Something forbidden, or a person may have an improper thought fall into head. The way to avoid this is to work on purifying one’s thoughts so that when such things come up in his mind, he pushes them away immediately. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 44) says that the word “after” is used in the pasuk to mean that one should avoid the thoughts that come after he realizes what is occurring. One is commanded not to allow such thoughts to continue after he realizes that they are assailing him by quickly vanquishing them from his mind.
Making Oneself Like a Blind Man:
Sefer Hachasidim (69) writes: “Nothing separates a person from impurity like closing his eyes.” By closing one’s eyes, he can overcome desires. It is known that blind men have less desires as a result of being unable to see, as the heart does not desire what it cannot see.
Rav Pinchos of Koretz zy”a did not usually attend funerals, but he once went to the levaya of a simple man. When he saw that many people were wondering why he went out of his way to attend this funeral, he said, “Can you see that a pillar of fire is going before him?”
He then related that this man was a musician who would sing and play music at weddings. Everyone always thought that he was blind. In truth, however, he was not. He actually pretended to be blind because he didn’t want to see any forbidden sights at a wedding. Therefore, he closed his eyes and acted like he was blind for many years. At the end of his life, as he lay on his deathbed, he opened his eyes and said, “Let me see the world one last time.”
This Yid gave up his ability to see for so many years in order to ensure that he didn’t anything inappropriate.
Bilaam Only Saw Prophecy with His Blind Eye:
The pasuk states (Bamidbor 24:3): “Thus said Bilaam the son of Beor. Thus said the man with the stuffed eye.” Although the pasuk seems to be saying that Bilaam was blind in his eye, Onkelos translates it to mean “the man who could see well.”
The Baal Shem Tov zy”a explains by citing the words of Rashi: “Why did Hashem let His Shechinah dwell on a non-Jewish rasha? So that the nations of the world would be unable to complain and say that if they had been given a prophet, they would have acted properly.” He explains that for someone to receive prophecy, all of his senses must be pure and holy. If one has sanctified all of his senses, he can have the holy spirit of prophecy enter into him, but if he is impure, he cannot experience this.
All of Bilaam’s senses were thoroughly impure. Chazal say that he engaged in witchcraft and all sorts of depravity. Accordingly, he could not experience the spirit of prophecy. However, Hashem had to give the non-Jews a prophet so that they wouldn’t have a complaint. So what did He do? He blinded one of his eyes, making it impossible for him to sin with this eye. Therefore, he was able to receive prophecy only through this one eye. When the Targum says that he could see well with this eye, it means that because he was blind in this eye, he was able to see prophecy through it.
If a decadent non-Jew like Bilaam could receive holy prophecies through his blind eye, it is certain that one can experience incredible holiness if he guards his eyes and does not allow himself to see forbidden things.
The Meraglim Lacked Emunah:
In Parshas Devarim, the Torah informs us that the root of the sin of the meraglim was their lack of emunah, as is stated (Devarim 1:32): “In this matter, you did not believe in Hashem.” The Ramban writes that with these words, Moshe Rabenu was chastising the people for the sin of the meraglim. He told them, “You were right that the residents of the land are strong and mighty. But Hashem will fight for you, just like he did in Egypt. In this matter, you did not believe in Hashem. It was all a result of a lack of emunah.”
Thus, the lesson we are meant to learn from the story of the meraglim is to strengthen our emunah. In our times, when we are facing troubles on all sides, we can only merit salvation through emunah.
Strengthening Emunah in the Final Generations:
The Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a (Irin Kadishin Likutim) states that in our times – during the era of the last generation in exile – our main avodah is to strengthen our emunah. He compares the neshamos of Klal Yisroel to a body and says that just like a body has a head, torso and legs, so too Klal Yisroel is made up of such “body parts”. The early generations were “the head”, the middle generation were “the body”, and the final generations – the generations known as the “Ikvesah D’Meshicha” (literally “the heels of Moshiach) are “the feet”.
The head contains the five senses and the mind, while the body contains the understanding of the heart. Something one sees with his eyes does not require emunah, as it is clear to see and to believe in with one’s heart. The legs, however, contain no such senses. For the legs to “believe” they need emunah. Therefore, the generations that are compared to the feet need to strengthen their emunah in order to believe that Hashem is fully in control of everything that occurs.
