One Who Does Not Guard His Eyes Falls:
Rav Dovid of Tolna zy”a once visited the city of Shpoli, and he asked the residents if there was anyone in town who remembered the Shpolya Zaida (who had passed away many years before). They told him that there was an old man who still had memories of the tzadik, and Rav Dovid asked to meet him.
When the man was brought to Rav Dovid, the Rebbe asked him to say over something he had heard from the Shpolya Zaida. The old man said, “The Torah refers to Bilaam in superlative terms by calling him ‘the one who hears Hashem’s sayings and perceives the thoughts of the Most High.’ But this didn’t affect him at all. He still remained a Bilaam!”
After hearing these words, the Rebbe isolated himself in a room for three days, not allowing anyone to enter. When he came out of his isolation, he said, “I looked into myself and made a cheshbon hanefesh, and I concluded that, boruch Hashem, I am clean.”
His intent was that every Jew must contemplate where he is holding in life to determine if he is genuine. If he learns, davens and serves Hashem – meaning that he is “one who hears Hashem’s sayings and perceives the thoughts of the Most High” – he still must ensure that he is not like Bilaam.
Downfall Due to Improper Sights:
We still may ask why Bilaam was not positively influenced by the great things he saw and experienced. After all he went through and all that he knew, how could he remain a rasha?
The Slonimer Rebbe zy”a says that the answer is found in the pasuk itself. It says that Bilaam “saw the fallen with open eyes.” This can be translated to mean that he himself fell because he had “open eyes”, meaning that he looked at forbidden sights, which led to his downfall.
Kedusha Depends on What One Sees:
The Tiferes Shlomo writes that...
