IMAGINATION /DIMYON

Imagination

G-d gave us human beings the gift of imagination, something that no other life form has been endowed with. Without imagination we wouldn't be able to function as human beings, to invent, to progress and to search for the truths of the universe and for G-d.

Yet, at the same time, imagination is responsible for most of the Yetzer Hara's power over us. The reason why we "lust" for things that we know we can never have and that are bad for us, is because we imagine that we could have them, and we imagine that they are good for us.

R' Nachman says that the name of the Yetzer Hara in our day and age is "Dimyon" - Imagination.

We need to learn to use this wonderful gift of G-d only for the right things. For example, to imagine the greatness of Hashem. And on Shavu'os, we can use the power of our imagination to picture that we are standing before Har Sinai and seeing the entire mountain on fire, with heavy smoke rising to the heavens. We can imagine that we are listening to the voice of Hashem, to the sounds of thunder, lightening and Shofar blowing. We can picture the fear and awe that the Yidden felt - and try to feel it ourselves!

But when it comes to lusting and fantasies, we need to turn off our imagination and internalize that all these imaginary desires have no connection to us. For in reality, having all these imaginary desires would be bad for us, bad for the people involved and bad for the world.

So next time we catch ourselves fantasizing about something bad, let's try to train ourselves how to turn off our imaginations and live in REALITY instead. Let us use the gift of our imaginations only for things that will bring us closer to Hashem!