Parshas Ki Savo - The Secret of Holiness, Guarding the Eyes, and Submission

"And to make you supreme over all the nations that He made, for praise, for renown, and for glory, and so that you may be a holy people to Hashem your God, as He spoke" (Devarim 26:19).

A Holy Nation: The Struggle for Purity

The Nation of Israel is a holy nation. They seek only to work on holiness and purity. The Nation of Israel does not seek to attain "prophecies" or spiritual "levels," which is what the nations of the world and people who do not know the ways of serving Hashem seek. This was the mistake of Bilaam and of all the nations of the world. For them, the main thing is to be a great person, an important person, a famous person. But among the Nation of Israel, they seek only one thing: how to work on holiness and purity. This is the exact opposite of all the methods and teachings of the nations of the world, who do not know what holiness is. They are completely unfamiliar with the very concept of holiness.

The Nation of Israel is holy; they do not settle for mere words. For them, the very first step is to begin working on holiness, on guarding the eyes, on the holiness of the covenant, and they fight for these things. They battle to be saved from the negative commandment of "Do not stray after your hearts and after your eyes," even though it is incredibly difficult, and a person can hardly see any possible way to be saved from it. But he knows that he must fight this battle; he has no choice, because this is exactly why he came into the world.

This is what is written in the book Even Shleima by the Vilna Gaon zt"l, that a person comes into the world solely to conquer this matter; only for this did he come into the world, and for nothing else. All other things merely come to assist in attaining holiness. People mistakenly think that holiness is a secondary issue—that there are 613 commandments, and among them just happens to be the prohibition of "Do not stray."

The Secret of Guarding the Eyes

"Twenty-four things hold back teshuvah (repentance)... and he does not know that gazing with the eyes is a great sin, for it leads to actual forbidden relations, as it is stated (Bamidbar 15:39), 'Do not stray after your hearts and after your eyes'" (Rambam, Laws of Repentance, Chapter 4).

The Rambam is speaking to all those who think they can skip over the prohibition of "Do not stray," to put it in parentheses, to set it aside, and to say: "There are 613 commandments... so I am not strict about one commandment... After all, not everyone is meticulous in every single mitzvah, right? I am meticulous about being a genius, being famous, possessing Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration), but to be meticulous about the prohibition of 'Do not stray'—I have no time for that. It is not possible for me, I am a busy person, I drive a car."

But in truth, the world is mistaken. Certainly, a person can guard his eyes; even a person who is driving can guard his eyes. He can beg Hashem to guard his eyes for him, because through prayer, one can achieve absolutely everything. Just like Avraham Avinu, who walked through the entire world and did not look at anything forbidden. Similarly, the sons of Yaakov Avinu walked all the way from the Land of Israel to the land of Egypt, and they did not open their eyes the entire way. The Midrash says that they saw nothing along the journey. A person can travel across the whole world while guarding his eyes! Now, as people travel to Uman, it is certainly possible to guard one's eyes along the way.

The Parable of the Bedouin and the European

"One who gazes at forbidden relations and says it is nothing"—a person blemishes his eyes and says, "What did I do?! What sin did I commit?! It doesn't negatively affect me." This is a lie! A story is told about the Beis Yisrael of Gur zt"l, who once met with several professors. They asked him, "Why are the ultra-Orthodox so afraid of every sight and every glance? For us professors, these things do not affect us or bother us at all."

He answered them with a parable: What is this comparable to? To a Bedouin and a European. The Bedouin walks all day on stones, on thorns, and on thistles. From the day he was born, he has walked barefoot on the sharpest rocks, and it does not bother him at all; he feels no pain because he is so used to it. However, if a European person gets even a tiny pebble or a grain of sand in his shoe, he can no longer walk. His foot hurts, and he suffers terrible agony from it.

The lesson is that you professors are like the Bedouin. You have already defiled yourselves with endless impurities, so a small stone, a small sin, a sight, a forbidden glance—it no longer affects you. But a person who is entirely refined in spirit, whose soul is completely pure, every tiny thing, every minor sin, every forbidden look, every improper sight—it bothers him, it pains him, and it pierces him like the thrusts of a sword.

