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Rav Masya Ben Charash

The Medrash Yalkut Shimoni (Vayechi) tells this story:

Once the Satan fixed his sight on Masya ben Charash who was a big Tzaddik, and said to himself: "Is it possible that this man does not sin?" Then the Satan went and asked G-d: "How do you view Rabbi Masya Ben Charash?" And G-d replied: "He is a perfect Tzaddik". The Satan said to G-d: "Give me permission to put him to the test". G-d told the Satan: "Go".

The Satan appeared to the Rabbi as a beautiful woman, the likes of which had never been in the world. When the Tzaddik saw her, he immediately turned his face away. Then the woman quickly moved to the side where Rabbi Masya had turned his face to, and again he quickly turned his face away. Then the Tzaddik said: "I am afraid that my Yetzer Hara will overpower me and cause me to sin". What did the Tzaddik do? He called a student that was with him and ordered him to bring him fire with nails. The student brought him nails and the Tzaddik put them into the fire and then to his eyes and became blind. When the Satan saw this, he trembled and fell on his back.

At that time The Holy One Blessed be He called the angel Raphael - for he is in charge of healing - and told him: "Go and heal Rabbi Masya Ben Charash". Then Raphael came in front of the Rabbi and the Rabbi asked him: "Who are you?" and he replied: "I am Raphael the angel, I came for G-d sent me to cure your eyes". Rabbi Masya replied: "Leave me alone, what is already done is done". Raphael returned before the Holy One Blessed be He and said: "Master of the World, thus spoke Masya". G-d said to Raphael: "Go back to him and tell him that I will personally guarantee that the Yetzer Hara will have no power over him". Immediately Raphael went and cured Masya. From here our Sages said: "All those who are careful not to look at women, the Yetzer Hara has no power over them".

Zos Brisi - Stories of Spiritual Struggle

Our generation, the generation of Ikvesa D’Meshicha, faces unprecedented challenges. Nisyonos, spiritual tests, lurk in every corner. The forces of evil have gained new strength as the Satan dances his last dance before the arrival of Mashiach, when he will be gone forever. The moment we exit the beis midrash, we need to shield ourselves with layers of shemirah so that we will not stumble.

To gain some insight into how crucial it is that we pass these tests, we cite from Chazal of the great spiritual tests that Tannaim and Amoraim faced, and the lengths to which they went to avoid sin.

Rabi Chanina bar Papi

The Gemara relates (Kiddushin 39b.):

A certain noblewoman attempted to convince Rabi Chanina to sin with her. Rabi Chanina uttered a Name of Hashem and miraculously, his body became covered with boils and scabs. He hoped that since he had become repulsive, the noblewoman would leave him alone. However, the noblewoman used witchcraft to cure Rabi Chanina of his boils and scabs.

Rabi Chanina then ran away and hid in a bathhouse that was inhabited by demons. These demons were so dangerous that even two people [who are safer than one person alone] who entered the bathhouse together during daylight hours [when the demons’ power is weaker] would be harmed by them. Rabi Chanina emerged from the bathhouse unharmed.

The next day, the Chachamim asked him, “Who protected you from the demons?”

He replied that two Heavenly angels who looked like a king’s guards stood watch over him. The Chachamim did not know what had caused Rabi Chanina to enter this dangerous bathhouse. However, since he had merited a miracle, they asked him, “Perhaps you were confronted with an opportunity to commit an immoral act, and by overcoming the temptation you merited a miracle? For we have learned that whoever overcomes such temptation merits that a miracle is done for him.”

Of course, Rabi Chanina did not know that Hashem would perform a miracle on his behalf. He was prepared to be harmed by demons, as long as this would prevent him from being coerced to act immorally. For he understood the great spiritual damage that immorality causes — even when it is committed against one’s will.

And the benefits of overcoming such temptation are beyond description. We see this from the fact that as soon as the Chachamim learned that Rabi Chanina had been miraculously saved from sin, they assumed that he had overcome temptation in these matters.

Rabi Tzadok

The Gemara then relates a second incident:

A certain noblewoman asked Rabi Tzadok to sin with her. Rashi states that this woman had great political power and could have had Rabi Tzadok killed had she so desired. Rabi Tzadok, with no means of escape, tried the following ploy: He claimed that he felt weak and could not fulfill her request unless he ate something to strengthen himself.

The noblewoman told him that the only food she had was some non-kosher meat. Rabi Tzadok led her to believe that he would eat it, so she set about preparing it. She lit an oven and when it got hot, Rabi Tzadok jumped inside.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded to know.

Rabi Tzadok replied, “Whoever engages in such sins will fall into the fire of Gehinnom.”

She replied, “Had I known that you view this matter so severely, I would not have bothered you” — and she let him go.

Rabi Tzadok understood that the pain of being burned in an oven in this world is nothing compared to the suffering of the neshamah in the Next World for having succumbed to the temptation of immorality.

Rabi Kahana

The Gemara there concludes with an incident involving Rabi Kahana, whose livelihood was selling baskets used by women to store their sewing tools. One of his customers, a gentile noblewoman, attempted to coerce him to sin with her. Rabi Kahana excused himself by saying that for this, he first needed to adorn himself. He then made his way to a roof and jumped off, expecting to die al kiddush Hashem. But Eliyahu HaNavi came and caught him. Eliyahu told Rabi Kahana that he had come a distance of 400 parsah (thousands of miles) to save him.

