The words ענג and נגע have the same letters. The difference between them is where you put the 'ע. If the letter ן"עי is at the end of the word, it is נגע, plague. If placed at the beginning of the word, it is ענג, pleasure. The Beis Avraham zt'l explains that this hints to the importance of shemiras einayim, guarding the ן'עי, eyes. It can make the difference between plague and pleasure. Those who guard their eyes live a life of pleasure, they have spiritual joy, and joy in this world. Those who don't guard their eyes suffer in both words. They experience נגע, plague.
This is hinted to in this week's parashah, (13:55) הוּא ֵאָמט ...ֵינוֹע ֶתא ַנֶּגַעה ַ ךְָפה לֹא ִנֵּהוְה, Behold, the tzaraas has not changed its עינו ...it is tamei." The Beis Avraham explains that if you don't change the place of the ן"עי to turn נגע into ענג (or in other words, if you don't guard your eyes) הוּא ֵאָמט, this is tumah.
Guarding the Eyes and Its Rewards
Chazal have an expression עבירה מדבר עינו זן, satisfying his eyes from an aveirah. This expression isn't expressed by other aveiros. For example, it doesn't state הרע מלשון פיו זן, that he satisfied his mouth with lashon hara. It is written specifically regarding the eyes, because parnassah, זן, depends on the kedushah of the eyes.
The Gemara (Nedarim 64b) states חשוב סומא כמת, "A blind person is compared to a dead person." The Beis Avraham explains that this hints that when one isn't cautious with his eyes, he doesn't have a life. In contrast (Tehillim 33:18-19) ָםְׁשנַפ ָּוֶתִממ ַצִּיללְה... ָיוֵאיְר ֶלא 'ה ֵיןע ִנֵּהה, "Behold, the eye of Hashem is on those who fear Him... to rescue their soul from death." The pasuk means that when one sanctifies his eyes (so that they are called 'ה ֵיןע, Hashem's eyes), this will save him from death – literal death (as it states ימים תוסיף 'ה יראת, fear of Hashem adds on life), and he will be saved from spiritual death. He will have spiritual life, as it states בתורתך עינינו והאר, that our eyes will be enlightened in Torah. In contrast, he loses his life in both worlds if he doesn’t guard his eyes.
Therefore, a person should make a reckoning with oneself. Is it worth it to be lax with his eyes? He will lose so much! Instead of ענג (pleasure), he will have נגע (plague)! Instead of בתורתך עינינו והאר, eyes that see and love Torah, he will have darkness. Instead of life... Isn't it wiser to wage war against the yetzer hara and guard one's eyes? He will earn both worlds, parnassah, life, good children, and all pleasures.
Sources and Benefits from Guarding the Eyes
We will continue with more sources and benefits from guarding the eyes. It states (Tehillim 119:37) ֶָךָכבִּדְר ָוְאׁש ֵרְאוֹתמ ֵינַיע ֵרֲבַעה ַיֵּנִיח , "Avert my eyes from seeing futility, through Your ways preserve me." The Ibn Ezra explains that this tells us that a person's life will be lengthened if he doesn't stray after his eyes.
The Saraf of Strelisk zt'l said, "A person who guards his eyes, his children will live, he will raise them without tzaar, and they will be protected from dangers that arise in their day (Imrei Kodesh p.101). Who doesn't need this segulah?
Sefer Chassidim (495) discusses the importance of guarding one’s eyes: "A great reward goes to him... because he is controlling his eyes. When a person struggles and has tzaar, this becomes the merit of his children, as it states (Yeshayah 53:10) ֲ רִ יךְיַא ַעזֶר ֶהיִרְא ִיםיָמ , "He will see offspring and live long days."
The Beis Avraham (Chanukah ולא ה"ד 'ד נר) teaches that the Torah uses the expression of זן or זונים, when it discusses guarding the eyes. For example, it states זונים אתם אשר, and the Gemara has an expression מדבר עינו מזין עבירה , to satisfy his eyes with an aveirah.
These words, מזין ,זן and זונים are similar to the term מזונות, which refers to food and parnassah. This is because to the extent that a person guards his eyes, that is how much parnassah he will have. A hint to this is the Gemara (Sotah 48a): "When taharah ceased, the taste of fruit left." Fruit doesn’t have the same taste as it had in the past, when Klal Yisrael had taharah. This hints at the purity of guarding the eyes, which causes parnassah.
