For the Ilui Neshama of Avraham ben Ester ZT’L &
Yissachar ben Yona Z’L.
We always ask ourselves: What do I need to do next? Will I
go out to bowling with friends Saturday night, go to a Melaveh Malka, Singles
Event, Shiur, Clubbing or all of them or both or none of them? The Ben Ish Hai
answers that there is only one way to really know when someone has before them
such similar options whether its for the good or for the opposite.
But before we get to the answer and how its directly
connected to our Parasha, Parashat Ha’azinu, let’s talk about the Yetzer Hara
and the Yezter HaTov. The Evil and Good Inclinations is something that Hashem
created for us to grow and reach our spiritual potentials of a life with Torah
and Mitzvot. Sometimes we find ourselves whining: I don’t want the Yezter Hara!
All I want is to cling to Hashem’s goodness and holiness and just be in a
spiritual high 24/7. Let’s pretend that there was no inclination to anything.
We are just all day on this high. What good will come out of it? Its like doing
things because you have to and without any spice or love for it.
Hashem impanted in us the Yetzer Hara because He does not
want us to live like boring robots doing everything He says, that’s the job of
the Malachim (angels). They are literally Hashem’s soldiers. We are human, we
need to grow and battle the Yezter Hara because that is the only way we can
reach completion. The same is with exercising. How do you expect to grow
muscle? You have to rip the muscles in order to get more. This is why we rip
open ourselves and break ourselves and work on ourselves to grow.
Then when we have a doubt whether we do Plan A or Plan B we
are already above the debate. Good or bad? Bad or good? I don’t know what to
do?! NO. I do know what to do! I look at my past or my friends/family’s past.
The Ben Ish Hai ZT’L brings down Rabenu Alshech’s teaching that choosing the
right or wrong thing to do is based on what will happen next. For example, one
time a Rabbi came to my home for Shabbat and he explained to us in one of his
Yeshiva Students’ wedding the bus going back to the dorms arrived very late at
night. Before the students got off the bus the Rabbi said: We will only know if
our actions tonight of the wedding were really for a Mitzvah or for the
opposite based on us waking up for Shaharit (morning prayer) tomorrow morning.
Everyone got scared so they made sure they are waking up. Look at your past,
the last time I was in this situation: what did I choose? What came out of it?
What can I do now BEFORE THE ACT to change it?
From the pasuk in our Parasha we see that directly. “Ki Goi Oved Etzot Hemah Ve’En Bahem Tevuna.
Lu Hachmu Yaskilu Zot Yavinu Le’Aharitam (Devarim 32: 28-29).” Ki Goi Oved
Etzot Hemah”: when the Yetzer Hara brings into our mind to do awful actions and
pushes us to believe its GOOD DEEDS and “En Bahem Tevuna”: there is no
spiritual background to these actions, “Lu Hachmu Yaskilu Zot”: how can I
figure out if its for the good or the opposite? “Yavinu Aharitam”: after
you did whatever action then you will see if its good or bad! It’s a couple of
hours before Shabbat, what did we do last Shabbat, last Friday night, last
Saturday morning, last Saturday afternoon, last Saturday night? Did we feel
satisfaction from it? Did we feel full benefit from it? Was it only bodily
satisfaction or satisfaction for the soul? Or both?
Ask these questions
because this is how we change for the better.
Judaism=Think.
Shabbat Shalom!
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