The heat spreads like a suffocating blanket and the air shimmers. It is not a day for hiking, but the uninformed vacationer never thought to ask. At last, he spots a kiosk where he can buy a drink. As he reaches for the icy beverage, a commotion begins. A man, obviously deranged, starts shouting. Most of his words are incoherent, but he delivers his message: The drink is unsafe, the water contains dangerous bacteria.
Our hapless tourist stops in his tracks and looks back and forth between the man and the drink. The man is clearly unstable and the tourist is terribly thirsty. Other customers seem oblivious to the warning, and gulp down the frosty liquid. Yet, yet… there is a slim possibility that the water is contaminated. He decides that he is not that thirsty after all.
The baalei hamussar tell this story to demonstrate a paradox within us.
We are all fearful of physical danger. The slightest, most remote threat gives us pause and compels us to seek protection. Yet spiritual peril — even certain and definite — often leaves us unmoved. To illustrate, many maaminim trifle casually with the severe prohibition of lashon hara. Yet, if one believes in reward and punishment, Gan Eden and Gehinnom, how can he be so cavalier with his words? Don’t the Torah’s warnings carry more weight than that those of the lunatic at the kiosk?
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