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351.


The Zohar in Parshas Tetzava brings an encounter between R' Shimon Bar Yochai and a old Holy Jew who came out of the dessert. R' Shimon asked him why he had been in the dessert and he replied that he dwells there the whole year round and learns Torah, explaining that he did this because the dessert belongs to the Sitrah Achrah. Therefore, by serving Hashem there, he was subjugating the "other" side. And the old man went on to say how the Torah can only settle in the dessert, for the following reason (here are the words of the Zohar translated):

For there is no light besides that which comes out of darkness. And when the "other" side is subjugated, the Master of the World is elevated and his honor is increased. And avodas Hashem can only be through darkness, and there can be no good, only though bad. And when a person goes into a bad path and then leaves it, the Master of the World's honor is elevated. And therefore, the "Shleimus" (completion) of everything, is good and bad together - and then to leave to the (side of) good. And there can be no good but that which comes through bad, and from such good, Hashem is elevated. And this is called an "avodah shleimah" (a complete service of Hashem).

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Two holy Jews on our
90 Day Chart, "Be Holy" and "Ano-nymous", have both reached yesterday 3 weeks of sobriety. They post their progress on the "Wall of Honor" section in the forum every day and give each other chizuk!

Guys, this is what it's all about. Sincerity, Teshuvah, Ahavas Yisrael and giving our hearts to Hashem!

I want to share with you below, two beautiful posts from "Be Holy" (edited for clarity), where we can see how powerfully true are the Zohar's words above. What beautiful good and what shining lights come out of the darkest darkness!

Post 1:


Dear Ano, we are all together here - i am at 3 weeks and was feeling down but i thought to myself - smile and pray! We are offering the most important thing in this world to hashem. Until we are "rewired" with a "ruach chadash", I try to make sure not to harp on thoughts of wanting to act out. Instead I decided to dance until I was about to break a sweat. I just kept smiling because that was against my feelings. We must believe that we are bringing hashem so much nachas - especially in our generation that is so steeped in all kinds of immoral things. Don't you think hashem looks at us and says, this is your mission in life and I am so proud of you! Keep up the good work and here is a gift- a little more closeness and true joy...?
 
Think how amazing Chanuka will be clean! Think more about your brachos- if you wanna act out, grab something to make a bracha on and say it very slow, concentrating as much as you can on every word. This seems to help me, along with spontaneous singing and dancing, or anything active. By the way, do u do any physical activities during the day? This is very important. 
 
Be strong! The light of chanuka is coming to guide us through our darkness. Hold on, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Post 2:

 
One huge bonus for everyone who is working in their purity is that you begin to feel things more. Shabbos becomes real, you feel closer to your friends, you yearn to be by other people's simchos. Your blessings to hashem and other people take on the whole inner self.
 
Sometimes we may think that porn and chat lines and such things have become part of us and how futile it is to try to get rid of them, and we say "they are so ingrained in me!" Personally, my porn habit goes back to my early childhood, almost 20 years!! The illusion part of my brain and porn had become my best friends. I felt that i can never change and thought that it's time to face the fact that I will live with these things my whole life. Well now I scream a battle cry! IT IS NOT TRUE!!
 
Hashem give us strength, and send us simple compassion! We may fall at the battles but the war will go on and be won!!
 
People, this is not living!! The addiction takes over our entire being, thoughts, actions. We feel guilty, and never feel like we are being true to ourselves. We want to live and be free once again to FEEL. To feel joy, pain and love. It's time to stop forgiving and forgetting ourselves, to stop feeling bad about what we have done. It's time to become the real me!! We know it will be hard- but that is what life is about. We all are "wired" differently, but that is our test!! We shall not fall at the first hurdle! Keep going and we will be blessed with life!

352.


"Battleworn" recently posted to someone on
our forum who was struggling with falling and trying to get back up again. What he writes below is perhaps the most important Yesod in beating this addiction in the long term.

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One of the great tzadikim rendered the pasuk "Velo sosuru acharei levavchem ve'acharei eineichem" as follows. Don't untie your kesher with Hashem after (acharei) you went after your eyes and after your heart. The greatest nachas ruach for Hashem is when we keep fighting even after we've been beaten.

What really counts, is not how long you can stay clean, rather how consistently you keep trying your hardest!!

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And here's another powerful post from Battleworn about his own struggle (edited a bit for clarity).

I was really starting to feel "up" lately. When jack hit 90 days it gave me an additional boost, then came the R' Tzvi Meirs daughters chasuna and I really started feeling like I'm getting back to the good days of Davening, learning, shmiras einayim and simcha. The menuval was of course not ready to give in without a serious fight though. So first he got me down with his usual weapon of some trouble at home. Then he filled up my regular email box with a bunch of spam, which were all links to bad sites. I didn't click any of them but having it put in front of me like that was very unsettling. Then he got me super curious about the kind of stuff that I wrote about in my story (like "what happens if you search in images with this or that word with safe search on?"). Baruch Hashem I wasn't MZ'L - not even close, I didn't go to any porn sites and I didn't gaze at bad stuff. But I did see a lot of bad stuff in passing, and of course I was left even more unsettled and desperatly curious than before. There was this one thing that I just desperatly wanted to check out the next time I was by the computer, and I didn't feel like I could control it.