A person's free will lies solely in his eyes. The moment a person guards his eyes, he will reach all the spiritual levels in the world. He will not speak lashon hara (evil speech), he will not hold grudges, he will not hate, he will keep Shabbos, he will put on tefillin... And one must not only guard his physical eyes, but he must also guard the eyes of his intellect.

A person might guard his physical eyes, but he has countless other "eyes": eyes of jealousy, eyes of hatred, eyes seeking honor. He must guard all the types of eyes he possesses, to disconnect all his senses from the material world, so that he has no "eyes" for anything in the world, for any worldly matter. Rather, all his senses and all his desires should be directed solely to Hashem, May He be blessed, in all His glory. And when one guards his eyes (both the physical eyes and the eyes of the intellect—avoiding jealousy and hatred), he then merits the verse, "Unveil my eyes that I may perceive wonders from Your Torah." All the secrets of the Torah, the secrets of Creation, and all the wonders of the world are revealed to him.

In the Light of the King's Countenance: The Cry of the Heart from within the Void

There are times when a person faces such difficult problems that he finds himself in what is called the "Chalal HaPanui" (the Empty Void), where there is only darkness. We pray, but we feel nothing. We go to perform a mitzvah and want to do it with all our heart, but it ends up not being so wholehearted. Suddenly, there are such difficult questions, we encounter such contradictions, we suffer such humiliations, such failures, and such disappointments that we cannot see Hashem there, Heaven forbid. This is the "Empty Void"; this is the twilight hour. We do not know what is happening to us.

Seemingly, nightfall is darker than twilight, but the greatest danger is specifically during twilight. Because when true darkness arrives, it is already a new creation, "And there was evening and there was morning." If there is already darkness and night, it is a sign that soon there will be morning, there will be light. So that is fine, that is excellent. The entire problem is when it suddenly becomes twilight, and we do not know what is happening to us. And this "twilight" is not necessarily the time of the Minchah prayer; it can last the entire day.

What do we do then? The cry of the heart. "From the depths, I called out to You, Hashem." When it is simply impossible to bear anymore, when the pain is so immense, when there is no limit to the sorrow, it is impossible to speak. So a person cries out. A voice without words. Without letters. Just like the shofar, which is the symbol of the heart's cry of the entire Nation of Israel. You cannot allow yourself to be pampered then, to whine—you can do that when things are going well for you. But when you are in trouble? When you are in the Empty Void? You are in danger! You must hold on and survive in this void, you must reach the light, to see Hashem within the Empty Void, you must cry out, "Ayéh!" (Where is the place of His glory?).

And it is impossible to reach this state when you feel that you are entitled, that you are owed something, that an injustice was done to you. You are not owed anything. Every soul comes here to receive its tikkun (rectification). Everyone has the specific path they must traverse. Furthermore, it is impossible to reach this unless this "I" (the ego) ceases to exist. Hashem does not need me to be successful. Hashem does not need successful people in the world. The Holy One, Blessed be He, is successful enough on His own. He does not need "achievers" down here.

Who does He actually need? "Hashem is close to the brokenhearted," to all who call upon Him in truth. He only needs us to cry out "Ayéh" (Where is He?). Hashem's desire is to dwell within our hearts while we are here in this lower, physical world. We can and must reveal His Godliness in the world even when it seems we are doing nothing. Our very existence—the fact that we are joyful, smiling, speaking kind words, happy with our lot, and understanding that joy is the inner spiritual work we must accomplish here—reveals Him.

Torah Insights: The Secret of Humility in the Mitzvah of Bikkurim (First Fruits)

"And it will be when you come into the land..." (Devarim 26:1).

The Sages say that through the mitzvah of bringing the Bikkurim, a person breaks the trait of arrogance within himself. For even if he is a great minister who owns several towns and villages, and even if he is the King of Israel in all his glory—he is obligated to take the basket of Bikkurim upon his own shoulder and carry it from the Temple Mount to the Azarah (the Temple courtyard).

And he himself (not his messenger) brings them to the Kohen serving in that shift. Even though this Kohen might be poor, and his livelihood comes from him (from the king or minister), nevertheless, the minister or king comes and stands before the Kohen with humility and lowliness of spirit, and reads the portion of Bikkurim before him. Through this, he breaks his trait of arrogance and becomes humble and lowly of spirit, which are very precious traits that the greatest figures of the world were praised for: Avraham, Moshe, Aharon, and King David.

