Rabbi, I Hate Learning

Question:

What does a person gain by guarding his eyes in the street?

Does it help one get closer to his match?

 

Answer:

One cannot be worried about finding their match before showing concern about their relationship with the Almighty. Such thoughts should even occur on a daily basis. Moreover, a person who watches his eyes is building on their relationship with G-d. The more one spends time watching their own eyes, the holier and cleaner their soul becomes and that they can taste the beauty of their Creator. Let’s say you have a person who the doctor tells, “You must go to the gym and lose some weight.” So, he goes to workout and starts complaining, “I have to be on the treadmill for so long,” and on and on. Instead, you tell him, “Listen you chose to be overweight! Stop eating chips, stop drinking Coke, stop drinking beer, and you’ll become healthy and enjoy your life.”

So too, goes for a person who does not watch his eyes. If someone is not careful with what he sees, he is contaminating and damaging his neshamah. The more you damage your soul, the harder it will be to learn, daven, and do mitzvot. One cannot enjoy the Torah and mitzvot of life because your soul is contaminated! However, when one does control their eyes, they will be healthy and put together. One will find themselves to be in shape, and that in turn will have their neshamah also be equipped for this world. Ultimately, they will be able to enjoy Torah and mitzvot.

This also answers the age-old question, “Rabbi, I learn Torah, but why don’t I enjoy it?”

The answer is quite simple. If one fills their ears with non-Jewish music, consumes their eyes with who-knows-what, and hangs out in places that contaminate themselves more and more, then they have no right to complain that they do not enjoy their learning! They do not enjoy learning because their soul is damaged! When one starts to watch their eyes, they will actually start to enjoy life and feel the beauty of their neshamah.

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Rabbi Yaakov Rahimi has created a storm in the Jewish world bringing back many unaffiliated young men and women to the pathways of Hashem. He has been involved in the Chazaq and Torah Anytime organizations, among others including NCSY, BJX, and Partners in Torah. He has since returned to his hometown of Lakewood, N.J. Rabbi Rahimi is a graduate of Deal Yeshiva, and learned in Beth Medrash Govoha becoming a very close talmid of Rabbis Yeruchem Olshin shlit”a, and Yitzchok Sorotzkin shlit”a. Rabbi Rahimi partook in the Sephardic halachic project Mishnah Berurah Tiferet. He can be reached at, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..