July 11, 2024

Destructive Desires and Spiritual Battles: Embracing Self-Control from Parshas Baaloscha to Chukas

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Season 7

What happens when unchecked desires, the pursuit of honor, and envy collide with spiritual growth? Join us in revisiting the pivotal lessons from Parshas Baaloscha, Shlach, and Korach as we uncover the catastrophic consequences of these destructive traits. From the demise of those who craved meat to the downfall of the righteous spies and Korach’s disastrous rebellion, understand how pleasure-seeking, honor-seeking, and envy can derail our spiritual journey.

As we transition to Parshas Chukas, we'll delve into the profound mystery of the red heifer and the impact of the deaths of the righteous on the nation. Learn how self-control and trust in Hashem are essential for fulfilling Torah and mitzvot. This episode offers crucial insights into conquering our inner battles and embracing the values that prepare us for the Promised Land. Don't miss this opportunity to reflect on these timeless teachings and how they guide us towards spiritual fulfillment.

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We are no longer freshmen nor sophomores here at the University of the Midbar, of the University of the Wilderness, as we make our way through Safer by Midbar, with different stops and different locations, different encampments at different classrooms here at this university that all teach and preach different lessons that the Jewish people must internalize before stepping foot in the promised land and before we move forward into Parshas Chukas to learn a lot about this paradoxical red, heifer purity and purity and how to come close to God after a mess up, and all about how the death of the righteous and how it affects the rest of the nation, along with how sharply judged the ultimately perfectly righteous are.

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And before finishing off Parshas Chukas with just showing how those who mess with God's chosen children get carved up like a hot, sharp knife through some moldy, old, squishy, halfway melted butter.

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But before all that, you must look back and see the lessons learned when we stopped by the classroom of Parshas three weeks ago, parshas Baaloscha, where we saw and we must internalize that for us to step foot into the holy land, to become perfect Jews, you must see how wretched and damning pleasure-seeking it is.

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We learned three weeks ago in Parshas Baaloscha all about Taiva, how it's literally, it eradicates a person from this world, as we saw first hand that those that thirsted and longed and craved and had a hankering for more meat, more ribs, more garlic mayo, more surprise steaks, they still died with the meat between their teeth and were interred for eternity.

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At the very bottom of Kivros HaTiva, the cemetery of the lustful Tiva got in the way.

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Two weeks ago we learned in Parshash Lach all about how these really, really supremely righteous spies they erred when they gave over some false, some rather evil testimony about the land of Eretz, yisrael, how it consumes its inhabitants, and the Zohar tells us what got in the way was their search for honor.

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They wanted to keep their covered, that they were fearful that if we go into this new land maybe we will lose our dignified posts as the chieftains of Israel because there's going to be a shake-up up at the top.

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So here we see that not only Taiva can eradicate a person from the world, but Parshash Lach told us that Kavod, that honor-seeking will present a significant obstacle in Torah and mitzvahs observance.

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And last week, still fresh in our minds that we saw what happens when somebody is envious of his friend.

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When Korah literally was moziyat, as-a-adam and a-olam, he literally was eradicated by the world, that he's still down there screaming somewhere in Gehenem, somewhere in purgatory, that Moshe emes v'teirasei emes, and that I was gravely mistaken and he was jealous of his cousin.

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And therefore the jealousy, the envy it got in the way.

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We must look back before we go forward and make sure that we have internalized these three lessons of Parshas Ba'aloscha, parshas Sha'al Shalach and Parshas Korach that lust, pleasure-seeking, honor-seeking, seeking glory and also being jealous of others.

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These bad personality types, these bad traits, they must be stomped out.

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We must put forth real effort to have self-control and to trust in Hashem, and this way we will remain in the world, we'll be able to fulfill Hashem's Torah and mitzvot with all of our hearts.