The Torah commands in Parashat Shelah (15:39) – in one of the sections that we read twice each day as part of the Shema recitation – “Ve’lo Taturu Ahareh Lebabchem Ve’ahareh Enechem,” forbidding “straying after your hearts and after your eyes.” The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that this Biblical command incorporates two prohibitions. First, it forbids engaging in thoughts that are contrary to Torah beliefs. Once a person begins pondering heretical ideas, he can easily be drawn to embrace them, and resort to heresy, and so the Torah forbade entertaining such thoughts. Secondly, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, this prohibition includes straying after our eyes, referring to the unbridled pursuit of worldly pleasures. The Sefer Ha’hinuch warns that this pursuit always leads a person to harmful behavior. He adds, “Bad thoughts are the origin and source of impurity” (“Abi Abot Ha’tum’a”). Engaging in thoughts of indulgence in physical pleasures leads a person to acting upon these thoughts, and thus falling into a pattern of sinful conduct. The Sefer Ha’hinuch gives the example of those who become addicted to wine, and then find themselves pursuing other forms of pleasure, once drinking loses its excitement and appeal. Indeed, as the Sefer Ha’hinuch here cites, the Sages famously taught, “Abera Goreret Abera, U’misva Goreret Misva” – one sin leads to another sin, and one Misva leads to another Misva. Once a person pursues his lust, he is driven to pursue another. Those who grow accustomed to indulging in physical pleasures find themselves seeking additional pleasures, and thus fall into a pattern of addiction. The Sefer Ha’hinuch urges us to exercise restraint and discipline, to avoid this pitfall of the addictive, endless pursuit of pleasure. He adds that the more we restrain ourselves, the easier it becomes to continue exercising restraint and living the refined, disciplined life that the Torah wants us to live. Of course, it is permissible to enjoy worldly pleasures for valid reasons – such as eating, sleeping and relaxing in order to tend to the needs of one’s body and his emotional wellbeing. The Torah here forbids the unbridled pursuit of pleasure, for its own sake. This prohibition is binding upon both men and women, and applies in all places and at all times. One who engages in heretical thoughts, or in thoughts of the unbridled pursuit of pleasure, violates this prohibition. However, one is not liable to Malkut for transgressing this command, as it is generally violated through thought alone, without any action. Additionally, Malkut are administered only if the violator was warned of the punishment before he transgressed, which is, of course, not possible in the case of forbidden thoughts, as people cannot know that a person wishes to engage in a forbidden thought such that they could warn him in advance.