No Holds Barred
On one of my many trips to raise Jewish awareness in the Diaspora, I sat near a family of four – two parents and two adolescents. As soon as the plane soared skyward, the family dived into their meal, like ravens pecking at their prey. Then I heard the son ask his father for a drink. I expected his father to give him a glass of water, or, at most, flavored soda. How surprised I was, then, to see him offering him and his brother a glass of liquor and other hard drinks. He was even encouraging them to drink everything available. Throughout the meal, this young man managed to down three or four glasses of champagne. To wash down the meal, he demanded a cup of cognac.
Filled up on physicality, this family spent the entire flight immersed in lecherous literature, or, alternatively, the provocative movies which were being displayed. I thought that things could get no worse. But I was mistaken. After the family enjoyed the entertainment that the airline offered, they removed a mini-television from their bag and watched more lustful programs.
When there is no Torah, there is no limit to the levels of defilement to which a person can sink. A Jew who observes Torah and mitzvot accustoms his children, from their early years, to control their desire for materialistic pleasures. Avraham Avinu summarized this message in his declaration to Avimelech (Bereishit 20:11), “There is but no fear of G-d in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.”
