Parshat Chayei Sarah
November 2, 2002

Vehaya Im Shamoa IV

“Hishamru Lachem pen yifteh levavechem vesartem veavadtem elohim acheirim vihishtachavisa lahem – Guard yourselves lest your hearts be seduced and turn astray and serve other gods and bow down to them.”

This sentence is presented immediately after the mention of the reward for listening to G-d’s teachings. The last words of the promise are - “ That you will eat and be satiated”. With this verse the Shema comes to warn us that too much of a good thing is not so good. If one fills his/her physical desires to the maximum it inevitably leads to the rejection of G-d, Torah, and Jewish values. This happens because the quest for material gain and pleasure overtakes the energy and spirit of a person and leaves little to nothing behind for spiritual endeavors. And the unending efforts to excel and “get ahead” eventually convince a person that he/she completely controls his/her own destiny. G-d, the Torah, and tradition are eventually removed from the picture.

The verse informs us that this slippery slope towards spiritual demise does not happen all at once. There are different stages to pass through before falling to the bottom. First a person lets his heart be seduced by worldly desires. To satisfy these desires one may leave behind his/her faith and turn to foreign gods (knowing they are powerless). Eventually one bows to these gods and comes to believe in them.

Many of the troubles in the American Jewish community today stem from the actualization of this Pasuk in Shema. Too many individuals and families have been lost on due to assimilation and intermarriage. In poverty stricken Eastern Europe in the nineteenth century intermarriage was not a problem. Our successes have created seductive challenges. Although many Jews have been sophisticated enough to encounter the challenges in stride, many more have not and do not. And even though we are witness to an unprecedented return to observant Judaism, it does not ease the pain of losing thousands and thousands of our brothers and sisters in front of our eyes.

Hashem presented an antidote to us in the Shema. We are encouraged to enjoy the pleasures in this world correctly and not to overdose on them. The same way that a human being is both physical and spiritual, so must our lives be filled with physical and spiritual joys, challenges, and achievements.

May we all merit to benefit from and utilize the world properly in order to foster greatness in ourselves, in Klal Yisroel, and the entire world.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Ephraim Epstein

*Helpful Hint* Jot down some of the interpretations you learn into the margins of your personal siddur. This will enable you to access and utilize these and other Tefilla tips more easily.