We all do it. But have you ever wondered what it truly means to avert your gaze, to consciously choose kedushah, holiness?
Rabbi Menashya, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, offers a powerful insight into this very human struggle. He says that anyone who sees something tempting, something illicit, but actively chooses not to dwell on it, will be privileged to greet the Divine Presence. Think about that for a moment. It's not about never seeing something undesirable, but about what you do with that moment.
So, where does this idea come from? Rabbi Menashya points us to Isaiah 33:15: “And shuts his eyes from perceiving evil.” And what comes next? "Your eyes will behold a king in his beauty, they will see a distant land” (Isaiah 33:17). The reward for guarding your eyes isn't just avoiding sin, but gaining a vision of something truly beautiful, something transcendent. It's a powerful image, isn't it?
This idea of striving for holiness is central to Jewish thought. It's even right there in Leviticus 19:2, the very verse our teachers are unpacking in Vayikra Rabbah: "Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” We are called to be holy because God is holy. But what does that even mean in our everyday lives?
The text continues, connecting this call to holiness with the idea of justice. “You shall be holy” – that is what is written: “The Lord of hosts will be exalted through justice” (Isaiah 5:16). Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai teaches that God's name is glorified in this world when God applies justice against the wicked.
Think about it: when we see justice done, when we see wrongdoers held accountable, it reaffirms our faith in a moral order. This idea is echoed throughout the prophets. We find in Ezekiel 38:23: “I will be glorified and I will be sanctified, and I will become known before the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord.” And in Psalms 9:17: “The Lord is known, He performs justice.” And again in Jeremiah 16:21: “This time, I will inform them of My hand and of My might.” Even Micah 6:5 gets in on it, saying, "In order to know the righteous acts of the Lord.” All of these verses point to the same idea: God's holiness is revealed through justice. So, going back to our original verse, “The Lord of hosts will be exalted through justice."
So, what's the connection between averting our eyes and the idea of divine justice? Perhaps it's this: true holiness isn't just about avoiding the obvious sins. It's about actively choosing what we focus on, choosing to see the good, choosing to participate in a world that reflects God's justice and holiness. Maybe it begins with something as simple as choosing where we direct our gaze. What do you think?