Be Alert! The Temptation in Front of You

In the material aspects of life, every sensible person exhibits a natural trait of caution. People inherently care for their safety, health, and livelihood. Consequently, when it comes to material matters, people generally act with calculation and caution, avoiding actions that might harm them or their families. On the other hand, there are adventurous individuals willing to risk their lives to satisfy their urge for adventure. These are reckless, even more so than animals, who at least possess a strong drive to avoid danger. In the beginning of his book *Mesilat Yesharim*, the Ramchal explains that just as there is caution in physical matters, there is also caution required in spiritual matters. One cannot serve Hashem properly without constant self-reflection and contemplation. A person living without regular introspection is destined to fail in building their spiritual world. To live a complete spiritual life requires reflection not only before speaking or acting but throughout one's entire approach and outlook on life. Periodically, one must pause the rush of life, scrutinize their actions, correct what needs improvement, and continue with constant mindful consideration. The prophet Haggai instructs us: "Consider your ways" (*Chaggai 1:5*). This phrase gives rise to the common saying 'pay attention.' It means to take your heart and place it on your ways, ensuring that your path aligns with the guidelines given by the Creator in His Torah. One must not surrender to mere routine, performing deeds without reflection and thought. Without this, not only will they fail to build their character and spiritual world, but they may even regress significantly. Life in this world is like riding a bicycle uphill—if you don't progress, you will fall back. Constant action and effort are required to move forward. "Galloping Horse in Battle" Typically, every person possesses a conscience. When they sin, eventually, their heart reproaches them, leading to introspection and regret. So why do some never feel remorse for their misdeeds? It's not necessarily because they are more wicked, but because they are so immersed in the race of life that they have no time to pause and ponder the essence and purpose of life or the path they are on. This was the rebuke the prophet Jeremiah gave to the people of Israel (*Jeremiah 8:6*): "No one repents of their wickedness, saying, 'What have I done?' because they are all in a rush like a horse charging into battle." When a horse runs swiftly in war, it doesn't stop to consider whether its path is good or dangerous, or if there's an enemy ahead with harmful intentions. But it doesn't see them. Anyone who doesn't stop to think will never know until reality strikes them in the face, which, by then, will be too late. The Habit of the Evil Inclination This situation, where a person is trapped in the prison of routine without stopping to think and reflect, is the work of the evil inclination, one of its most sophisticated schemes. The evil inclination knows the person well, better than anyone else, even better than the person knows themselves. It knows their traits, strengths, abilities, and weaknesses. It knows that if a person acts with thought and reflection, they will strive to do good deeds and avoid bad ones. The solution, from the inclination's perspective, is to make a person act without thought and reflection. How does it achieve this? The method is simple: by making the person rush through life. As long as the heart is free to think and reflect, there is hope. But when the head and heart are consumed by the rush of life, without the time to stop and reflect, there is no hope. Sometimes in the hustle of life, a person suddenly hears an inner melody saying, 'Stop, reflect!' like a gentle violin sound resonating within their soul, urging them to wake up from their slumber, reflect on themselves and their deeds. However, the inclination is diligent and extremely cunning, never yielding easily. It knows that if only the person pauses, even for a moment, to reflect and think about themselves, their life, and their deeds, they might leave the shallow path for a new one, focusing on life's true purpose and ensuring their eternity in the world to come. So what does the inclination do? Immediately it bombards the person with 'loud music' to drown out that delightful melody that touched their soul's strings. It has many methods and tricks for this. It attacks from various sides with 'seemingly necessary' reasons to maintain the status quo, for how can one stop the constant rush and ignore the life's burdens they're accustomed to? When life's burdens roar in their ears, the inclination advises them smoothly, as if it wants their good, saying, 'Now is not the time to stop. You're in the middle of life's momentum. Life is short; don't waste it. Keep running the course while your strength lasts. Don't worry; when you grow old and weak, you'll have plenty of time for other things, but not now...'. And the person, caught in life's hustle, can easily fall into the terrible trap set by the inclination. And if the inclination sees that despite its temptations, the person begins to awaken to think and reflect, it employs another excellent tactic from its arsenal: it burdens the person with life's challenges. It brings new troubles, whether business-related, social, or even health-wise, occupying all their time and consuming their mind and heart. In such a state, entirely absorbed in life's challenges and focused merely on surviving the moment, the person has no room for other pursuits, even if they understand their importance. "Increase the Workload on the People" This secret of the evil inclination is known to all the wicked of the world, and they have employed it. Pharaoh was one such wicked person, using the same tactic against the Israelites. Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh and said, "This is what Hashem, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go'" (*Exodus 5:1*). But Pharaoh denied God—"Who is Hashem that I should obey him?" Moses and Aaron persisted: "The God of the Hebrews has met with us; let us take a three-day journey into the desert." But Pharaoh continued to dismiss them: "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you distract the people from their labor?" - Your brothers are working hard, building cities for me in Egypt; do not distract them from their labor. "There are too many amongst the people, and why disrupt their burdens?" However, Pharaoh wasn't satisfied with merely reprimanding Moses and Aaron; he took practical steps to prevent any relaxation of the Israelites' work. What did he do? He summoned those in charge of the Israelites' work and commanded: "You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw" (ibid, 7). The Israelites were working hard in Egypt. They received from the Egyptians the mortar and straw, from which they created bricks used for building. Pharaoh ordered that the supply of straw cease and that the Israelites gather it themselves. He added: "But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota." Even before this, the Israelites worked hard, so why the need for such cruelty and to increase their burden even further? Pharaoh's scheme was exactly like the evil inclination's: "Because they are lazy, that's why they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God'". If they speak to me about liberation from slavery in Egypt and demand that I let them serve their God, it means they are slack in their labor. Those deeply immersed in their work, with no time for anything else, have no room for other ideas. Therefore, the solution is: "Increase the workload on the people so they shall keep themselves busy and not pay attention to deceptive words." Pharaoh is not alone. It is well-known that this strategy was employed by the Nazis against the Jews. To prevent the Jews from conceiving ideas of rebellion, uprising, or escape, they imposed severe forced labor in the camps and starved them mercilessly. In such conditions, when one's sole desire is to survive the moment, the mind cannot entertain complex ideas of rebellion or escape. Learning from the Animals The need to live with consideration and constant reflection to avoid losing one's life is not an excessive demand. It is a basic and essential condition for orderly life, existent even among animals, from whom at least we should learn. As known, each animal has a specific trait meant to impart moral lessons to humans. The *dove*, for instance, loyal to its mate throughout its life, teaches humans about loyalty's virtue. The *cat* teaches about modesty and environmental cleanliness, hence its name, as it wraps and conceals its excreta. The *dog*, akin to a heart, faithful and devoted to its owner who caters to its needs, teaches us the value of gratitude. Similarly, humans are required to include in their character all the possible virtues in the world. The *Malbim* writes in *Parashat Bereishit* (*Genesis 2:19*) on the verse "And Hashem formed man from the dust of the ground," unlike what is written about animals: "And Hashem formed all wild animals from the ground." "For within each animal, there is only one trait, compared to a lump of earth. Whereas man's creation involved gathering soil from the entire world, meaning that all virtues scattered across all animals were gathered into his soul." Animal creation involved a single lump of earth, with a specific inherent nature. But man is unique in character and traits, as Hashem gathered his soil from around the world, intending all good virtues found across animals to gather within him. While each animal has a unique good trait, there is a common positive trait shared by all: living with utmost caution against potential harm. Animals, though lacking reason and tools to ponder spiritual matters, grasp the essence and purpose of life. Nonetheless, they possess senses, natural instincts, to care for themselves physically. With keen senses, they sense lurking dangers and flee for safety. They can escape in advance of even slightly perceived danger, for example, the scent of a distant forest fire. This lesson is essential for humans, bestowed with intellect and wisdom. It highlights the necessity to care for not just the physical but also the spiritual well-being, which is the core purpose of life. We must learn from animals how vigilant we should be in all our actions—sharp senses, alertness, constantly watching right and left to ensure no harm's lurking. As King Solomon cautions: "Don't let sleep close your eyes; escape like the antelope from the hunter, like a bird from the snare" (*Proverbs 6:5-6*). Someone living in habitual life, without attention and reflection, is worse than wild animals! Though animals face physical danger, here it concerns spiritual life, which is mankind's ultimate purpose. While animals flee from a slim chance of danger, a person living without reflection faces real and definite peril, unlikely to escape. Surviving spiritually without introspection is impossible! Ramchal in *Mesilat Yesharim* likens living without awareness to a blind man navigating in darkness by a cliff's edge with no fence or railing to stop him from falling. Is there any chance to survive? For he's blind and needs someone's hand to guide him, yet there's no assistance, as the path is dark for others too. He must proceed cautiously, step by step, to safely pass the danger. In this context, is there a difference between someone born blind and someone who walks with closed eyes? Both cannot see their path and are at perpetual risk of encountering traps threatening to engulf them. Such is the danger facing a person living in the world with a blindfolded mind, refusing to reflect and scrutinize their ways. To escape the evil inclination's trap, we must proceed with extreme vigilance, with careful attention. This attention, vital for survival and transition from death to life, is within a person's grasp! The One Who Seeks Purity is Assisted The *Gemara* states: "Whoever evaluates their path will see the salvation of Hashem" (*Moed Katan 5a*). "Evalua" refers to assessment, implying that whoever evaluates and calculates each step and acts with awareness and thought will merit special divine assistance from Hashem. Although a person is limited in sight and understanding, after contemplation and commitment to amend a behavior, they might struggle to uphold the decision alone. Yet, once they've done their part, they receive divine assistance and triumph. This is as our sages teach: "Man's inclination renews itself daily... and without Hashem's help, one cannot overcome it" (*Sukkah 52a*). However, if a person doesn't value themselves and behaves like that thoughtless adventurer, with risk and lack of reflection, they cannot rely on Hashem to save them from danger. The sages say: "Someone without awareness should not receive mercy" (*Berachot 33a*). Acting willfully and knowingly without sense, they bring misfortune upon themselves. As *Pirkei Avot* says: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" (*Pirkei Avot 1:14*). The inclination lies at the threshold, attempting to blind one's vision, enticing and persuading them with various temptations to abandon their resolution to change or improve. But when a person does what's expected of them, rest assured, Hashem will stand by their side, assisting in their endeavor, ensuring they don't fail. As the sages say, "One who comes to purify themselves is helped from Above" (*Yoma 38b*).