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Thursday

י"ח אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

Thursday
י"ח אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

חיפוש בארכיון

263. Thought (2)

Apart from the obligation to think only pure thoughts, if one considers the matter carefully he will realize that it is really stupid to think about wasteful things or bad things and be punished for it at a time when he could be thinking pure thoughts which lead to fear and love of heaven etc., which are positive biblical commandments, and receive reward. About such things Yirmiyahu said, “They abandoned Me, the source of living water, to dig for themselves broken wells!”.

It is of course true that the inclination of a person is towards evil, and that a person does not rule over his will. It is nevertheless his obligation to strengthen himself to swap the bad, strange thoughts for pure thoughts, and to arouse the good inclination to fight the evil inclination even a thousand times a day. For this he will receive reward, and Hashem will aid him.

Chazal said the thoughts about a sin are harder than the sin itself. They also said that every person has thoughts of sin every day. However, in the holy book Reishis Chachmah it says that if he does not lengthen those thoughts and flees from them immediately, then he will not be punished, as Hashem is not unfair with His creations. If, however, he keeps the evil thoughts and lengthens them, he will surely be punished, as he has caused himself evil.

“My brothers and my nation, take this sefer Torah, and with this, and like this learn well, so that you should have it good; listen and enliven your soul, and achieve gladness and joy in this world and the world to come” (From the author’s intro.)