NUM193 Should the Jewish community spend millions of dollars of public monies to build Holocaust memorials? Should the death camps and other reminders of Nazi Germany be left standing when their memory causes so much pain to those who experienced the Holocaust firsthand? Both questions require an emphatic yes, from a Jewish point of view. The Talmud (Menachot 43b) says that based on the verse in the last paragraph of the Shema (this verse), only when one sees something will that cause the person to remember. This remembrance will then lead to action. Although this specific concept is mentioned in the Shema regarding the wearing of tzizit (the blue-colored fringe will remind one of the sky, the sky of God, and so forth), the educational use of a visual effect is well-known in secular society and is used in Jewish ritual as well. People remember best by seeing. Although this generation may not need a visual device to remember the Holocaust because it took place so recently, future generations will certainly need Holocaust memorials, museums, or the remnants of the actual sites to help them visualize and remember. In an age where active attempts are made by many groups to forget the Holocaust or even to claim that it did not happen, these visual memorials are necessary to tell the world what really happened.... The Talmud (Megillah 28a) records that when a synagogue was in disrepair, covered with grass, the people were not allowed to repair the damage, since they should suffer when they see a synagogue in ruins. In a different way, when the Jewish people see the remnants of the camps, they are reminded not only of what transpired in those camps, but of the "disrepair" of the Jewish community in Europe, which will never be rebuilt.

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NUM190 Is this accounting a constant obligation, or is it obligatory only at certain times and not others? I would say, in response to this question, that self-accounting is obligatory for a person--in accordance with his power of intellect and excellence of mind-- at all times, it every moment, and, if possible, with every breath that he takes, so he never be without awe, fear, and shame before God, may He be exalted, Who observes him continually. One may infer [this duty] from what God commanded the king: “And he shall have a copy of this Torah written for him on a scroll before the Kohanim and Levi’im. It shall remain with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life” (Devarim 17:18-19). Furthermore, He said: “This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night” (Yehoshua 1:8); “These words which I command you this day must be on your heart” (Devarim 6:6) ; “Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a frontlet in the center of your head. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates” (ibid. 6:8-9). And He emphasized the matter by [the commandment of] tzitzis, saying: “It shall be your tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments...” (Bemidbar 15:39); “Thus you will remember and do all My commandments” (ibid. 15:40). What further kinds of encouragement toward self-accounting-- which is part of the meaning of remembering the Creator--could there be that have not already been urged upon us by God? Accordingly, my brother, you should adopt the practice of holding yourself to an accounting before God, may He be exalted, at all times and at every moment. Do not underestimate any good act that you perform for His sake, even if it is only a few words or a glance; for the smallest [act] on your part looms large in His sight. The same applies to transgressions.

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NUM191 It was taught: "and you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvoth of the Lord, and you shall do them:" This teaches us that seeing leads to remembering; and remembering, to doing (Menachoth 43b)

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NUM192 Know that remembrance leads to action, as it is written [this verse]: "And remember… and you shall do" (Menachos 43b). Therefore, strengthen yourself greatly in the trait of remembrance and take care to remember, with each mitzvah, for Whose sake you are performing it and Who your Taskmaster is.

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NUM194 [Experiments show] that what makes the difference to the way we behave is not simply what we believe, but rather the fact of being reminded of it. In one test, conducted by Brandon Randolph-Seng and Michael Nielsen, participants were exposed to words flashed for less than 100 milliseconds, that is, long enough to be detected by the brain but not long enough for conscious awareness. They were then given a test in which they had the opportunity to cheat. Those who had been shown words relating to God were significantly less likely to do so than people who had been shown neutral words. The same result was yielded by another test in which, beforehand, some of the participants were asked to recall the Ten Commandments while others were asked to remember the last ten books they had read. Merely being reminded of the Ten Commandments reduced the tendency to cheat. Another researcher, Deepak Malhotra, surveyed the willingness of Christians to give to online charitable appeals. The response was 300% greater if the appeal was made on a Sunday then on any other day of the week. Clearly the participants did not change their minds about religious belief or the importance of charitable giving between weekdays and Sundays. It was simply that on Sundays they were more likely to have thought about God. A similar test was carried out among Muslims in Morocco, where it was found that people were more likely to give generously to charity if they lived in a place where they could hear the call to prayer from a local minaret. [Ara] Norenzayan's [author of Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013), 13-54)] conclusion is that "religion is more in the situation than in the person," or, to put it another way, what makes the difference to our behavior is less what we believe than the phenomenon of being reminded, even subconsciously, of what we believe. That is precisely the psychology behind the mitzvah of tzizit in Parashat Shelah [this verse]. The Talmud (Menahot 44a) tells the story of a man who, in a moment of moral weakness, decided to pay a visit to a certain courtesan. He was in the course of removing his clothes when he saw the tzitzit and immediately froze. The courtesan asked him what was the matter, and he told her about the tzitzit, saying that the four fringes had become accusing witnesses against him for the sin he was about to commit. The woman was so impressed by the power of this simple command that she converted to Judaism.