Then I went to the last Sheva Berochos (of R' Tzvi Meir's daughter). As I danced my kishkus out, I realized that I'm totally ready to die for Hashem, but to shecht the y'h is harder than dying. But after dancing enough, I made two very strong kabolos. I will not play around with searches and stuff like that at all for the next two months (I will only search for something that I specifically need), and I will not ever pursue this stupidity that I was so curious about, even if I have to suffer or die from it. I came out of that Sheva Berochos a new person, and right now I'm realizing that once I made these kabalos, this stupid curiosity that wouldn't leave me alone for a minute for two days, suddenly went away.

We can all learn from what Battleworn writes above, what makes a soldier truly battleworthy!!

353.

The Chassidic Sefarim speak about how we are able to learn true Ahavas Hashem from Shechem Ben Chamor in this past week's Parsha. The Torah uses four different descriptions for Shechem's infatuation with Dinah, in the following order:
4lashon

It is interesting to note that the order of Shechem's "infatuation" with Dinah seems to diminish as the Pesukim go on. At first the Torah uses the Lashon of Deveikus, which means "one with" and "Completely Attached to". Then the Torah uses the word "love", then "desire", and lastly the word "Chafetz" is used, meaning simply "wants".

Perhaps in teaching us how to love Hashem, the Torah is first teaching us the nature of "false" infatuations so that we can fulfill the Pasuk
"Ohavei Hashem, Sinu Ra". When it comes to "Ra" - the fleeting passions of the Yetzer Hara, the order of intensity diminishes quickly over time. As all addicts will tell you, the first time was the best. Often an addict will spend the rest of his entire life sunk into the addiction, trying to recapture that "first time". As we see in the Eulogy that Rabbi Twerski sent to Jack on this page, the addict writes: "You played games with me and teased me. You never did make me as comfertable as you did at first".

But when it comes to love of Hashem, the order is reversed. The first step is "Chafetz" where the person "wants" to get closer to Hashem. And if they "want" enough, Hashem helps them to find true "Cheishek" in Avodas Hashem. And that leads to "Love of Hashem", which ultimately leads to the highest Madrega - a complete Deveikus with Hakadosh Baruch Hu - as the Pasuk says
"Ve'davakta Bo".

See also Chizuk E-mail #17 on this page, for something beautiful along a similar vein.

354.


Important Announcement
 

If you've tried everything and still can't break free - you need a week off, to get away from the computer, cell phones, etc. and focus on recovery.

Elya K - the moderator of our 12-Step phone groups and hot-line, would like to invite you to a week of group therapy and a trauma healing workshop in the Experiential Healing Center in Tennessee.

This is an intense week of therapy, mindfulness, relaxation and healing. There will be a charge (in the $2000 range) but as Elya says: "I can tell you from personal experience that it is worth every penny".

See here how just such a group helped Elya himself, a few years ago.

It will be only religious men, from our forum, chizuk e-mail lists and phone groups. It won't be over Shabbos (probably Sunday - Thursday).

GLATT KOSHER FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED, cooked by Elya's wife.

There is a Minyan some 8 miles from the site, and transportation will be provided at least once a day. Sleeping will be at the center, and there will be group therapy most of the day. Early morning is for davening, lecturing and meditation. Night time is usually free time and a fun activity.

We would like to see if there is interest before we set a date. Write to either Elya K or eyes.guard@gmail.com.

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In previous Chizuk e-mails we had brought parts of a fascinating article called "The Psychological Factors in Sexual Acting Out" by Dr. Benzion Sorotzkin, a religious psychologist and therapist. Understanding the root of the subconscious nature of the addiction can help one to fight it better, either on his own, or preferably through therapy.

Part 1: Chizuk e-mail #248 (scroll down)
Part 2: Chizuk e-mail #251
Part 3: Chizuk e-mail #348 (scroll down)

We bring the final section of this article here below:

Other factors that enhance the illusion

There is often another factor that makes it especially difficult to control these impulses by some people. Those who grew up in homes that were especially harsh and punitive were often led to feel that the Torah's limitations on sexual expression exist for the sole purpose of depriving them of pleasure. No one has attempted to explain to them that it is for the person's own benefit, even in this world. When a person experiences multiple emotional deprivations in his life, this additional perceived deprivation can seem intolerable, thereby enhancing the appeal of the illusion.

If the family puts undue emphasis on external values, such as physical beauty, or impressing others, this can also enhance the appeal of pornography (the ultimate chitzonious). Sadly, this emphasis is not limited to secular culture. It is alive and well in the religious community as well.

Another manifestation of a simplistic and superficial perspective on this issue is the wide-spread belief that getting married will solve these problems. Here too, if we were dealing with a normal yetzer hara, this would likely be true. Since we are dealing with a manifestation of a frustrated emotional need this "solution" is, unfortunately, not effective. Understanding this point will help us be less surprised that a person would seem to prefer to act out in a solitary manner because of the illusion of intimacy rather than by interacting with someone he professes to love where he could enjoy true intimacy. However, if we appreciate that adult intimacy is bi-directional where each partner needs to consider the needs of the other in addition to their own, we can better understand this phenomena. The emotionally deprived person is looking for the intimacy of a parent with a small child where the caring is unidirectional. Often he can only find it within the illusions accompanying solitary self-soothing.

