Breaking One’s Bad Inclinations:
Rashi cites a Medrash Agadah that states: “From the east (m’kedem): He distanced himself from the ‘Kadmono shel Olam’ (the Ancient One, i.e., Hashemֹ) of the world. He said, ‘It is impossible for me to be with neither Avram nor his G-d.’”
Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l (Sefer Yad Yechezkel) asks how this could be possible. Lot was constantly together with Avrohom and Sarah and saw how they served Hashem with their entire hearts, influenced others for the betters, and spread the glory of Hashem throughout the world. It is certain that he also was instilled with fear and love of Hashem. How could he fall so suddenly to such as a low level of heresy?
He answers that Lot possessed inherent negative qualities. He desired money and earthly pleasures. As long as he was living with Avrohom, he was embarrassed to display his desires, but he also never eradicated these desires from within his heart. Therefore, the second he left Avrohom’s company, his bad middos came to the fore and his true self emerged.
Rav Yechezkel used this idea to explain why some bochurim excel in yeshiva, both in Torah and yiras shomayim, but as soon as they leave yeshiva, they have a very swift downfall and fall prey to their desires, which were held in check as long as they were in the yeshiva environment.
וַיִּבְחַר לוֹ לוֹט אֵת כָּל כִּכַּר הַיַּרְ דֵּן וַיִּסַּע לוֹט מִ קֶּדֶם וגו' (יג יא)
And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Yarden, and Lot traveled from the east... (13:11)
He concludes: “Therefore, it is very important for a person to look at his surroundings and determine how conductive they are for his good middos, and how much they may bring out his bad middos. One must be very careful to retain the good things he attained in a good environment and bring those qualities to the fore.”
We can learn an important lesson from his words. Even if one is learning Torah and doing mitzvos, he has to make sure that these values become instilled within him. If he merely is doing them by rote, because everyone around him is doing them as well, he is in danger of having a spiritual downfall as soon as he leaves those surroundings. Therefore, from the time one is young, he must work on himself to make his avodah part of his very essence so that it follows him wherever he goes.