From all these incidents we learn the severity of immorality and the great esteem in which Hashem holds those who are prepared to suffer or even die to avoid such sins.

Rabi Masya ben Charash

Perhaps the most telling incident recorded by Chazal regarding these matters is one involving the Tanna Rabi Masya ben Charash. (Yalkut Shimoni, Parashas VaYechi #161.)

Rabi Masya’s face was radiant like the sun, his appearance like that of a Heavenly angel, for all his life he had carefully avoided gazing upon anything that might have enticed him to sin. Rabi Masya spent his days and nights in the beis midrash, toiling in the study of Torah.

Once, as Rabi Masya was studying, the Satan took notice of his shining countenance. The Satan said, “Is it possible that this man has never sinned?” The Satan came to the Ribono shel Olam and asked, “Rabi Masya ben Charash — what is he considered in Your eyes?” The Ribono shel Olam replied, “He is a perfect tzaddik.”

The Satan countered, “Grant me permission that I may incite him to sin.” The Ribono shel Olam replied, “You will not prevail over him.” The Satan replied, “Even so [I wish to try].” “Then go,” said the Ribono shel Olam.

The Satan appeared before Rabi Masya as a beautiful woman. As soon as Rabi Masya noticed her, he turned around so that she was behind him. The woman then stood to Rabi Masya’s left, whereby Rabi Masya turned to his right. The woman confronted him every which way. Rabi Masya said to himself, “I am fearful, lest my yetzer hara overpower me and cause me to sin.”

Rabi Masya went and blinded himself. When the Satan saw this, he was shaken and fell backwards. The Ribono shel Olam then summoned the angel Raphael and instructed him to heal Rabi Masya. The angel came and presented himself before Rabi Masya. “Who are you?” Rabi Masya asked. The angel replied, “I am the angel Raphael whom HaKadosh Baruch Hu has sent to heal you.”Rabi Masya told him, “Let me be; what has happened has happened.”

The angel returned to the Ribono shel Olam and repeated Rabi Masya’s words. The Ribono shel Olam said, “Go and tell him that I am his guarantor that the yetzer hara will not have dominion over him.” Rabi Masya then allowed the angel to heal him and his eyesight was restored.

The Manchester Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Yehudah Zev Segal, who was renowned for his holiness and purity, commented:

Let us ponder this amazing incident. Hashem bore witness that Rabi Masya ben Charash was a tzaddik gamur, a perfect tzaddik, and that the Satan would not be able to induce him to sin. Surely Rabi Masya realized the he was not someone who was accustomed to falling victim to temptation. Why then did he feel it necessary to blind himself? The answer is that despite his stature, Rabi Masya understood that as a person of flesh and blood, it was possible for him to be swayed by his inclination, though the possibility was very remote. He also perceived the enormous blemish that he would bring upon himself and upon the world were he to sin. Therefore, with the Satan tempting him every which way, he found it necessary to act as he did. We live in a society where the streets abound with immoral sights virtually everywhere we turn. Yet there are many who gaze deliberately at their surroundings as they walk, deluding themselves into thinking that all this will not affect them. What they are actually doing is causing their yetzer hara to incite them to sin — behavior that is the very opposite of that of Rabi Masya ben Charash.

Rav Mordechai Yaffe, Baal Halevushim

In Sefer Nidchei Yisrael (Chapter 23.), the Chofetz Chaim cites the above episodes. He then goes on to describe the shame and suffering that the neshamah must endure in the Next World for such sins — and the great reward that awaits those who prevail over their yetzer hara.

If he overcomes his yetzer hara for the honor of his Creator and is saved from sin, his merit for this will remain forever for all his future generations. In Sifra, Rabi Yosi states: If one wishes to know what the reward of tzaddikim is, he can derive it from the story of Adam, who because of one sin brought death uponhimself and all his future generations. Since Hashem’s measure of goodness is many times greater than His strict judgment, we can be sure that the merit of even one mitzvah will remain forever, for him and for all his future generations.

The Chofetz Chaim cites an incident from the sixteenth century, when the renowned scholar Rav Mordechai Yaffe prevailed in a moment of nisayon. Rav Mordechai went to purchase some items from a certain gentile noblewoman, whotried to entice him to sin and locked the front gate so that he could not leave. With no alternative, Rav Mordechai crawled into a sewage pipe and escaped. He emerged from the other end of the pipe covered in filth. It was because of this episode that he later merited to author his renowned halachic work, which he named Levush Malchus (Garment of Royalty).

The Chofetz Chaim concludes:

Everyone must know that each time he is faced with a nisayon and overcomes it, his reward is beyond comprehension.

Hashem will surely bring him to an exalted level in the World to Come, for he will be a symbol of greatness among his people.

In this world, he will merit the blessings that Dovid HaMelech says are guaranteed for those who fear Hashem: “Praiseworthy is the man who fears Hashem, who greatly desires His mitzvos. Mighty in the land will his offspring be, a generation of the upright who will be blessed. (Tehillim 112:1-2. ) Radak explains “mighty” to mean that others will be in awe of him and his offspring.

In the merit of his self-control, of overcoming his desires for the sake of Hashem, he will merit descendants who will light up the world with their Torah and righteousness. He will derive great pleasure from his offspring in this world and in the Next.