Let us look around us and examine the creation of the Al-mighty. Every creation has limits. Every single entity has boundaries. None will penetrate into a domain which doesn't belong to it. For istance: the sun has a limited number of hours for when it appears in the sky. When it is time for nightfall, the sun's central position in the sky is terminated. The ocean has clear boundaries and so too the dry land. The dry land does not take over areas belonging to the ocean.
We are known to be composed of a body and a soul. The body and the soul have distinct roles and interests. The body is in control of our physical world, our desires and our pleasures. The soul, of course, represents the spiritual dimension.
However, the soul and the body, says Hakham Yosef Hayyim 'a"h, are different from the rest of the creations. Though our soul does not invade the properties of the body or overstep its boundaries into the territory of our body, our physical side, the body, constantly encroaches into the territory of the spiritual. We never forget to eat our physical food, but how often do we neglect to recite the blessings? How common is it to oversleep when it is time to wake up for prayers, or fall asleep before reciting the Shema' at night? What is it that hinders us from reaching new spiritual heights?
The source for this is undoubtedly our deceitful enemy, the evil inclination. Its objective is to pull us away from the realm of the soul. How careful and aware we must be of its cunning ways. All year round, and especially during this time of preparing for the upcoming awesome days, we should be on the lookout. Let us not deprive our soul, the Divine portion within us, of what it truly deserves.
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