Day 73
To Steal a Glance
The Need for Constant Vigilance
There is a well-known expression, “Know thy enemy.”
If you wish to win a battle, you have to know your opponent: his strengths, weaknesses, tactics, and strategies. Does he simply try to overpower you, or does he go for the sleight of hand, for the unexpected?
When it comes to spiritual matters, our enemy is the yetzer hara, whom Chazal describe as a cunning and wily adversary. If we are aware of his tactics we will be better prepared to battle him.
How does the yetzer hara operate when it comes to inyanei kedushah?
Reb Arele Roth, the founder of the Shomrei Emunim Chassidus, provides insight:
In the battle for kedushah, the yetzer hara focuses on the prohibition against histaklus (gazing at improper sights). Why? Because it wishes to avoid making a fuss.
Here’s a mashal from the world of sports. In baseball, there are homerun hitters and singles hitters. The homerun hitter swings for the fences. When he connects, his hits cause damage, and he gets all the fanfare. On the other hand, he tends to strike out a lot and has a relatively low batting average. The singles hitter, on the other hand, flies under the radar. He tries merely to put the bat on the ball and is satisfied even with a walk. But his batting average is generally much higher that that of the homerun hitters.
When it comes to inyanei kedushah, the yetzer hara is a singles hitter. He knows that he cannot get you to perform a serious crime. Aside from practical considerations, a “big” aveirah triggers red lights of alarm that prevent the aveirah from transpiring. So instead he plays the game - the battle of kedushah vs. tumah - differently.
The yetzer hara goes for the singles, for the “easy” aveirah of histaklus that has always been very available, and is even more so in present times. Should he swing for the homer, he most likely will strike out, but by shooting only for the singles - histaklus - his rate of success is, sadly, much higher. And the aveiros can snowball; a series of singles can be as devastating as a homerun.
Unless we are vigilant, unless our personal filter is set for sensitive, we can perform the aveirah without any fanfare, barely noticing what we are doing.
Forewarned is forearmed.