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NUM196 Do not stray after your heart and eyes. Our Sages explain (Berachos 12b), “After your hearts” refers to heresy (מינות-minus). That is, do not ponder ideas that contradict the Torah way of thinking, because occupying one’s thoughts with such ideas can lead one to heresy--to completely deny the Torah’s most fundamental teachings. If such non-Torah ideas enter one's mind, one immediately must cut short such musings. One must turn one’s thought to Torah matters--to the true and the good. “After your eyes,” say our Sages, refers to immortality. That is, do not chase after what the eye sees. Included is not to chase after any of the alluring physical pleasures of this world, for succumbing to mundane lust leads only to shame and woe. Both “after your hearts” and “after your eyes” apply equally to men and women. Key concepts: This mitzvah is central to Judaism, because by heeding it one is saved from sinning against Hashem all of one's life. Unworthy thoughts are fathers of impurity, for their offspring are sinful deeds. He who keeps his mind free of improper thoughts will not sin and thereby will merit all blessings. Realize, and repeat verbally, “One sin leads to another (עבירה גוררת עבירה),” and “One mitzvah leads to another (מצוה גוררת מצוה).” If you allow yourself to gratify a physical lust once, it will drag you into gratifying it again and again. On the other hand, if you are strong and resist the enticement, turning your eyes away from the evil, then even if you do so only once, you will find it easier to do so again and again. That is, just as wine entices a drunkard, physical attractions entice the body and bring about its ruin. If one becomes accustomed to always gratifying one’s physical desires, one’s evil inclination grows stronger every day, and one becomes enslaved to it. By contrast, if a person stubbornly resists temptation and abstains from gratifying his physical desires--choosing to take control--he rejoices in his portion all the day. Accordingly, this is one of the “constant” mitzvos. One is obligated never to follow after one's heart or eyes all of the days of one's life. I mentioned this point in the Introduction to Sefer HaChinuch [cited in the Mishnah Berurah, Siman 1 in the Biur Halachah, s.v. Hu klal]. He who violates this mitzvah--letting his thoughts dwell on the matters that cause one to stray from the perfect and pure ways of the Torah--will find himself in bitterness and evil. He will have sullied himself by entering the foolish mindset of heretics. So, too, he who strays after his eyes--chasing after this world’s physical pleasures, seeking repeated gratification of all sorts of mundane desires with no intent to use such pleasures for the good--instead of using these pleasures to promote his health so that he can actually serve his Maker. Striving only to gratify his baser nature, he constantly violates this basic and constant mitzvah.

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NUM195 … Endeavour to shut your eyes and [limit] your sense of sight, so that you do not look at what you do not need [to see] or at what would distract you from reflecting on what would benefit you. Abstain from looking that is superfluous, as you abstain from something that would harm you. The Creator cautioned us in this regard: “Do not stray after your heart and eyes” (Bemidbar 15:39); and our Masters, of blessed memory, said: “The heart and the eye are the two agents of sin” (Yerushalmi, Berachos 1:5). Instead, use your [sense of] sight, your vision, to behold the creations of the Creator, May He be exalted, to examine them and reflect upon them, and apprehend through them the Creator’s power, wisdom, and goodness, as David, peace be upon him, said: “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers...” (Tehillim 8:4); “The heavens tell of the glory of God...” (ibid. 19:2), and the rest of the psalm.

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NUM197 It became clear to me that an act which is performed for God’s sake is, in essence, made up of [two things]: purity of heart and of mind. Any corruption of the inner intent renders the [“good”] act unacceptable, even if performed many times and on a regular basis. This we see from Scripture: “Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove your evil deeds from My sight; cease to do evil (Yeshayahu 1:15-16); Rather, it is a thing very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you can do parentheses (Devarim 30:14); My son, give me your heart, and your eyes-- let them keep to my ways parentheses (Mishlei 23:26).” Our sages have expounded this [last verse] as follows: “If you give Me your heart and your eyes, [then] I will know that you are [truly] Mine” (Yerushalmi, Berachos 1:5). Scripture says further: Do not stray after your heart and eyes (Bemidbar 15:39). …”

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NUM198 It is a negative commandment not to go straying after the thought of the heart and the sight of the eyes as Scripture says, that you shall not follow after your own heart in your own eyes [this verse]. This means that we should not entertain in our heart any thought that can cause any one of the main principles of our faith to be uprooted; for Satan will incite us to heresy, Heaven forbid. And "after the sight of the eyes" means immorality. So the Sages of blessed memory taught (Talmud Bavli, B'rachoth 12b): "after your own heart" denotes heresy; "and after your own eyes," harlotry. Included in this prohibition is the rule not to plan and pursue other delights and cravings of this world. It is very, very necessary to be aware of reprehensible thoughts: for that is the foundation on which everything depends. For a man must hallow and purify his thoughts with all his might; and if some pleasure comes to him, let him have the intention that through it he should have the strength to stand in the palace of the Divine King, the Sovereign of the world, blessed is He; and that his body should not grow weak in the service of the Creator. If a person transgressed this and brought to mind reprehensible thoughts on matters of faith (Heaven forbid) or a fantasy of immorality, or [some plan] to pursue after material desires--it is a great sin that drives him out of the world-to-come since it defiles all the 248 limbs and parts, and the 365 sinews, of both the physical and the spiritual self. Therefore let a person greatly be aware of this.

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NUM199 Wanting versus Needing. Most of us could get by very well with less than we have and certainly less than we seek. Not only would we get by, we would actually be freed to give our time and energy to things that really do matter in this life. … A need is different from a desire. A need really is essential. A desire, on the other hand, is backed by an emotional force that turns it into a virtual demand: I have to have it. And it is our desires (The Mussar masters call desires ta'ava in Hebrew. They write much on the subject.) that create trouble for us. Desires can commandeer our lives on behalf of their fulfillment. And when they go unrealized, they deliver up anxiety, anger, frustration, and unethical behavior that we want to avoid. No one disputes that we need to satisfy our basic needs for reasonable comfort and safety. But the sages felt it so important to warn us against a life enslaved to gratification that they embedded their warning right in the daily recitation of the Sh'ma, the central affirmation of Jewish faith. The blessing cautions: "Don't stray after your heart or your eyes" (V'lo taturu acharay l'vavchem v'acharay aynaychem) [this verse]. The rabbis who set the prayers to melody made sure we understood that they were warning us about the allure of the world by accompanying this phrase with notes that rise and fall in a beckoning way.

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