It states (Bamidbar 11:7) ֵיןכְּע ֵינוֹוְע הוּא גַּד ַעכִּזְר ָּןַמוְה ַחַבְּדֹלה . The Beis Avraham (והמן ה"ד בהעלתך) explains that the manna represents parnassah. It will come to a person ַחַבְּדֹלה ֵיןכְּע ֵינוֹוְע, when he has pure eyes. Through shemiras einayim his parnassah increases.
As it states (Tehillim 145:15) ַ בֵּרוּׂיְש ֶָיךֵלא כֹל ֵינֵיע ּוִֹתבְּע ָםָכְלא ֶתא ֶםָהל ֵןנוֹת ָּהַתוְא , "The eyes of all look to You with hope and You give them their food in its proper time." Tzaddikim explain that ַ בֵּרוּיְש (with a shin) means to break. When a person "breaks" his eyes (which means he guards his eyes and he doesn't look where he shouldn't) it will be ּוִֹתבְּע ָםָכְלא ֶתא ֶםָהל ֵןנוֹת ָּהַתוְא, he will have parnassah.
It states (Derech Eretz Zuta 1:4) אין ,בעיניך תכשל אל בעיניים אלא מכשול , "Don't stumble with your eyes. Stumbling is always with the eyes."
Stories and Parables
Madreigas HaAdam (Darkei Chaim ch.3) from the Alter of Novardok zt'l brings a story that happened many years ago. A young rav was appointed as rav of the large city of Hamburg, which had a large Jewish community. On the day he arrived in Hamburg, a simple woman came from the marketplace and told the rav that she wanted to call a wealthy person to a din Torah. This gvir (wealthy person) was one of the most respected people inf the city. The rav asked if the matter could wait until the next day, as he was tired from the trip. She replied that she wanted the din Torah right away, and gave several reasons it the matter couldn’t wait.
The rav immediately summoned for his shamesh, and instructed him to go to the gvir, and summon him to a din Torah. The shamesh was very afraid to do that. The wealthy person was very honored in Hamburg. How could he call him to a din Torah? But the rav insisted that he do so.
The shamesh arrived at the gvir's home, but he didn't have courage to knock on the door. So, he stood outside and waited for the wealthy person to leave the house. When the wealthy person came out, the shamesh approached him. The gvir asked, "What do you want?" The shamesh stuttered, and with half-words expressed that the new rav was calling him for a din Torah. The wealthy man replied, "There is time." The shamesh returned to tell the rav the wealthy man's response.
The rav asked the woman whether she agreed to wait, and she repeated that she couldn’t. The rav sent the shamesh again to the gvir to tell him that he must immediately come to the din Torah. The shamesh was now even more afraid. How could he cause this disgrace to the honored gvir? But the rav forced him to go.
When he arrived, he couldn't open his mouth, until the gvir asked, "What did the rav say?" The gabbai repeated the message. The gvir became angry and said, "Tell the rav that I am the gvir of this city and the rav is new here and he doesn't know the ways of the city. I will come to the din Torah when I have time."
The shamesh returned and told the rav what the gvir said. The rav stood up and said to the shamesh, "Go back to the gvir and tell him that although he is the gvir of Hamburg, when I call him, he must come immediately. I don't have an army to force him to come, but I have three letters ם -ר -ח, and that can bring him."
The shamesh was very afraid to repeat this sharp message to the gvir. He pleaded to the rav to find someone else to relay the message, but the rav rebuked the shamesh and forced him to return to the gvir immediately to give over this message. He went to the gvir's home, and with terror in his voice asked forgiveness. He said that although he tried to get ouf of this mission, the rav forced him to do it. He repeated the message, and without daring to look at the gvir's face, he immediately left.
Shortly afterwards, the gvir arrived at the rav's beis medresh and announced loudly and joyously, "Mazal tov! You are worthy of being the rav of Hamburg. There was never any din Torah. The whole episode – the woman's claim and my refusal to come – was just a test, to see whether the rav is worthy to be the rav of Hamburg, and whether he lives with the pasuk (Devarim 1:17) איש מפני תגורו לא, 'You shall not fear any man.'
The World and the Eye
Also, it states (Derech Eretz Zuta 9:10), "This world is compared to the eyeball of a human being. The white of the eye is the ocean that surrounds the world. The black of the eye is the world. The שבשחור קומט, the pupil of the eye, is Yerushalayim, and the form of a person that is seen in the pupil is the Beis HaMikdash that should be built speedily in our days, and in the days of all Yisrael, amen."
The Binyan Yehoshua quotes the source we just mentioned and explains the reason the world is compared to a person's eye: "Just as a person can roll his eyes, so it is in the person's strength to lead the entire world with his merit, as it states עולם יסוד צדיק." This means that when he keeps his eyes holy, he can lead the entire world with his merit.