This seeking of a unidirectional relationship is sometimes manifested by a person in a committed relationship acting out with another person who is being paid. The payment obligates the provider to focus totally on the needs of the customer. Of course, the fact that the provider's motivation is purely financial makes this "solution" as short lived as the illusion.

The association between acting out and "emunah issues"

Chazal speak about the association between sexual acting out and emunah issues (e.g., Sanhedrin 63b). I would like to briefly touch upon a psychological aspect of this association that I have encountered in my clinical work. A frum person who is acting out sexually (or in any other serious manner) will experience intense guilt and profound shame. He will see himself as worthless and deserving of severe punishment, especially if his parents responded to his childhood misbehaviors with intense criticism and/or rejection. This will drive him to intensify his efforts at controlling his behavior. Unfortunately, these efforts will most often turn out to be ineffective since the effort involves suppression due to terror as opposed to change resulting from growth. The failure to change intensifies the self-loathing and terror of retribution. At some point the person will develop a strong resentment toward Hashem/Yiddishkiet for putting him into this untenable situation and so he becomes alienated from Yiddishkeit. Or as one young man put it: "It's not that you don't believe in G-D, it's just that you don't want anything to do with Him. Just like I don't want anything to do with my [abusive] father, even though I believe he exists!"

In conclusion, to be successful in overcoming addictions to sexual acting out, it is important to understand the psychological factors that can transform a "normal" yetzer hara into an addiction. Even more importantly, is the role such an understanding could play in prevention. When children are raised to be emotionally healthy, they are spared from dealing with yetzer haras beyond the normal range.

For the full article by Dr. Benzion Sorotzkin on-line see here.

355.


"Battleworn"
recently posted the following powerful Chizuk on the forum from a Shmooze by R' Tzvi Meir Zilberberg - Shvi'ee Shel Pesach 5759 (edited for clarity):

The Chozeh from Lublin, The Beer Mayim Chaim, R' Hershele of Ziditshov, R' Tzadok Hacohen and other tzadikim all said:

When a person feels "I blew it already, I messed up this time", and yet he still doesn't give up and keeps trying to salvage what he could - ignoring the fact that he already failed (R' Tvi Meir calls it
"Kum B'palgus Laila - getting up in middle of the night" in the words of the Zohar Hakadosh), then the Nachas Ruach that he makes for Hashem is even greater than when one is completely successful. And this is the epitome of Shechina Ba'tochtonim (bringing the divine presnece into the lower world) which we know is the purpose of creation.

This type of Avodah is the greatest form of mesirus nefesh, because it is completely against human nature, as there is no short term satisfaction.

The yesod is hinted to in parshas Vayishlach. The Pasuk says
"Vayei'avek ish emo ad alos hashachar - and the Malach faught with him until the morning broke". Chazal say that the Lashon of "Vayei'avek" comes to teach us that "He'elu avak ad kisei hakavod - they lifted dust until the Throne of Glory". R' Tzvi Meir explains that through the struggle that Yaakov Avinu had with the "other side", he uplifted the lowest situations - the dust of the earth - all the way to the Kisei Hakavod ! [As a matter of fact, we don't find any hint in the pasuk that Yaakov overpowered the malach. On the contrary, the malach actually wounded him. But because Yaakov wouldn't give up even after he was wounded, the "other side" was forced to "agree" to bless him. This is to show us (Maseh Avos Siman La'banim) that the tikun hashalem will ultimately come through our not giving up].

Perhaps the greatest illustration of this, is by Yoseph Hatzadik, in this weeks Parsha. The gemoroh (in sotah 36b) says, that Yoseph actually came in to Potifar's house to sin (as Rashi brings). And the Gemoroh says that he actually spilled seed at the time, thereby losing Ten Shevatim that were supposed to come from him. Yet, when after all that, he still held back from sinning, he became the great Yosef Hatzadik (the Merkava for Midas Hayesod and one of the seven "Roiyim"!). 

R' Tzadok and other tzadikim explain that this is what really constituted the nisoyon. The menuval said to Yoseph: Don't you see that you already messed everything up? And don't you realize what a goner you are? Your brothers the Shevatim, already paskened that you are chayav misa, and they even included the Shechina Hakidosha in their Beis Din. (Even Yitzchak Avinu who knew where Yoseph is, didn't tell because Hashem had been included in the Shvuah not to reveal it to Yaakov). Nobody cares about you any more. You're lost and cut off from this world and the next. And now you failed so badly. Face the facts, it's over!

But Yoseph Hatzadik said "No! I don't care about anything - not even about being a tzadik. The only thing that concerns me is: What do I need to do at this moment?  What does our father in heaven want from me right now?

And it was in that zechus that he was zocheh to everything. That is why he is called Yosef Hatzaddik. And even Krias yam suf was in his zechus, as Chazal say
"Hayam raah vayonos - ma raah? arono shel Yoseph! - The sea saw and fled. What did it see? The coffin of Yosef". When the sea saw before it a human being that had completely defied his nature for the will of the Almighty, the sea defied its own nature for the Almighty too, and split.

356.


