Extricating Oneself from the Web
A man asked me for my advice. The computers in his workplace were connected to the Internet. He wanted to know how to overcome the spiritual threat posed by its powerful pull.
I told him that the best thing he could do for himself would be to lift his legs and run. Although here he was financially secure, his spiritual side was unsafe and vulnerable. Hashem has many ways of sending sustenance; He surely will not do it at the expense of one’s soul.
After the man left, I thought for a while about the venomous powers of the Internet, the product of advanced technology. When it is used in a positive way, all the world’s treasures can be unearthed. But when it is used wrongly, it buries its user in a pit of doom.
Chazal teach us, “All is in the hands of Heaven except for fear of Heaven” (Berachot 33b). Yirat Shamayim is placed solely in man’s control. In contrast, the key to livelihood is in the hands of Hashem. When Hashem sees one’s great self-sacrifice for the sake of his yirat Shamayim, He makes sure to offer him a kosher means of sustenance.
