There’s a story told about Reb Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, in which he told his students the following directive. One must be constantly aware of and fear the influence of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination. To illustrate, he said, imagine the yetzer hara is standing over you with a battle axe, a guillotine, ready to pounce and sever your head, your spiritual vitality.
One of the students asked, “But Rebbe, now we’re inspired because we’re with you. In a few weeks, in a few months, on a regular Tuesday morning, we may not feel the intensity of this danger. What then?”
Reb Simcha Bunim responded, “Oyb azoy, es iz a Siman Az du bist shoyn a geshuchtineh.”
If that’s the case, it’s a sign that you may have already been severed. You may have already lost the battle. You are under the yetzer haras influence. The danger of complacency is common. Unfortunately, it was on display in the Yom Kippur War, which happened 50 years ago, and it was on display in the war that broke out this past Simchas Torah.
This is in stark distinction with the Six Day War in which we experienced tremendous miracles. The mantra on the lips of Israeli soldiers at the time was Ein Brei Ra, there’s no other choice. There was an existential threat felt and we acted proactively. In Kabbalistic terms, midas hanitzachon, the attribute of victory was triggered and brought to the fore.
Perhaps the first instance of this phenomenon is seen in this week’s Parsha, Noach. Noach emerges relatively unscathed from the world’s greatest natural disaster, a flood of Biblical proportions. He has saved humanity, he has preserved the animal kingdom, but upon emerging from the ark he plants a vineyard and succumbs to a drunken stupor in which he debases himself and terrible things ensue.
He has just survived and lived through a devastating experience. And perhaps because of that, he lets his guard down. He allows himself to fall prey to immorality and sin. He allows the forces of the yetzer hara to rebound and take a hold of his life. Noach’s trajectory teaches us that we cannot be complacent about the dangers of complacency.
Precisely after we have conquered the worst, we must double down and continue to be strong. Our strength is not only in how we react, but in how we chart our path forward. In other words, we are least vulnerable when we feel most vulnerable. The key is to maintain our resolve, even in times that seem calm and uneventful, so that we can remain strong and unbeaten during times of challenge and chaos.
Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbos.
