The Green Eyed Monster | Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

Have you ever had the following experience? You've got your eye on the newest Apple iPhone or the latest model car, or if you're really well-heeled, the latest Rolex or Patek Philippe, and you start to daven Shemoneh Esrei, and you bend forward and say: Baruch Ata... and into your mind floats a picture of this beautiful gold Rolex Seamaster Oyster Limited Edition. Baruch Ata Ha... Rolex. You're obsessed. An embarrassing portion of your waking life is spent fantasizing about that new car or that new watch. Rav Dessler identifies the two root motivations of the human personality as and the Desire to Take is unique in that it's not really about the object of desire, it's about fulfilling the desire. And thus, once you get whatever it is that you want, it loses that pristine gleam very quickly. The Desire to Take is the green-eyed monster that mocks the meat it feeds on. It can never be satisfied, because as soon as you have your new Rolex, well, you've got it, right? And so it loses that delectable allure, and then some time later, the next obsession takes hold, and so on and so on. Does this sound familiar? It says in Mishlei, All the days of a poor man are wretched, but contentment is a feast without end. When you're happy with what you've got, when you're שמח בחלקו, your life is a never-ending feast. But when you look over your garden fence at your neighbor's new car, or your neighbor’s spouse, or his beautiful successful children, who have all made wonderful Shidduchim, and you compare, your entire life will be miserable. In order for us to be truly satisfied with our lives, the only way to do that is through Shemiras Einayim, because the only way to be שמח בחלקו is with Shemiras Einayim. Naturally, when you see things that others have, you're going to have a desire, right? You see it and you want it, and then you need it. So the only way to be happy, truly happy, constantly happy, is to live a life of satisfaction and contentment with Shemiras Einayim.