Acharei Mos 3 |
Lust & Violence Parshas Acharei Mos Contact Rabbi Spero at 862-9546 or jsohr1@juno.com If you are interested in receiving
Rabbi Spero's Dvar Torah in your email each week, please contact him at jsohr1@juno.com.
“Speak
to the children of
What
is implied by mention of
This
is basically the concept of “selling one’s soul to the devil”.
What
is implied by the reference to the Cana’anites? The Cana’anites, who were at
that time inhabiting the land
of
These
two lands — Egypt, where Israel had dwelt for 210 years, and Cana’an, where
they were now going — were the most decadent in the world. Hashem specifically
wanted to warn the Jews of the dangers to which they had been, and would be,
exposed. Once society justifies a certain action, even if that action is wrong,
and even if the people know it's
wrong, there is strength in numbers.
There
is also a common claim that how people conduct themselves intimately is their
own personal choice and does not reflect on their moral status. And in an age
where we are inundated with rampant immorality on television and on the
internet, groups like the ACLU would have us believe that “it's natural” to
see these sorts of things, and to censor them “violates” our rights. They
claim society should be worried about violence, but the right of people to
express their human sexuality in any manner they choose is totally “normal”
and natural.
In reality the opposite is true. Is it a mere coincidence that since the 1960’s, when the world saw a new looser set of morals come in, that violence has rocketed off the charts, thereby displaying the lack of compassion man has for his fellow man?
The
Slonimer Rebbe explains that violence and sexual immorality go hand in hand. He
explains that they both share the same root: lust; that if I want something now,
I should have it. How can this be controlled? After Hashem warns us of imitating
Only
through keeping the Torah can we control our baser instincts and lead
meaningful lives.
Rabbi Jay Spero is the rabbi of the Saranac Synagogue in Buffalo. |