Our challenges come from Hashem. The point of life is to be challenged, and Hashem set things up that basically everyone in this generation gets some sort of challenge of desire because it is the challenge He wants us to face. We will be challenged no matter how much we shield ourselves — which of course we should nonetheless try to do — and it is our job to win. If we are lazy and think that because we got rid of our Internet access everything will be fine and we don’t have to work on ourselves, we might end up flat on the floor. But if we also work to become masters of ourselves, we will hopefully ace every test.
Of course, we must protect our families as much as possible. We must not say that since taking a precaution doesn’t guarantee immunity from desire, it is pointless. Safeguarding our families makes a huge difference. And we must pray and rely on Hashem to protect us from harmful exposure. But we must also strengthen our children so they’re not destroyed by desire. We must especially cultivate within them a positive outlook toward mitzvos, which will help them overcome the challenges they will inevitably face.
In Pirkei Avos (2:5), Hillel teaches, “Al ta’amin be’atzmecha ad yom moscha” — “don’t believe in yourself until the day you die.” Unfortunately, some have misinterpreted this mishna to mean that a person should never feel capable of beating the yetzer hara. The results of this misinformation are devastating. When a person is convinced that defeating the yetzer hara is impossible, he becomes depressed because he feels incapable and trapped. Things get worse as these beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophecy — the person gives in again and again because he knows he can’t win. Most tragically, a person who believes he can’t succeed won’t do anything to improve his situation because it seems hopeless. He doesn’t do the one thing that will strengthen him. As a result, this message causes the opposite of what Hillel intended!
To understand what the mishna really means, we must read Rabbeinu Yonah’s commentary. He writes that a person should not say to himself, “Look how many days it has been since I last sinned! I have won! I have overpowered my yetzer hara and am immune to desire. The yetzer hara can’t get me to sin. I no longer need to look out for his tricks. I don’t need to be on guard or to put in effort to make sure I don’t sin.”
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that this attitude is reckless because the yetzer hara is our enemy. He lies in hiding, waiting for the right moment when the person is not suspecting it and is not thinking about Hashem. Then, he ambushes the person and catches him off guard. If this happens, the yetzer hara might be able to penetrate and convince the person to sin.
Therefore, continues Rabbeinu Yonah, each person must take every precaution and never think he is immune to the yetzer hara’s lures. Every person must give full attention and effort to acting appropriately. If a person is on guard and wary of the yetzer hara, it won’t be able to approach him.
Hillel’s lesson is to never grow complacent. We must not stop working on ourselves, thinking everything will be all right. We should expect to be challenged, even if it seems unlikely right now. Challenges are the point of life. We will be challenged at some point, and it will be a dogfight. Our thoughts will quickly change and we will want to give in. We will have to struggle to pull through.
Therefore, we should tell ourselves, “I expect to be challenged, and it will be really difficult. But I know I can handle it with Hashem’s help, especially because I am putting in the work now to prepare and strengthen myself.”
Knowing that this is the reality of life, we will act responsibly. We will always do everything in our power to be less susceptible to desire and to be stronger and more alert. We will instill within ourselves a strong drive to accomplish through defeating the yetzer hara. We won’t let a day go by without contemplating and reading about our tremendous opportunity. Because we want to succeed and know we will be challenged, we will prepare ourselves for battle.
Instead of thinking we will always feel as we do now, we must continue strengthening ourselves. Because we will be challenged and will want to give in, we work now to stop those urges from happening and to be ready to overcome them if they start. We can’t be complacent or lazy. We cannot think that because we shield ourselves and because we got rid of our Internet access, we are done. We can’t think that because we don’t feel any desires now and haven’t for a while, that means we won’t be challenged. Rather, we must constantly review and strengthen what we have worked on. This will help us win our battles and achieve greatness.
We must make sure that our focus on protecting ourselves from desire doesn’t harm us or sway us to be lazy. By clarifying these concepts, we will shield ourselves from harmful influences as part of a balanced battle plan for success in the battle of the generation.
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