What Does God Think of Inborn Sinful Desires (Theft, Murder etc)? (7 Minutes)

1:18So if the forefather of Judaism was forced to leave a bad environment, who has an excuse to live next to one of these nightclubs? Who has an excuse to live in these neighborhoods like the Village and the city in Manhattan, surrounded by homosexuals and other types of heretics? Who has the nerve to say that they're being a kosher Jew or even a kosher non-Jew living in Las Vegas? Living in San Francisco, where it's, somebody told me this, they actually checked this statistically, the most amount of animal homosexuality in the world is in San Francisco. Just like the generation of Noach, Where the sins of the people led to the sins of the animals, and therefore Hashem destroyed all of them. It's happening now also. And anyone that wants to say, no, we should be nice to them, you know, they're born this way, I'm not saying kill them.

2:29Let's not misunderstand. But you can never ever say that Hashem agrees with them. You can never ever say that it's not disgusting to Hashem. You can never ever say it's not 100% a sin in the Torah, just like Shabbat is connected to idol worship. Violation of Shabbat is connected to idol worship. Violation of a sexual transgression like homosexuality is always connected to bestiality. It's always connected to having relations with an animal. Always. Every time. Every time we've gone, I think in a couple of shiurim over here we said it also. Every time Hashem mentions homosexuality in the Torah, He says it's the same thing as bestiality. With bestiality, you ask people, even today, despite the generation being so low, they'll say, ah, it's disgusting. Okay, to Hashem, homosexuality is the same thing. Lesbianism is the same thing. There's no such thing as a gray area. It's black or white. It's never acceptable. Now, somebody says, "Yes, but what if someone is born with that desire?" Well, the Zohar says everyone is born with a desire. Everyone has a certain desire that they're born with. Some people are born with a desire to see blood — a desire for blood. Hashem made them that way.

3:53Now, they can use that desire for a few different things. The obvious choice: they can become a murderer, a serial killer. Apparently, today it's become a trend to kill people, especially in America these days. So, they could join these crazy groups of people. Not a good choice, but they have a desire for blood. Or they can become a butcher. Or they can become a surgeon and save lives. Same desire, different choices. And that's the thing that people need to understand. Yes, Hashem gave you that desire. But you can use it for good or for bad. Every desire. And also, just because you have a desire, doesn't mean you have to act on it. That is what separates us from animals. That is why Hashem describes homosexuality similarly to bestiality, as an animalistic trait. Why? Because an animal can't control itself. It's purely instinctual, 100% instinct. Mankind, however, is not meant to rely solely on instinct. We are meant to make conscious choices.

5:11Just because you have a desire does not mean you have to act on it. Okay, you have a desire for a same-sex relationship. Great, perhaps you were born that way. I am sorry for your struggle, but it doesn't mean you have to act upon it. That is what separates us from being animals. You might have a desire to drive on Shabbat because you want to go car racing. Okay, but find another day to do it. You have a desire to steal. Find a different way to channel that urge. So what? People are... Getting to a point where they're not only saying it's okay in our generation, but they're celebrating them. They're celebrating homosexuality. Saying, no, come on, Hashem is understanding, Hashem accepts them, Hashem created them that way. How come they don't say that about kleptomaniacs? Or pyromaniacs? Somebody that has a desire, can't control his desire to steal. Why don't you invite him to your house? No, rob my house. Okay, but it's his desire. Let him go. Who are you to tell him not to do it? What? It's his desire. Let him steal your house. What's the big deal? You're helping him. What do you mean helping him? He's destroying my house. It's his desire. He's born that way. Mishken. Poor guy. What poor guy? He's stealing all my stuff. What about pyromania? A guy who likes to burn things. Invite him to your Shabbat dinner. What do you mean invite him? He's going to burn my house. But it's his desire.

6:35Mishenah. Hashem created him that way. You should help him out. What do you mean help him out? He's going to burn my house down. Yeah, but Hashem created him that way. Why do they say that? Why? Because they know it's wrong. And just like they know it's wrong for a pyromaniac and every other crazy desire, they also know that homosexuality is wrong. There is no gray area. It's black or white. You have a choice. You are either righteous or wicked. You either have Yirat Shamayim (fear of Heaven) or you don't. Simple as that. And that's why the Rambam (Maimonides) is telling us here, if you want to have even a chance of being righteous, you have to make sure your surroundings are conducive to spiritual growth. Because if your surroundings are not appropriate, you have no chance of succeeding in your spiritual journey.