"Will He Be Able to Keep the Balance?​"

Balance

When we hear the word “balance,” we immediately think of athletes, acrobats, and entertainment. But how good are we at balance ourselves? No, I don’t mean climbing a lamppost or crossing a hanging wire on a unicycle! I mean balance in our lives: how well do we manage to stay balanced between what is good and what is not?

Everything in Balance

Our Chachamim teach us that every one of us must practice balance. In what? In everything! Everything around us in this world must be used in moderation. Nothing is absolutely good or bad; everything in its proper measure is right, and at its extremes it is negative.

As the Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, zt”l) writes, all things in the world, both good and bad, present a challenge to a person. The test is knowing how to use each one in the right measure. A person who abstains from things that are essential to him is considered a sinner, just as one who surrenders to his impulses at the other extreme is also considered a sinner. (Based on Mesillat Yesharim, Chapter 13)

In the Material and the Spiritual

For example, we all know that daily activities such as eating, sleeping, and working are positive, yet going to either extreme with them is harmful. Friendships, hobbies, and recreation are likewise important, but they stop being effective when practiced to excess or avoided altogether.

Even the Mitzvot themselves! These are actions that Hashem commanded us to do, yet if we perform them beyond their proper bounds, they cease to be what they are. Take Chesed or Tzedakah: if a person does too little, according to his means, he is neglecting the Divine command. But if he overdoes it at the expense of his health, well-being, or family, it likewise ceases to be positive.

Drawing Closer to Hashem

This is the balance Hashem asks us to practice and train in every day. It is the balance that allows us to live a full and fruitful life in this world, and it is how we attain peace of mind, happiness, and spiritual growth. Whatever falls within this range brings us closer to Hashem; whatever does not, bar minan, distances us from Him.

Is It Hard to Practice This Balance?

The answer: yes and no! When the Ramchal discusses the importance of Mussar, he teaches that a person who reflects and analyzes these matters is very close to mastering them, while one who does not will find it very difficult to reach perfection (Derech Etz Chaim). In other words, although maintaining this balance is very difficult, if we work on it and delve deeply into it, it becomes very easy.

The Scenario Where It Becomes Harder

In the areas above, the difficulty is that our instincts try to pull us out of balance, but with effort, balance becomes easy, as we said. However, there is one scenario where balance becomes far more difficult and complex, and where mental effort alone is no longer enough: technology. We all know it is impossible to stay away from it entirely, and we know the enormous harm that comes from using it without restraint. But here, balance is much harder to achieve.

Millions Against You!

Millions of people are investing billions of dollars to generate trillions of dollars from the increase in our use of technology! No matter how hard we try to control our attraction and dependence, they do everything possible to make us use it more!

The Solution

That is why, in order to maintain this important balance, we need to rely on technical tools that counter these intentions. There is a way to block and curb this influence over us and keep balance in our own hands, working on it with the same approach we use for everything else in our lives.

Rabbi Mordechai Babor

Rabbinical Supervisor, MB Smart

Click here to discover the solution!