Spiritual Maturity

Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

Hashem makes several differentiations in creation – between upper water and lower water, between light and darkness, between sea and land, and between good and evil. As Hashem's partners in creation, our job is to differentiate between the factors that are conducive to emuna and the factors which are detrimental to emuna, as the Torah commands, "To differentiate between the holy and the mundane and between the pure and the impure" (Leviticus 10:10).
 
A person is created with two inherent inclinations – one for good and one for evil. They struggle constantly with each other. The question is, which of them do we give preference to? In order to reinforce the good, we must learn about the forces that are active within us.
 
When a person learns truth and begins to evaluate himself, he develops the ability to discern between good and evil. He knows that certain actions will lead to certain outcomes; for example, if he looks at what he shouldn't look at, he'll succumb to evil; in other words, he'll contaminate his soul the same way his body would be contaminated if he swam in a highly polluted river. A person with a strong sense of differentiation stays away from sources of spiritual contamination. Yet a person with no sense of differentiation between good and evil eats anywhere, looks at whatever he desires, associates with anyone and does many other things that are detrimental to himself without considering the consequences. He becomes entangled in all sorts of difficulties in life without understanding why, since he hasn't trained himself to differentiate between good and evil.
 
We must learn from The Creator: if He separated between good and evil, we must also. Otherwise, a person is lost in this world. Even more so, as a person progresses up the spiritual ladder, he must learn to differentiate between good and better, between holy and holier.
 
The element of truth gives a person the power to discern between between good and evil. Spiritual maturity means that a person is responsible enough and courageous enough to face the truth and act according to it, without deviating to the right or left. A small child who lacks spiritual maturity is liable to do all sorts of silly or even dangerous things. He'll eat candy all day long if allowed to, for he lacks the knowledge that by doing so, he is doing damage to himself. And, if his parent tries to explain to him that the piece of toffy is bad for his teeth, he won't want to listen to the truth. The child wants his toffy! Why? He lacks spiritual maturity; he doesn't want to hear the truth.
 
One who makes no effort to discern between good and evil is like a child with a mouth full of toffy. Just as the toffy will eventually rot the child's teeth, the actions of a person who lacks spiritual maturity take a cumulative toll on his soul. This is tantamount to a slow spiritual death; down the road, such a person will suddenly find himself in an abyss of negative emotions and turmoil. This is what happened to Adam after he transgressed, which led to Hashem's call to him, "Where are you?" Hashem certainly knew where Adam was; He wanted Adam to realize how low he had fallen.
 
The more a person is honest with himself, the greater his power to discern between good and evil. One should always face the truth. If he considers himself a big tzaddik already, he's not only fooling himself but in his smugness, he won't seek Hashem's help. A person who is honest with himself will more readily turn to Hashem. For example, let's suppose that he craves junk food. He doesn't try to rationalize that it's a mitzva. He turns to Hashem and says, "Hashem, I have a lust for eating junk food. I know that it's no mitzva and that it's detrimental to my health. Please help me overcome this lust; it's so strong that I can't do it on my own…"
 
When we face the truth and avoid selling ourselves fantasies, Hashem always comes to our assistance.
 
By way of spiritual maturity and prayer, one can overcome any lust or bad habit, whether it's smoking, overeating, or anything else. The important thing is to be honest with oneself. May Hashem help you succeed, amen!