Mesilas Yesharim, Perek 15

AI summary (may contain mistakes)

How does a person acquire perishus? He trains his mind to see through pitui einayim, the trick of the eye that makes the pleasures of olam hazeh look good and sweet. The good in these pleasures is short-lived and the bad they can bring lasts. We learn that with training, me'at me'at, a person frees himself and takes from the world only what is necessary.

Key points

• To acquire perishus, the Mesilas Yesharim has a person use his mind on how lowly pleasures are.
• The Mesilas Yesharim calls pitui einayim, the trick of the eye, the cause of the first aveirah.
• The Baal Tanya describes a higher level, moes bera, where the bad itself becomes repulsive.
• The Mesilas Yesharim notes that the pleasure of food is felt strongly but lost quickly.
• Running after olam hazeh is childish, like a grown man playing with Legos.

In this shiur

1. 0:00Perishus and its purpose
2. 2:37Pitui einayim and the first aveirah
3. 7:04Advertising as a trick of the eye
4. 12:19The Baal Tanya on moes bera
5. 17:17The Berditchever Rav's limud zechus
6. 18:13The pleasure of food
7. 22:18Grown men and their toys
8. 25:37Freeing oneself me'at me'at

Topics

• Perishus
• Pitui Einayim
• Yetzer Hara
• Taivos