A Bachur posted his story recently on 
our forum along with the tips that he uses to help him stay clean. The story is particularly inspiring due to the fact that he is a Ba'al teshuvah and received no Jewish Chinuch from his parents. He is clean already for almost a year. If he can do it, we all can!

Since the story and tips were too long for one e-mail, we brought the first part in Chizuk e-mail #350 on this page (scroll down to the bottom). We bring you the second part here (edited for clarity). The third and final part will be hopefully sent in the coming days.

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Knowing that I was made with a tzelem elokim and have a holy mission in this world, is one of the devices I use to keep myself away from taivos. These things are not fitting for a person, any person, but especially not a Jew!

Another idea which helps, is understanding that whatever I'm attracted to is only because my brain was wired a certain way. Either because when I was a kid and someone saw a certain type of woman and said 'wow, she's beautiful' or something along those lines, or because of the media, advertisements and such. Either way, it's all a facade and an illusion. If I was born in Kenya, I would think fat, dark women are attractive (African kings have disgustingly fat wives who they think are beautiful). If I were born in Asia, I would think short, straight-hair women are attractive, and so on. The bottom line is, none of it really means anything in reality.

Another idea that helps is what the Ibn Ezra says on the mitzvah of Lo sachmod. He asks, how can the Torah command us to not be jealous? It's not really in our hands, and it's so easy to stumble in, so how can it be a mitzvah? The answer is - says the Ibn Ezra - that just as a pauper knows that it's not shayach for him to marry a princess and hence he does not desire her, so too, each one of us must not desire things that the Ribono shel Olam has not given us, since it's not shayach for us to have them. And we should know that if we in fact had them, it would not be good for us anyway. This idea helps me, by understanding that at the root of the taivos is kinah (jealousy). I find that working on uprooting kinnah, at least for me, is easier than hand-to-hand combat against taivos and much less painful. 

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"Habib613" posted the following yesterday on the forum:

Baruch Hashem, today is day 9. I cannot believe I made it this long! 
It's incredibly difficult, especially at night when there is no one around. But this site has helped tons! I listen to music while I work, and it blocks out the yetzer hara!

In honor of today being Habib's 10th day - and since music helps him so much, I added a new beautiful Niggun to the Music Page (#20) in his honor.

To hear the tune directly click here. It's a Soulful "Meiron" Niggun played by Clarinet. While listening to it, picture the flames and sparks of Rabbi Shimon's holy fire in Meiron heading skyward, and all the holy Yidden dancing with all their strength and love for Hashem.

That fire you see in your imagination is your soul's yearning for d'veikus with Hashem! Put on the niggun, close your eyes and FEEL IT. Lift your arms to heaven and dance a Chassidic dance. Your soul is yearning to fly upwards in the sparks of the fire!

357.

 

Many people are accomplishing great feats of Teshuvah and turning their lives around on the GUE network B"H. And we can all watch this happening LIVE on our forum every day! Here are some recent inspiring posts (edited for clarity):

"Ano-Nymous" (a Bachur) writes:


Today is a month!! I understand now why it gets so much easier. Unlike the drive for food and drink, this drive doesn't NEED to be fed in order to stay healthy and happy (of course the YH tries to convince you that it does need to be fed). The less you feed it, the less you need it.

Before I started working on this I wasn't davening with a Minyan very often. With Maariv tonight though, that will be 9 straight tefilos with a minyan!


Whenever a bad thought comes in, I think of an image of a beautiful waterfall, and the bad images leave immediately. I'm working on not staring in the streets. A couple times I had to literally tear my head away. This is so hard sometimes that it hurts me to do it. But stopping the other behaviors is not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. The YH tricks you by getting you to look into the future. He says "look how much you enjoy this! How are you going to go without this for such a long time?". He used this to keep me from seriously trying to stop for years, but now I just look at today. And I also look backwards and see how far I've come. But I try not to look ahead at the difficulty. I only look forward to the milestones. Trying to imagine how hard it will be for the next 60 days is like looking down from atop a tightrope. You will fall and severely hurt yourself. So, DON'T LOOK DOWN! Just look at today.

Here are three inspiring posts by "getting help":

I feel so relived to finally get the help I need. I am excited that I am slowly getting there, to a place where I can feel really feel positive about my entire life. For over 30 yrs I have been a slave to porn and other unhealthy things. To say that I am really making big strides in overcoming this, is such a comfort. I want it all, the happy family, the great relationship with my wife and kids, success at work, spiritual growth and a special closeness to Hashem. Yes, I know it is all possible now!

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Thank G_D I have made it thru this day. I was tested, but usually I would get lost in hours of hours of internet porn, instead I went here to post my thoughts. It is truly amazing how much I can get lost in escaping to the internet, and for what? The feeling of despair and self loathing is so not worth it. I hope I have the strength to do this on a daily basis. Getting clean and feeling better are feelings that I can take home with me, rather than the guilt I used to take home when I would spend hours online. Whew, what an eye opening day!!!!

