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The Contract of Life

 

King Shlomo teaches us in Mishleh (14:27): יראת ה' מקור חיים לסור ממקשי מות – "Fear of G-d is the source of life; turning one away from the traps of death."

 

I believe that this pasuk, if understood properly, is exceedingly powerful, and conveys one of the most important lessons for young people today who struggle with the temptations of modern life.

 

Whenever a person is faced with temptation, he is being offered two contracts, and he needs to choose one. 

 

The first contract says: Enjoy now, and ruin the rest of your life.

 

Most of what tempts young people really is enjoyable and fun.  Drugs…alcohol…gambling… In the moment, it makes the person happy.  He enjoys it.  He feels really good.  He's excited.  But in the long-term – it ruins his life.  Once a person starts, it becomes difficult – and sometimes all but impossible – to stop.  As the Gemara says about temptation: משביעו – רעב, מרעיבו – שבע.  If one satiates his desire – it becomes hungrier for more; if he starves it – it feels satiated.  The more a person indulges, the more he wants and the more he needs.

 

This is what we might call the "contract of death."  The terms are: You have a great time now, and in the very near future, but you will then pay for this enjoyment the rest of your life, which will be turned upside-down.

 

The other contract says just the opposite: Struggle now, and then enjoy the happiest, most fulfilling life you can have.

 

Yes, there are struggles.  But מרעיבו – שבע.  If a person accustoms himself to saying "no," to winning the struggle, to resisting temptation, he will find it so much easier for the rest of his life to live a disciplined, accomplished and fulfilling Torah life, which is, undoubtedly, the best life a person could possibly live.

 

This is what King Shlomo is teaching us.  יראת ה' – overpowering temptation with the fear of Hashem – is מקור חיים, the source of a rich, happy and fulfilling life.  It is what pulls a person away from מוקשי מוות, from the dangerous pitfalls that can literally ruin his life.

 

In our parashah, Parashat Behaalotecha, we learn more about this struggle and how it works.

 

The Torah tells of how Hashem punished Beneh Yisrael for complaining about the conditions in the desert, for objecting to the manna that He provided for them, demanding more.  But if we look carefully, we see that they did more than complain.  The Torah says, התאוו תאווה – which literally means, "they desired a desire."  They weren't faced with temptation.  They decided to bring a desire upon themselves.  They imagined to themselves that there must be more out there that they were not enjoying.  They wanted to have this temptation, because they felt there were missing out.

 

This is what happens to so many young people today.  Nobody comes into the world with a natural desire for drugs, alcohol or gambling.  But התאוו תאווה – they feel that there must be something rewarding in these activities, that they need to try it, they need to "get it out of their system."  But then the תאווה takes over, and threatens to ruin their life.  משביעו - רעב.  By bringing the desire upon themselves and then feeding it, they make it stronger, resulting in a vicious and catastrophic cycle.

 

When faced with these struggles, one needs to remember the two contracts.  There is no third option.

 

By overcoming these challenges, one accesses the מקור חיים – the source to a truly rewarding and beautiful life.  This does not mean everything will be easy.  No person's life is without difficulty.  But if one avoids the מוקשי מוות, the pitfalls that threaten to destroy life, he finds his way to happiness and fulfillment, to the unparalleled joy of following Hashem's will and living a life of meaning and purpose. - Joey Haber

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https://itorah.com/weekly-inspire/the-contract-of-life/15/31438