Mesilas Yesharim, Perek 5 Part 1/3
- Shiur 7 of 31 in Mesilas Yesharim
Mafsidei Zehirus and Torah as Refuah
AI summary (may contain mistakes)
Why do the things that wear away zehirus look so harmless? Mesilas Yesharim opens Perek 5 with three mafsidim, and the first is being so busy with the world, mainly parnassa, that there is no time to think. The cure is Torah, which Hashem created as the tavlin for the yetzer hara He created, and nothing replaces it. A Medrash in Eicha has Hashem wish that even if Klal Yisrael leave Him they keep His Torah, because the kedusha of the Torah would bring them back.
Key points
- Mesilas Yesharim lists three mafsidei zehirus: worldly busyness, schok and leitzanus, and bad chevra.
- None of the three is an open aveira, which makes their damage harder to notice.
- Chazal advise minimizing business and busying oneself with Torah, so parnassa does not take over.
- The Gemara has Hashem create the yetzer hara and create Torah as its tavlin.
- Derech Hashem sets two conditions: respect for Torah while learning, and working on one's middos.