"Then you shall call out and say before Hashem your God..." (Devarim 26:5).

Rashi explains "v'anita" (you shall call out) as an expression of raising one's voice. From here we learn that the one bringing the Bikkurim reads the portion assigned to him ("Mikra Bikkurim") in a loud voice, as is fitting for one who is voicing praise and thanksgiving to Hashem.

According to the tzaddik Rabbi Shlomo of Radomsk (author of the Tiferes Shlomo), "v'anita" is related to the word for submission and lowering the voice, as it is written:

"How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?" (Shemos 10:3).

The meaning is: How long will you refuse to submit? When a person approaches the service of Hashem, he must first humble himself before the Creator, blessed be He, and feel the lowliness of flesh and blood at the time of fulfilling the mitzvah. This is what is stated here: "v'anita" - humble yourself before the Master of the Universe, and only afterward "and say before Hashem your God" - approach the service of Hashem.

Stories for the Parashah: Let Us Search Our Own Ways

"Let us search and examine our ways, and return to Hashem" (Eichah 3:40).

In the year 5627 (1867), a deadly epidemic broke out in Bauska, claiming many victims among the community members. As is customary in Israel, the Jews of the city gathered in the synagogues to pour out their hearts in prayer before the One who dwells on high. When the epidemic in the city did not cease, the community leaders decided to assign several prominent figures, widely accepted as absolute tzaddikim, to investigate and inquire throughout all the city's neighborhoods to see if someone had stumbled in a grave sin, thereby bringing this great tragedy upon their dwelling place.

Before executing this decision, the community leaders turned to their beloved Rav, Rabbi Mordechai, to obtain his consent. Rabbi Mordechai listened attentively to their words but firmly rejected the practical proposal of the community leaders. He told them, among other things: "I believe, just as you do, that there is no punishment without sin, and at all times we must examine our deeds and rectify our ways, for 'there is no tzaddik on earth who does good and never sins' (Koheles 7:20). However, in this matter, we must always adhere to the following rule: A person must search for iniquities and sins not in others—but within himself!"

"And when every person in our city personally fulfills 'Let us search and examine our ways, and return to Hashem'—for it is written 'let us search our ways,' our own ways, and not those of others—only then will our large community automatically be purified from all sin and iniquity. Then the verse will be fulfilled in us: 'There is no breach (trouble and ruin)... and no outcry in our streets' (Tehillim 144:14). And surely then the epidemic will stop!"

Uprooting the Filth of the Serpent

"An Aramean sought to destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt" (Devarim 26:5).

The Sages expounded: Lavan sought to uproot everything. Lavan is Bilaam, who embodies the spiritual concept of Amalek, as is known. This is the essence of the filth of the Primordial Serpent, which seeks to completely uproot the Jewish people, Heaven forbid. It seeks to overpower each individual with very evil desires that stem from the filth of the Serpent, uprooting them entirely, Heaven forbid. But Hashem will not abandon us to his hand, and He preempted this by having mercy on us, giving us the Torah which rectifies everything.

This is the spiritual concept of Bikkurim, which serves as a tikkun (rectification) for the sin of Adam HaRishon, to expel and eradicate the filth of the Serpent—the aspect of Lavan and Amalek—from the Jewish people. Their grip is rooted in the sweetness of honey (which alludes to the desires of this physical world). For through the Bikkurim that come from honey, as Rashi explains on the verse "The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring to the House of Hashem your God" (Shemos 34:26), we rectify this.

Therefore, we must mention in the Vidui Bikkurim (the declaration of the first fruits) "An Aramean sought to destroy my father," which refers to Lavan, the aspect of Amalek, who are the essence of the filth of the Serpent. Because through Bikkurim we rectify all of this, and merit to uproot and blot out the memory of Amalek, the aspect of Lavan the Aramean, and to attain the holiness of Israel, the holiness of the Torah that we received on Shavuos, which is the day of Bikkurim (Likutey Halachos, Bechor Behemah Tehorah 4:27).