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Made it to day 7!!! I have installed a K9 filter which is quite good. I am finally starting to feel deserving of Hashem's mercy and chessed. I am so much more relaxed and calm. For some strange reason, this being my first week, I feel very accomplished and closer to myself. I know that the future probably has many pitfalls waiting for me, but B"H I have my Rebbe, my Doctor and this site to get the help I need. The desire to still get online and surf from site to site is still really strong. But it is overwhelming to think how much the y'h can seduce me into soiling my neshama, even at the risk of losing it all - my wife, kids, job, friends. Never do I want to be so low again. I am starting to feel clean and healthy for the first time. The fact that I am laying the foundation to a pure and clean life is such an amazing inspiration for me. I never realized that by keeping away from this garbage I can feel so good about myself. I guess the way I am thinking and acting recently has enabled me to be a proper and clean "kli" to accept Hashems help.

358.


Like we mentioned in yesterday's e-mail, B"H many people are accomplishing great feats of Teshuvah and turning their lives around on the GUE network. And we can all watch this happening LIVE on
our forum every day!

Here are three inspiring posts by "Be Holy" from the beginning of the week (edited for clarity):

Here I am on day 24, may Hashem fill all of our hearts with love. I went to Karlin Stolin this Shabbos morning for davening. They don't sing but they do scream for pesukei d'zimra. It was amazing, I was almost sweating - "nishmas kol chai" was so real! We are like malachim people. If we believe we can do it, we will. R' Zvi Meir says that the problem today is that nobody has any goals anymore!! This web site helps up reach our goals. A friend told me a good saying: "A goy hopes, a Jew believes!". Believe that Hashem wants to test us only in order to give us schar (reward).

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I feel Hashem is testing me from all sides, but if we do not work to get holy eyes, how will we ever see Kedusha? Like we daven every day, "v'sechazena eneinu" our eyes will see Hashem's return to tzion, but will impure eyes see??? No they won't- but a promise from Rebbe Zvi Meir is that if someone is working on an avodah now -even if they have not obtained it yet- when moshiach comes they will be mashlim (complete) that avodah. Let us all bring ourselves together - we must daven for each other. Let's thank hashem for everything he gives up - see the miracles of health, wife, children, ect... then we can thank Hashem and ask that we be able to serve him wholeheartedly. He will listen!

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Day 25 - be strong! We must believe we are being tested. We have energy but it was misused.. Do not fall at the first hurdle!! Keep going- Hashem has great things in store for us in this generation, that's why the y"h is on high alert. Imagine you are the battle chief, talk to your generals and commanders. Look them in the eye and say "we are headed for hard times but there is light at the end of the tunnel". Explain to them the reward and satisfaction they will receive when we get to the other side. I really mean this. Do it during davening. Speak to yourself, but let Hashem listen. He is the King and you are his general. All the powers of the world are at your command, they really are. Look your self in the mirror for two minutes and tell your eyes and soul "we will not fall today".

In avodas Hashem, all we need to do is want and try and Hashem opens the heavens. Today, day 25, I need extra help - my internet is not guarded (having trouble with my filter), my wife is sick, and there are other things triggering me, I want to act out and get back to what I always considered my "comfort zone". But be'ezras Hashem I will take that fire of desire that is in me and give it to Hashem. And hopefully at the end of the day I will post again and laugh at this post. I am so close to falling, but let's try just once when we feel we are going to fall, to go that extra mile. I believe we will be laughing at the end of the day that we even considered giving our loneliness to porn - because today my love and loneliness goes to Hashem.

I tell myself, just as a test, daven with the fire- learn with fire, greet and treat everyone with fire. This will change the "Aish" of the ruach tumah to a "Aish" of ruach tehara- b"h. WE WILL SUCEED!!! Chaunka is coming- let's get ready, starting today.

359.


Here is some powerful Chizuk from General "Battleworn" on the forum in honor of Chanukah (edited for clarity):

The Me'or Einayim and many other tzadikim explain...
 
The Gemarah says, that we must light Ner Chanuka:
1) at night 
2) lower than 10 tefachim 
3) outside 
4) on the left side 
5) starting at the end of the month (when the moon, which represents Am Yisroel, is disappearing) 
6) on the longest night of the year
(GUE comment: I personally verified this by checking sunrise and sunset on an Israeli calendar).

All these things represent darkness, distance and weakness. The night, of course, represents darkness and galus. Lower than 10 tefachim is the place where the gemarah says, the Shechina never goes. "Outside" represents distance and tumah, and "Reshus Harabim" is, according to kabalah, the place of the "sitra achara". "Left" represents weakness and harshness.

We are told to go davka to that place and at that time, and to light a candle. Not to banish the darkness, though that will indeed be the end result, but just to light a little candle. The darkness is still there and the candle even burns out. But tomorrow we'll be back, ignoring yesterday's seeming lack of success, and we will light two candles...

It is these little lights in the darkness that will bring to the world the ultimate light like it says -"B'orcha nireh ohr". 

And it these little lights, that Hashem was referring to, when He told Aharon Hakohen, "Shelcha le'olam kayum - yours will last forever" - even in the darkest of the dark there will always be the little lights. And this pacified Aharon, because he knew the super power of these little lights.

The GUE network is one of the great Neros Chanuka of the world, and the stronger the wind blows, the more we will be mischazek together!! All of you on the forum and Chizuk e-mail lists, are candles lighting up the darkest night!

