Sin Becoming Unthinkable

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

The Ramban (Bereishis 2:9) writes that when the world was created, Adam Harishon’s existence was similar to the other elements of creation. His sole desire was to fulfil Hashem’s purpose, in the same way that all animal and plant-life, soil and space existed to do Hashem’s will. No element of physical desire was present within him. The desire to sin only awakened after he ate from the Tree of Knowledge.

If it is true that Adam had no desire to sin, how could he have sinned in the first place? After all, he did not even posess the Evil Inclination inside him!

Moreover, the Ramchal (Maamar HaIkarim) teaches that the purpose of creation was to give man the power of choice. This enables him to either grow close to Hashem, or, G-d forbid, to distance himself from Him. That being the case, why was Adam Harishon originally created without the Evil Inclination, which is a way to realize this purpose?

Rav Dessler answers these questions based on the Nefesh Hachaim (1:6). He explains that when Adam Harishon was created, the Evil Inclination was present in the world. However, it was not present inside of Adam. It is true that Adam’s own nature was only to do Hashem’s will. Still, he was vulnerable to outside influences. The Evil Inclination was capable of approaching him from the outside, and it did so in the form of a snake. When presented with this external test, Adam did have the ability to choose good over evil.

Unfortunately, Adam gave in to sin. At this point, the Evil Inclination became a part of him. He now had forces within him which pulled him toward behavior that defied Hashem’s will. Bodily desires were now a part of his nature. This was a fundamental change in his identity. Before the sin, Adam’s body was only a cloak for his soul. Now his being was fragmented, split between opposing desires which were both true aspects of his personality.

From Adam’s time onward, all humanity possesses this very state. The Evil Inclination exists inside of us. We are in a perpetual state of war, constantly faced with conflicting desires that pull us simultaneously to holiness and to sin.

The Ramchal (Daas Tevunos 126, as elucidated by Harav Chaim Friedlander) states that our task is to repair Adam’s sin. We must strive to bring our own nature as close to that of Adam’s in his original state – namely, a sole desire to fulfil Hashem’s will.

We already have the Evil Inclination inside of us. How is it possible to eliminate negative desires?

Rav Dessler explains that each of us already lives at a level of choice in which certain sins are no longer a challenge for us. For instance, take an observant Jew who learns Torah as much as he can, prays with deep intent, and performs many acts of kindness. For such an individual, desecrating the Shabbos is not something he chooses not to do. It is utterly unthinkable, and never would even occur to him as an option. Thus, regarding keeping the Shabbos, we can say that this man is like Adam Harishon before the sin. He has no Evil Inclination goading him to desecrate the Shabbos.

In contrast, when it comes to indulging in idle chit-chat while learning Torah, this man does face a challenge. Indeed, he does not always succeed in overcoming the test to remain focused. This, says Rav Dessler, is what the Ramchal meant: Such a man should strive to make the very notion of idle chatter in the middle of a learning seder as unthinkable for him as the notion of desecrating the Shabbos. This is called “bringing ourselves back to the state of Adam Harishon before the sin.”

Rav Eliyahu Lopian adds an important idea: If a Jew puts all of his energy into Torah study, this itself protects him from sin, as the Sages state (Kiddushin 30b), “I created the Evil Inclination, and I created the Torah to be a spice for it.” Just as a spice brings out the good taste of a food, Torah study emphasizes a man’s good qualities, and in the process, his natural inclination toward sin is weakened. Even if a certain sin tempts him, exerting himself in Torah study can cause the sin to lose its appeal. Slowly but surely, Torah study weakens sins to the extent that they become “unthinkable” for us. This enables us to return to Adam Harishon’s state before the first sin (see Avos D’Rebbe Nassan 27:23 as explained in the Chida’s Kisei Harachamim).

Rav Avraham Brim would advise people to get as close as they can to tzaddikim. He would say that the Torah they possess can elevate the people around them. Rav Brim based this concept on the Sages’ statement (Yoma 38b), “Hashem saw that there would be very few tzaddikim. Therefore, He planted them in every generation.” Every era has tzaddikim who serve as an example, and help us break away from the urge to sin.

Rav Brim would recount: “When I was in the presence of the Chazon Ish, I saw a human being who behaved like an angel. It was clear that worldly desires had no sway over him at all. Moreover, I too did not feel any desire to sin in the Chazon Ish’s presence.”

Sometimes even looking at the face of a tzaddik makes a profound impression on a person, even if he is mired in sin. Rav Yechezkel Levenstein once traveled to Tel Aviv. While there, his wallet was stolen.

Sometime later, a man came to him and said, “Rabbi, I want to return your wallet. You should know, I planned to steal it, but when I saw the picture on your ID card, I couldn’t bring myself to do such a thing.”

May we be zoche to repair Adam Harishon’s sin!

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