Dutiful Dedication, Undisturbed

As I was driving through Mexico, I was deeply engrossed in divrei Torah with my seat-mate. Suddenly, my eyes alighted upon a most exquisite tree, the likes of which I had never seen. My first reaction was to praise Hashem for such wonderful creations, specifically trees, which bring pleasure to man. Suddenly, I thought of the words of Rabbi Yaakov. He says (Avot 3:7), “One who walks on the road while reviewing a Torah lesson but interrupts his review and exclaims, ‘How beautiful is this tree! How beautiful is this plowed field!’ Scripture considers it as if he bears guilt for his soul.”

When a person interrupts his learning to praise Hashem for His creation, he is held liable. The very involvement in Torah is the greatest way to praise Hashem. There is no comparison between learning Torah undisturbed and interrupting one’s learning and then resuming it.

Another lesson I learned on that ride is that the eyes are the source of sin. Seeing something forbidden stimulates the juices of lust, and is most likely to end in sin.