Wishing you all a happy (in the true sense of the word), powerful, meaningful, fruitful, successful and lechtiger Chanuka!

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"Mevakesh" sent us recently the following insight which can help awaken our yearning and hope that Moshiach is indeed very near!

This is written in the Zohar in Parshas Balak:

"The Divine Spirit (Hashem) will go and return to Moshe Rabenu for 70 days. At the end of the 70 days, the pain of Am Israel (the Jewish People) will ascend to the Holy King. One Synagogue in the South will be destroyed and lost, and five true Tzaddikim will be amongst them dead.

At the end of the 32 days from the murder of the people in that synagogue, Hashem wil put on a garment of outrage and Mashiach ben Efraim will spread, like a ram whose horns go upwards.

And the Shofar will blow three times and a tremendous noise will descend on the world from the blowing of the Shofar and the whole world will see & hear.

The Sitra Achara (the impurities) will be completely wiped from the Holy Land and Yishmael will make three wars with Mashiach. Then they will come and bow down to the Master of the Universe in Yerushalayim, and these wars will be in the sixth millenium"

The terrorists attacked and murdered the five Kedoshim in Mumbai on Wednesday night, November 26,2008 - Cheshvan 29.

70 days prior to November 26 was September 17, 2008 - the day the Stock Market plunged 449 points and Islamist Militants attacked the US Embassy in Sannaa - The capitol of Yemen.

Thirty Two days after the five Kedoshim were murdered in the Mumbai attacks - is the 8th & Last day of Chanukah.

Once again, this doesnt  mean that it WILL happen, but if if it does, will YOU be part of it? Will YOU be one of the lucky Jews who gets to go with Mashiach? It's up to YOU to prepare NOW. Spend time purifying YOUR soul and making amends for sins of the past, rather than wasting time with mundane (or worse) things and continuing to live in sin.

Achakeh Lo B'Chol Yom SheYavo. He can arrive ANY day now, and only those deemed worthy will go along with him.

360.


Dear Yidden,

Chanukah is all about Messiras Nefesh, which means fighting the evil against all odds. How did the Jewish people survive for so many thousands of years surrounded by so many enemies? It is those few Yidden who are ready to "die" for Hashem that make all the difference. When Hashem sees them, he steps in and saves us from our powerful enemies.

When we feel we'd rather "die" than give in to the Menuval and continue to be his slave, at that point Hashem steps in and fights for us. And then, it makes no difference any more how powerful the Yetzer Hara is, because Hashem is MUCH stronger than him.
That is the lesson of Chanukah.

~ Rabim Bi'yad Mi'yatim! ~
~ Giborim Bi'yad Chalashim! ~

Below is a part of a story taken from the Hamodia (of July 17,2008) about one Iranian Jew's messiras nefesh for Mitzvos. This story is not from many years ago, nor is it from some super-man or Gadol. It's just the Messiras Nefesh of a simple Jew in our day and age.


Does our Messiras Nefesh of saying "no" to the shmutz and garbage (which is anyway bad for us!) compare to the Messiras Nefesh of this man? How fortunate are we that Hashem has given us an opportunity to show him at least "something", each time we turn our hearts away from false desires!

Let us all decide today, on Chanukah - the Chag of Messiras Nefesh, that we would rather die than continue to be slaves to the Yetzer Hara! And then we will be Zoche to the great light and Yeshua of Chanukah, where Hashem will step in and give over the great and powerful Menuval into our hands!

361.


About a month ago, a Bachur posted his story on our forum along with the tips that he uses to help him stay clean. Like we mentioned before, the story is particularly inspiring due to the fact that he is unmarried and a Ba'al teshuvah, having received no Jewish Chinuch from his parents. He is clean already for almost a year. If he can do it, we all can!

Since the story and tips were too long for one e-mail, we divided it into 3 parts. The first part was in Chizuk e-mail #350 on this page (scroll down to the bottom). The second part was in Chizuk e-mail #356 on this page, and we bring you the third and final part below:

Here are some other tips that help me.

- Thinking of my Hebrew name

- Thinking of my Rebbe standing right next to me

- Thinking that by resisting, I'm saving my children from being tempted with this problem (maysah avos, siman lebanim)

- Thinking that flesh is the same as the chicken I ate last night for supper, and that it's just a bunch of chemicals that G-d put together in seamless fashion to protect our bodies, not to hurt our souls.

- Thinking about olam haba, and how the "kav hayashar" says that your limbs in the next world are affected by what you do here. So if you look at bad things, your eyes will be gauged out, and you will walk around with them hanging from their sockets

- Thinking about the damage it does to my avodas hashem and my learning

- Knowing that Torah and Taiva are enemies; one forces the other out, and they cannot coexist

- Thinking that the prutzos are meant for the goyim and people who are lowly; not for the loftiness of klal yisroel

- Knowing that when moshiach comes, or when, after 120 years, I stand before Hashem in Din, there will be no excuses

- Thinking that a tzelem elokim, a piece of G-d himself, cannot be submerged in this tumah - the Tzelem must leave when the tumah comes in

- Thinking of the 'ohr haganuz', the hidden light for people who control themselves, that is promised in olam haba

- Having the privilege and zchus to be among those of klal yisroel who are fighting the good fight for kedushah

- Thinking of what the "kav hayashar" that says, that when you look at a girl, she robs you of your kochos; I need my kochos for learning and davening; I'm tired enough as it is in shiur, I can't afford to give up any more kochos!

