The Power of Ahavah Spares Us from Lusts and Desires
Fortified with Love
Reacceptance Out of Love
The Gemara (Shabbos 88a) tells us that the acceptance of the Torah in the days of Achashverosh was greater than the acceptance of the Torah at Har Sinai—for at Har Sinai, there was a measure of coercion when Hashem lifted the mountain above the heads of Bnei Yisrael. During the days of Achashverosh, the Yidden accepted the Torah once again—as we read in the Megillah, היהודים וקבלו קיימו, they ratified what they had previously accepted. Rashi explains the words of the Gemara: קבלוה הדר אחשורוש בימי, they once again accepted the Torah in the days of Achashverosh, להם שנעשה הנס מאהבת, out of the love that was generated by the miracle that had been done for them.
Thus—in the contrast between the two acceptances—we see that acceptance done under duress isn’t considered complete acceptance. When later confronted, the person can always say that he didn’t really want to accept, but he had no choice. However, the acceptance that is done out of love is true and complete acceptance—and it obligates the person far more.
Love Protects and Saves
We tend to think that the superiority of acceptance out of love versus out of fear is because the former means it more earnestly. This may be true at the time of the acceptance, but the question is, what happens in a year from then? How much strength and fortitude does he have in order to battle his yetzer hara then? He finds himself in a new situation, and he has a difficult nisayon... how much inner strength does he have to enable him to fight it off? A person surely needs great strength for this battle... he needs the Heavenly powers given to him by the Ribbono shel Olam.
And here we see something extraordinary: One who possesses אהבת ה', deep love for Hashem, is instilled with a burning drive to fulfill mitzvos, and in addition, it arms him with herculean strength to withstand nisyonos and avoid the yetzer hara’s pitfalls.
Cords of Love Give Strength
We see this play out in the sugya of chinuch. When parents infuse their children with love and express their love for their children, the children are better able to withstand the nisyonos in their lives. Every situation is different—but the golden rule is that love always helps. One can always tell when that love isn’t there... the situation is generally far worse. The love from parents toward their children guards and protects the children, and it arms them with the strength to withstand adversity.
There’s incredible depth to this concept. In fact, the Sheim MiShmuel (Parashas Ki Teitzei) teaches that when parents sever the connection to their child, that child is cut off from his source, and this causes him to be wayward. Thus, we see that love has the incredible power to keep a child connected to the good—to the tradition of the Avos—and this fortifies the child to face his nisyonos successfully.
But even a person who is unfamiliar with this Sheim MiShmuel can see clearly that a child who is given love is armed and fortified with kochos to take on life—ammunition against the Sitra Achara and its emissaries. A child who knows that he has parents and grandparents and a community that loves him—and he in turn loves them back—has the strength to battle his yetzer hara.
Those Who Are Untethered Experience Lust
Thus writes the Yismach Yisrael of Aleksander: When a Yid becomes untethered from the rest of Klal Yisrael, he is left without the strength to fight his lusts, and impurity dwells on him. We see this in the pasuk, נפרד יבקש לתאוה, one who removes himself to court lust... (Mishlei 18:1). A person who is removed and unconnected from his source will pursue his lusts and desires. Conversely, one who has true and deep ahavas Yisrael is filled with strength and fortitude, and he’s strong and victorious in battle. He factually has more strength.
Love Fills the Soul
This brings us back to the miracle of Purim. In the miracle of Mordechai and Esther, the Yidden felt the deep love that Hashem has for them—more so than with other miracles (and we will soon see the reason for this). We emphasize the word felt...the Yidden felt Hashem’s love deeply, beyond merely comprehending the miracle within the teva. There are things in this world that are keenly felt; love is one of those things. We can feel it, know it, believe it, and understand it....
When a person feels love, he enters a different realm. The love fills his soul and protects him from sin—for sin comes to a person when he’s searching for something to fill his empty soul, as the Torah warns us, לבבכם אחרי תתורו ולא, do not explore after your heart. Searching and exploring after lust comes when the heart and the soul are empty. When the nefesh is filled with love, there is no need to search and explore, and if something comes to him from the outside, it doesn’t disturb him or interest him.