He says that it is very difficult for people in these lowly, downtrodden generations to excel in Torah, tefillah or avodas Hashem, but we can work on strengthening our emunah and, by doing so, even a little bit, we create a strong impression in Shomayim. Just like the feet need the head, the head also needs the feet to hold it up. Without the legs, the body and head would be unable to stand upright. So too, all previous generations depend on the final generations to hold everything up, and every little thing the final generations do to increase their emunah is greatly beloved by Hashem.
The Benefit of Emunah in Our Times:
Sefer Bais Yisroel relates that in the year 5602 (1842), the Ruzhiner Rebbe once went for a walk in the forest. His attendants brought him a small table and chair, and he sat down in the middle of the woods. He turned to the chasidim who were with him and began to say words of chizuk about the great things the final generations can accomplish with every small thing they do for Hashem, and how much joy this brings Him. He said as follows:
Chazal say (Makos 24A) that Chavakuk came and summarized the entire Torah with one statement: “A tzadik lives with his emunah (Chavakuk 2:4).” This is hard to understand. Chavakuk lived at the end of the period of prophecy and he was prophesizing about the generation immediately prior to Moshiach’s arrival and saying that a tzadik lives with his emunah. What tzadikim will be around then?
The truth is, however, that this is not so surprising. In the generation right before Moshiach, everyone will be doing whatever they want. People will have no shame to sin publicly. In such times, if a Yid slightly subjugates himself to Hashem, and certainly if he sighs about his situation, and even more so if he tries to repeat the words of a tzadik, he will need to look behind him to see if people are making a mockery of him. In such a time, if a Yid strengthens his emunah, he will be deserving of great praise and will be considered a tzadik.
The Rebbe then placed his hand on his heart and said: In such times, if a Jew wakes up in the morning and says Modeh Ani – even if he is so ignorant that he doesn’t know the meaning of the words – and if he puts on talis and tefillin – even if he isn’t wearing them properly – but he at least knows that a Jew must wear tefillin, such a Jew is very beloved by Hashem. He has reached the highest level of emunah – the level of “mi la’Hashem ailei”, of serving Hashem when most others do not. And he is worthy of greeting Moshiach.
The Final Generations are the Purpose of Creation:
The Rama M’Pano (Asarah Maamaros, Maamar Chikur Din, Chelek 2, Perek 7) writes that the verse (Chavakuk 2:3): “If he delays, wait for him because he will come and will not take long” has the numerical value of the word “bereishis” because “this is the purpose of the entire creation.
The Shomer Emunim (Drush Emunah 25) explains that this pasuk is referring to the final generation which will merit to see the geulah. Although our generation is currently at a very lowly level, since we are undergoing much suffering and many challenges, we will emerge purified as if we had been cleansed by fire. Therefore, our job now is to remain strong in our emunah and not to waver at all.
Overcoming Challenges Rectifies all Blemishes:
Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Alik zy”a (a student of the Magid of Zlotchov zy”a) related that a group of many souls that had been reincarnated numerous times but had yet to reach their tikkun once came to Hashem and asked, “What will be with us? We have been sent to the world in all different forms but have yet to find our rectification. When will it ever end?”
Hashem told them, “The generation of the Ikvesah D’Meshicha will soon arrive. At that time, all the neshamos that have been sent to the world many times but have not found their tikkun will be sent back to the world. There will be many challenges in that generation, especially in matters of emunah, and blasphemy will be widespread. Anyone who retains their emunah in such a generation, will be proven to be truly deserving of rectification and all of his soul’s blemishes will be wiped away.”
Rav Tzvi Hirsch concluded by saying that this generation has already begun.
Sipurei Tzadikim Strengthens Emunah:
The Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a related that Rav Zev Wolf of Chorni-Ostroha zy”a would usually sleep with his eyes open. One of his students once was surprised to see him sleeping with his eyes open. When he woke up, he explained the reason his eyes were closed by saying that he was shown a vision of the final generations before Moshiach.
He told his student, “In that time, even people as choshuv as you will be influenced by heresy!”
The student was shocked and began to cry. The Rebbe told him, “I have one piece of advice for you – to tell stories about tzadikim. You can even say stories about me!”
When he said this, the Ruzhiner Rebbe repeated the words, “Even about me! Even about me!”
Similarly, Sefer Yalkut Ohev Yisroel relates that the Apta Rov zy”a said that before Moshiach comes, a lot of blasphemy will come to the world. He pointed to one of the people in front of him and said, “Even people like you will be influenced by apikorsus.”
He then said, “The only piece of advice I can give to be saved from this is to gather together and relate stories of tzadikim.”
May we all merit to at least slightly improve our emunah!
