וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וַיְהִי יְמֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵי חַיָּיו שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְאַרְבָּעִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה: (מז, כח)
Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Yaakov, the years of his life, were One hundred and forty-seven years. (47:28)
Rashi explains: Yaakov lived – Why is this parsha ‘closed’? Because once Yaakov Avinu passed away, the eyes and heart of Israel were closed because of the suffering of the enslavement, for they began to enslave them.
Chazal said (Yerushalmi Berachos 9:5):’’ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם’ - ’And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes” (Bamidbar 15:39). Rebbe Levi said: The heart and the eyes are two agents of sin. As it is written (Mishlei 23:26), ’תנה בני לבך לי ועיניך דרכי תצרנה’ - ’My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.’ HaKadosh Baruch Hu says: If you give Me your heart and your eyes, I know that you are Mine.”
Chazal revealed in this teaching that as long as one’s eyes and heart are guarded in holiness, they are considered a “free person” from the yetzer hara. They can easily sanctify all 248 of their limbs and 365 sinews for the service of their Creator. Such a person is defined as one who has eyes to see and a heart to hear, as nothing blinds their intellectual vision or obstructs the longing of their heart to serve Hashem. However, if, chas v’shalom, one’s eyes are opened to look at evil, the yetzer hara finds a dwelling place in their heart. From that point on, the yetzer hara pulls them with ropes of temptation from good to evil, and their eyes and heart become sealed, unable to see or understand what is good and what Hashem demands of him, Rachmana litzlan.
This is what Chazal said (quoted by Rashi on Bamidbar 15:39): “The eye sees, the heart desires, and the actions complete the sin.” This means that once the eye sees, the fire of the yetzer hara is kindled in the heart. The joy of Hashem, which once resided in the heart, is displaced by false temptations. As a result, the person becomes captive to his inclination, even in action, Rachmana litzlan, as all their limbs follow the lead of the heart.
Based on what was said, Rashi’s words can be understood as follows: “When Yaakov Avinu passed away,” and there was no longer anyone to stand guard over Israel and warn them not to leave the land of Goshen or to engage with the Egyptians in trade and other dealings, some began venturing out into the streets of the land. As a result, “the eyes and hearts of Israel became closed,” for their eyes were exposed to forbidden sights—the immoralities of the land, Rachmana litzlan. Consequently, their eyes were sealed from seeing good, and their hearts from longing for righteousness, because “they began to enslave them.” These sights led to the enslavement of their hearts and, ultimately, the subjugation of their entire being, Rachmana litzlan.
This aligns with the testimony of the holy seforim (see Taharas HaKodesh, Ma’amar Kedushas Einayim, Chapter 1) in their explanation of the posuk (Bereishis 38:21): ‘איה הקדשה היא בעיניים’ - “Where is the harlot by the wayside?” They expound that if it is observed that a Jew does not sanctify his limbs for the service of Hashem Yisbarach, the question arises: “Where is the sanctity?” Where is the measure of holiness that is fitting for all the descendants of Israel? The answer lies in the phrase, “by the eyes on the way.” This means that the matter depends on guarding one’s eyes while walking along the way. If a person is careful not to gaze upon evil, he will have the ability to sanctify all his limbs and desire only to fulfill the will of his Creator. However, if, chas v’shalom, he allows his eyes to roam freely, he thereby subjugates his entire being to the yetzer hara and its forces, Rachmana litzlan.
This idea is also found in Rashi’s commentary on the Torah in Parashat Vayetzei (28:13), where he writes that HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not attach His name to the righteous during their lifetime. This is because HaKadosh Baruch Hu attaches His name only to a tzaddik whose righteousness is assured to endure forever. As long as a tzaddik is alive, his eyes may stumble upon something improper, and this could lead to a spiritual decline. Therefore, even a completely righteous person cannot have Hashem’s name attached to them while they are alive.
This is the meaning of the posuk (Iyov 15:15): ‘הן בקדושיו לא יאמין’ - “Behold, He does not trust in His holy ones.” However, in the case of Yitzcah Avinu, we find (in Yaakov‘s dream) that HaKadosh Baruch Hu did attach His name to him. This was because Yitzchak’s eyes had dimmed, rendering him incapable of stumbling through sight. As a result, his righteousness was secure, and Hashem could confidently attach His name to him even during his lifetime.
From this, we learn that even someone who is blessed with the ability to see, if he trains himself to be vigilant about his vision, he can rest assured that he will not fall from his spiritual level, and his righteousness will endure forever.
A person cannot estimate how much he gains every time he walks through the streets while guarding his eyes. Sometimes, a single glance can cause devastation to the soul, resulting in a significant loss of goodness in Torah and service of Hashem. On the other hand, when one safeguards his eyes, he becomes deserving of a double reward: both for retaining the goodness he would have otherwise lost and for the act of guarding his eyes itself, which is considered an intrinsic good since it preserves that goodness.
Even Torah scholars must understand that although Chazal said (Sotah 21a): “Torah protects and saves,” this does not guarantee that someone who engages in Torah but neglects to guard his eyes will be protected from sin. The promise applies to preventing unintentional sin, but someone who willingly exposes his eyes to improper sights falls into the category of one who “provokes the yetzer hara against his soul.” In such cases, divine protection is not extended.
Chazal explicitly addressed this, as stated (Berachos 61a): “One who hands coins to a woman from his hand to hers in order to gaze at her—even if he possesses Torah and good deeds like Moshe Rabeinu—will not escape the judgment of Gehinnom, as it is said (Mishlei 11:21): ’יד ליד לא ינקה רע’ - ’Hand to hand, the evil will not go unpunished.’ He will not escape the judgment of Gehinnom.”
From here we learn that even Moshe himself would need to adhere to the boundaries of holiness to be saved from the pitfalls of impurity.
When Yaakov Avinu descended to Egypt, Hashem appeared to him in a dream and said (46:3–4): ‘אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם. אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ואנכי אעלך גם עלה ויוסף ישית ידו על עיניך’ - “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Yosef will place his hand over your eyes.” This can be interpreted as follows: Since Egypt was a place of great immorality, Yaakov feared that he or his descendants might stumble through his eyes, leading to a spiritual downfall, to the point where there would no longer be any discernible difference between them and the Egyptians. To comfort him, Hashem appeared in his dream and reassured him: “For I will make you into a great nation there”—there will be a restoration for Israel even in Egypt, and they will not, chalilah, assimilate among the nations. Furthermore, Hashem addressed his specific concern regarding Yosef, whose attribute is that of Yesod (foundation). The advice was: “He will place his hand over your eyes”—they will put a covering over their eyes, and through this, they will be protected from sin.
When Yaakov descended to Egypt, it is written (46:28): ‘ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה’ - “He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef to direct him to Goshen.” Rashi, quoting the Midrash, explains that the words “to direct him” mean “to establish a house of study for him.” If this was Yaakov’s foremost concern, it is certain that all of Yaakov’s descendants made the study hall their central focus, engaging in Torah study regularly. Nevertheless, for the sake of their sanctity, they did not rely solely on Torah study. They also took precautions to guard their eyes...
