| What and Whom Are You Letting In? In this week’s Parsha, the Jewish people stand at the edge of a new chapter. They’re about to enter the Land of Israel after 40 years of wandering in the desert. Just before G-d commands them to go in, He gives them a very specific warning: You will drive out ALL the inhabitants of the land; you will destroy ALL their figured objects; you will destroy ALL their molten images, and you will demolish ALL their cult places. (33:52) The language is strong. Not only must they reject idolatry, they have to destroy it—completely, every trace. Furthermore, the word “all” is repeated four times. Why such intensity? These were people who had just spent four decades being guided and protected by G-d Himself. They had lived on miracles. Didn’t they already understand the necessity to avoid idol worship? The generation that wandered in the desert experienced open miracles every day. They had manna from heaven, clouds of protection, and a pillar of fire to guide them. It was a 40-year crash course in trusting G-d, but they were still human and needed to be reminded that even subtle influences from the outside world could pull them off course. That’s not because they were weak, it’s because they were normal. No matter where we are emotionally or spiritually, we’re all shaped by our environment. The message is, if you want to grow, protect the space around you. Don’t just try to be strong in an environment–either work or friends–who don’t align with your core values. If you hang around with selfish people, it will affect you. If you work with people who come to work late and leave early, and in general don’t like accountability, the corruption that ensues will affect you. Rav Yerucham Levovitz (1873–1936) was a leading Jewish thinker and educator in pre-war Europe, known for his deep insights into character development and personal growth. He once observed that people think the most religious people stay far from temptation—but really, it’s the wisest people. Why? Because they don’t wait to test their limits. They put up healthy boundaries from the start. For example, imagine someone trying to eat healthier. A “strong” person might say, “I can walk into a bakery and not buy anything,” but a wise person won’t even go in—because they know it’s easier to avoid temptation than to fight it once it’s in front of you. Rav Yerucham taught that true wisdom isn’t about resisting in the moment—it’s about setting yourself up for success long before the test begins. Even the holiest people can lose their way. The Talmud tells of a High Priest named Yochanan who served faithfully for 80 years—and then abandoned it all late in life. It’s a sobering reminder that emotional and/or spiritual growth is never guaranteed. It has to be protected. What does this mean for us? It means taking a look at our homes, our screens, our bookshelves, and asking, is this the kind of environment that supports the kind of life I want to live? Do I give myself—and my family—things that nourish the soul or are there influences that quietly pull me away from my values? This doesn’t mean living in fear or cutting ourselves off from the world. It means being conscious and intentional about the kind of space we create—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There’s no “vaccine” for emotional or spiritual drift but there is prevention and it starts with choices in setting boundaries, which will create the environment we live in every day. Good Shabbos |
