In Parshat Kedoshim we are commanded "You shall be holy," but what is the true meaning of holiness in serving Hashem? In sharp and piercing words, the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a clarifies that the main aspiration of a Jew is not to become famous, to have spiritual levels, or to be a "possessor of divine inspiration" – but rather to fight with self-sacrifice for guarding holiness, the purity of the eyes, and the sanctity of the covenant. This is the true battle of every Jew, and this is the purpose of life in this world.

These are his holy words:

The Jewish People are a holy nation! The Jewish People seek only to work on holiness and purity! They do not seek to achieve "prophecies" or "spiritual levels," which is what the nations of the world and people who do not know the ways of serving Hashem seek. The mistake of Balaam and all the nations of the world is that for them the main thing is to be a great person! An important person! A famous person! But the Jewish People seek only one thing! How to work on holiness and purity, which is the opposite of all the methods and teachings of the nations of the world, who do not know what holiness is, they do not recognize the concept of holiness at all!

The holy Jewish People do not settle for words; for them, first and foremost, they begin to work on holiness, on guarding the eyes, on the sanctity of the covenant, and they fight for these things! They fight to be saved from the prohibition of "and do not follow after your heart and after your eyes," even though it is very difficult and a person sees almost no possibility of being saved from it, but he knows he must fight it, he has no choice, for this he came to the world..., and it is written in "Even Shlema" by the Vilna Gaon that a person comes to the world only to overcome this thing, only for this he came to the world, not for anything else, all other things come to assist holiness.

People think that holiness is a side matter, there are 613 mitzvot, and there is also the prohibition of "and do not follow," the Rambam says "twenty-four things prevent teshuvah…..and he does not know that looking with the eyes is a great sin that causes the body to commit sexual immorality as it says (Numbers 15:39) 'and do not follow after your heart and after your eyes'" (Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah, Chapter 4). The Rambam says that all those who think they can skip the prohibition of "and do not follow," to put it in parentheses! To put it aside! To say "there are 613 mitzvot… so one mitzvah I am not strict about…. after all, not everyone is meticulous about all the mitzvot? I am meticulous about being a genius, being famous, being a possessor of divine inspiration, but to be meticulous about the prohibition of "and do not follow" I have no time for that, it is not within my capability, I am a busy person, I drive a car…

Truly, the world is mistaken! Certainly, a person can guard their eyes! Even a person who drives can guard their eyes, they can ask Hashem to guard their eyes! Because through prayer, everything can be achieved. Avraham Avinu went throughout the world in holiness and saw nothing! And likewise, the sons of Yaakov Avinu, they went from Israel to the land of Egypt, and they did not open their eyes the entire way! The Midrash says they saw nothing on the way, a person can travel the whole world, with guarded eyes! Certainly, it is possible to guard the eyes on the way.

The Rambam says "one who looks at forbidden things and says there is nothing wrong with it," a person damages their eyes and says what did I do?! What sin did I commit?! It does not affect me negatively, this is a lie!!

It is told about the "Beit Yisrael" who met with some professors, they asked him, why are the ultra-Orthodox so afraid of every sight and every glance, while for us professors these things do not affect or disturb us at all? He told them - to what is this comparable, to a Bedouin and a European, the Bedouin walks all day on stones, on thorns, on thistles, from the day he was born he walks on the sharpest stones, and it does not bother him at all, he feels no pain (because of habit). Whereas a European person who gets a small stone in his shoe, a grain of sand, he cannot walk! His foot hurts! He suffers terribly from it. The analogy is that you professors are like the Bedouins, you have so defiled yourselves with endless impurities, so a small stone, a small sin, a sight, a forbidden glance, no longer affects you! But a person who is entirely delicate of soul, entirely pure of soul, every smallest thing, every smallest sin, every forbidden glance, every forbidden sight, it bothers him! It hurts him! It pierces him like the stab of a sword!

The choice of a person is only in the eyes! The moment a person guards their eyes, they will reach all the levels in the world, they will not speak lashon hara, they will not be strict, they will not hate, they will keep Shabbat, put on tefillin… and not only must one guard the physical eyes, but also the eyes of the intellect must be guarded! A person can guard the physical eyes, but they have endless other eyes! Eyes of jealousy, eyes of hatred, eyes of honor, they must guard all types of eyes they have! They must disconnect all their senses from the world! They should have no eyes for anything in the world, for any subject in the world! Rather, all the senses, and all the desires, should be only for Hashem in His glory and Himself, and when they guard the eyes, (physical eyes and eyes of the intellect - jealousy, hatred…) then they merit "Uncover my eyes and I will behold wonders from Your Torah," all the secrets of the Torah, the secrets of creation, and all the wonders of the world are revealed to them.