- Two words: Yosef HaTzadik

- Imagining what they're saying in shomayim, besha'as mayseh, and imagine what they'll say if you try hard not to fall!

- Sheva pa'amim yipol tzadik, vekam - the letter from Rav Hutner about this helped me incredibly, imagining that I've fallen so many times, again and again, even when I was trying, and yet, I can still be a tzadik, there's always still hope! And it is davka because of the falling that when I rise, it will be all the better!


I hope someone will be helped by my story; many others here have been through worse than mine, but I felt that being a baal teshuvah made things different for me. I'm sure there are others in similar situations who need help, and I hope this will reach them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Holy Bachur! Halevai we should all be Balei Teshuvah like you!

362.


Below are excerpts from the SA pamphlet called "Why Stop Lusting" from www.sa.org. Rabbi Avraham J. Twerski believes that joining a 12-Step SA group is the most powerful and sure way to break free of this addiction. However, even Rabbi Twerski agrees that it is not for everyone. It is for people who have decided that they can no longer live this way. They have come to the conclusion that even death itself would be better than continuing to be a slave to these destructive behaviors. For such people, the SA groups and 12-Steps are the most sure way to success.

However, regardless of whether the groups are for you or not, much of what is written below can be helpful for anyone trying to understand the nature of the addiction and how to break free. We have divided the pamphlet into two parts. Below is the first half, tomorow we will bring the second half IY"H.

Why Stop Lusting?

Many of us came to Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) driven to total despair by our destructive sexual thoughts and behaviors. Within the meeting rooms of SA we discovered, to our surprise, that lust was the driving force behind our acting out. Sexual lust is an inordinate thought or feeling that drives us to use ourselves, others, or things for self-centered destructive purposes. The spiritual sickness of lust wants sexual stimulation at that moment instead of what a Higher Power or God is offering us. Later we come to see that lust wants anything other than what is offered us each moment. At first it was hard to believe. As we began to accept this fact, we wondered how we could live without lust. It became clear that we had to give it up, yet we doubted that life without lust was possible. In this fellowship of SA, we met people who had found a way to stop their destructive sexual behaviors. That too was unbelievable. Yet, by their honesty and shining faces, we knew it was true. They had the answer we desperately wanted.

Why Can't I Lust, Just A Little?

From the earliest days of our disease, we thought lust was our friend. We used it for many reasons: entertainment, as a refuge from pain, or to escape dealing with problems. Somewhere along the way we realized that lust had become a bigger problem than the problems we were trying to avoid. The medicine became our poison. Our "solution" became the problem. We were out of control. Lusting, for us, is like riding a roller coaster. Once started, it is nearly impossible to stop. Therefore, lust must be stopped where it begins, with the first drink. Getting out from under the influence of lust, therefore, would require us to avoid getting on board in the first place. That meant forsaking the thrill and the risk-taking. But how could we turn our backs on something that we had allowed to dominate our lives for so many years? How could we succeed now where we had failed a thousand times before? Our addiction to lust is like the alcoholic's problem with alcohol. Just as the alcoholic cannot tolerate one drink of alcohol, we sexaholics cannot tolerate even the smallest drink of lust. Lust always leads to more lust, eventually making us drunk with it. Once drunk, the urge to act out sexually is impossible to resist. Even worse, lust keeps taking us deeper and deeper into behaviors we promised ourselves we would never do. The shame that these behaviors caused us required more and more lust to mask it. Just a little lusting simply doesn't work for sexaholics like us.

363.


Below are excerpts from the SA pamphlet called "Why Stop Lusting" from
www.sa.org. We divided the pamphlet into three parts, the first of which we brought yesterday (see #362 above). Below is the second part and tomorrow we will bring the last part IY"H.

It is important to note that this was written by non-Jews. How much more so does this apply to us Yidden, children of Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov, chosen by Hashem to be a "a light unto the nations" and a "Mamleches Kohanim Ve'goy Kadosh"!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How Can I Stop Lusting?

First, we accepted that our entertaining lust leads to sexual acting out. The idea that we could stop the undesirable sexual behaviors while allowing lust to live in our minds had to be destroyed. The conclusion was inescapable: lust had to go if we were to quit the sexual acting out.

Second, we admitted we did not have the strength within ourselves to stop and that we needed a power greater than ourselves. Recognizing our weakness, we acknowledge our need for the 12 Step recovery process, the support of other recovering members and the power of God.

Third, we made a decision to follow SA's simple program of recovery. These became the keys to experiencing progressive victory over lust. We stopped fighting lust and started surrendering it to God. Having moved beyond the point of despair, we were finally able to give ourselves completely to this program of recovery known as the 12 Steps.
 

But What Will Happen To Me?