Love as an Antidote
Indeed, this principle applies very much to the area of אחרי תתורו ולא עניכם ואחרי לבבכם, do not explore the lust of the heart and the eyes, which refer to avodah zarah and giluy arayos, respectively. Chazal tell us that heresy is addictive, it draws a person, and this is what is meant by אחרי תתורו ולא לבבכם. And when we speak about avodah zarah, we don’t just mean idol worship—but anger as well, which is an element of avodah zarah.
We are taught that ע"ז עובד כאילו הכועס כל, one who becomes angry is akin to one who worships idols. This is because he doesn’t sufficiently believe that it is Hashem Who has brought these events to bear. He should have strengthened his belief in the Hashgachah of Hashem, and in the knowledge that no one can do anything to him without the Ribbono shel Olam’s command.
However, when he is filled with the feeling of overwhelming love from Hashem—he feels how much the Ribbono shel Olam loves him—he isn’t drawn to avodah zarah and giluy arayos. And again, avodah zarah can refer to dishonesty in business, which comes from a person not sufficiently believing that Hashem will provide for him.
There’s Knowing and There’s Feeling
“I Know It”
There’s a well-known story that when Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev returned from his Rebbe, the holy Maggid of Mezerich, he was asked what he learned while visiting his Rebbe. He answered: “I learned that there’s a G-d in the world!” Incredulous, the people brought in the maid and asked her whether there’s a G-d in the world; she immediately answered with a resounding “Yes.” Turning to Rebbe Levi Yitzchak, they asked, “For this you had to journey to the Maggid? Even the maid knows this!” Explained the holy Berdichever, “She says it, but I know it!”
In our parlance, we can explain in this way: She says that she knows. But I truly know. I feel it! Knowing means that this awareness connects to the person in a way that fills his soul, and once his soul is filled, it doesn’t need anything else.
The “Click” Moment
This nekudah is extremely relevant to our inyan of מאהבה התורה קבלת, accepting the Torah out of love. Something transpired in the story of Achashverosh—that is, something took place within Klal Yisrael at that time.
It’s not that something external took place, which they witnessed; rather, something shifted deep within them.
Often, we speak with teenagers about how something isn’t good for them, but they don’t accept it. You talk till you’re blue in the face, but they aren’t persuaded. Until, one day, it clicks. We don’t know what exactly brought about the shift—whether the teen experienced a certain dilemma or difficulty, and his heart simply opened, or perhaps he heard a certain word that touched his heart in a way that no one had done before—but the bottom line is that “he got it.” He has absorbed what we want from him, and thenceforth it’s a different story. The reality shifted.
The Superiority of Acceptance with Love
The event of וקבלו קיימו means that when Klal Yisrael understood what had transpired for them, something shifted inside their hearts. It’s not that they were awed by the miracle and were inspired to take on a positive resolution. Something inside their hearts shifted irreversibly—entering a new phase—so much so, that they experienced התורה קבלת in a way that they hadn’t done at Har Sinai! Despite the וברקים קולות, despite the incredible revelation of Hashem Himself, and despite the entire world being put on hold at Har Sinai—something even greater transpired on Purim.
Completely Transformed
When a person feels this love, he is transformed into a new person. He now has the strength and the fortitude to fight. Furthermore: When a person resolves to act, but he doesn’t have the “coverage” (the ability and the strength) to carry it out—not only will he not have the kochos to fight his yetzer hara, but his entire resolution is not really a real resolution.
Imagine a person sitting at a fundraising dinner, and immense pressure is being put on him to donate a large sum of money. Eventually, he caves to the pressure, and he acquiesces. Now, if he has the money, and he is a man of truth, he may eventually give the money. But if he doesn’t even have the money—his entire promise is not a true commitment.
