncleanness, and smashed all of their children and family