It All Starts with the Heart | Rabbi Moshe Malka

Our holy Torah tells us Do not stray after your heart and your eyes. Asks the Alshech Hakadosh, Shouldn’t it say first, do not stray after your eyes and then your heart? How can your heart desire something your eyes never saw? Says the great Rabbi Dessler, Your heart is the core. Heart means your will, your desire, what you really want. Whatever you really want, you begin to see. You don't see something that you don't want to see. For example, three people will walk down the street and see a retail store. The wife is looking at the clothing, the outfit. The husband is looking at the price. The fellow in real estate is counting the square feet. And if there's somebody in advertising, he’s probably looking at the sign. People see what they want to see. I remember once we were sitting in the Shul, trying to explain this concept to the fellows, and I told them: What's behind you? They’re, like: A clock. I asked them: What's the brand name on the clock? None of them could answer. I said: But you looked at that clock 100 times. Especially when I'm given the class. You're looking at the clock, how could you not know the brand name? One fellow says: Wait, wait, Rabbi, isn't it a Westclox? How did he know? He tells me: I'm in the business. That's what I sell. So when I saw the clock, I saw what I wanted to see. I saw it. No one else saw it. Teaching us this phenomenon. If you go to the root of what you really want, Hashem says: Give me your heart and your eyes and the rest will follow. Shlomo HaMelech tells us, Give me your heart. And your eyes will be guarded. They asked once Rav Moshe Feinstein, who lived in the east side of New York, and some stores that were inappropriate opened in the area. He used to walk to MTJ. Rabbi, don't you see down the street the store? Rav Moshe said: What store? He never saw the store, because he never wanted to see it. Your eyes will follow your heart. And therefore the Torah tells us, Give Hashem your heart and your eyes will follow.