We who have lived with the problem of lust know all too well what it does to us. Lust is a wall that separates us and keeps us from enjoying full relationships with God and the people around us. Lust drives us deeper and deeper inside ourselves and leads to isolation, loneliness, and despair. But, as we break the cycle of lust by taking the Steps of recovery, our experience of life begins to change dramatically. As we begin to recover, we gain a new sense of integrity that makes us happy to be alive. No more hiding! No more lies! No more double life! As the burden of guilt and shame is lifted, we have more energy available for family and friends, work and play. A troubled and dark countenance gives way to a life that is happy, joyous, and free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, Ephraim posted on the "Wall of Honor" section of the forum:


I'm not that new to this site, but I finally have the courage to commit myself to this project. I am single and have been trying to overcome this for many years. I just started going to SA meetings and have a sponsor and it's been a big help. I was a bit apprehensive at first but once I got used to it, It feels so good after each meeting. I want to join the wall of honor. I've been clean for 6 days and I'm going strong. I haven't been clean for this long in at least a few months. I try not to go online so often, so this will only be updated every few days. There are so many people here making such great strides and I would like to add to the momentum.

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A good piece of Jewish music can always help banish the Yetzer Hara.

Click here to download a beautiful Niggun from Ma'oz Tzur, sung in honor of the Kedoshim of Mumbai, India.

364.


Below are excerpts from the SA pamphlet called "Why Stop Lusting" from
www.sa.org. We divided the pamphlet into three parts. The first two parts we brought in e-mails 362 and 363 on this page. Below is the last part.

This Shabbos is a very powerful time to make changes in our lives for the better. Shabbos on its own is already the holiest day of the year. Add to that Chanukah - the time of
Messiras Nefesh for Hashem - and Rosh Chodesh - "Z'man Kappara Lechol Toldosum", and you have an atom bomb of Kedusha!

Let's make descisions this Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Chanukah - that will stay with us for LIFE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Breaking The Lust Habit

 
From personal experience we know lust is cunning, baffling, powerful, and patient. In the day-to-day grind, we wonder how might we win against such a foe that never sleeps and never quits?

In the past, when lust came knocking, we always opened the door. It was as if we had no other option. But today in recovery we do have a choice. There are many tools that we can use to keep the door closed to lust. Here are a few:
 
Honesty - For so long, we were afraid to tell anyone what was really going on in our heads. By keeping it a secret, we allowed our addictive thinking to grow and spread. By sharing our thoughts and actions with others in SA, we discovered that much of the power of lust was removed. Therefore, members of SA are encouraged to share honestly, both in and out of meetings.

Avoiding Triggers - Many things can trigger lust: movies, magazines, swimming pools, the Internet, even some things in the morning newspaper. Certainly there are endless opportunities to lust. By examining our personal lives closely and honestly, we can identify the thoughts, persons, places, and things that regularly cause us the most trouble. Having identified them, we now make decisions to avoid them, thus reducing our temptation to lust.
 
Prayer - We use prayers of all kinds to drive away lust. One quick prayer is, "God, help me." Many of us ask God to bless the person we are wanting to lust after. We ask God to provide that person with all the good things we desire for our own lives. By doing so, we stop making that person a lust object, but rather a child of God. Another simple prayer requests, "God, whatever I am looking for in that person, may I find in you."
 
Sponsorship - A sponsor is a more experienced recovering person who guides us through the Twelve Steps of recovery. Ideally, a sponsor is working the Steps, going to meetings, and has a sponsor himself or herself. A sponsor can help us use the Steps to surrender the obsession with lust in order to live a balanced and joyful life.
 
How do we know these tools work? The experience of thousands of recovering Sexaholics indicates it is working in their lives, one day at a time.
 

There Is Hope!

 
Progressive victory over lust is possible. We call on God for help; we lean on others for support; and we take the Steps of SA to recover. Anyone who follows this plan is sure to find great relief from the onslaught of lust.
 
Remember, lust will not disappear overnight. Take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Lust is tenacious; it does not give up easily. Our experience, however, has shown that anyone afflicted with sexaholism can get better if he or she is willing to be honest about the problem and follow the Twelve Steps and Traditions of SA's program of recovery. A life of freedom is available to all.
 
Remember, you are not alone! There are many others who share your problem but are in recovery and are waiting now to help you walk down this path. You need never be alone again.

Come, join us.

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Today, Ephraim posted his second post on the "Wall of Honor" section of the forum:


My sponsor has just put a filter on my computer, and I'm adding another SA meeting to my schedule. I haven't felt this great in so long. Yes, there are still many times in my day that I feel the need to act out. But I notice that I only feel that need when I'm nervous and fidgety. So I tell myself that I just have to wait for the anxious feeling to subside and I won't feel that urge. And it works! So now I just have to work on knowing when those feelings come and how they go away. And hopefully through that, I will understand what's triggering my need to act out.

Thank you for your encouragement and for giving me this forum to clarify my thoughts and feelings.

365.


Taken from today's news at
Matzav.com: The Israeli cabinet this morning approved the mobilization of thousands of reservists to support Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. Ministers okayed defense officials' request to call-up of 4,500 reserve troops, in addition to 2,000 who were mobilized on Shabbos. The additional troops were to be allocated to the home front as well as the reinforcement of ground forces.

What does this have to do with us?


This world and the upper worlds are directly connected. Whatever happens in this world is only a branch of the root in the upper worlds. On Chanukah there is a powerful spiritual force of good winning over evil. This manifested itself in the time of the Chashmona'im in the physical reality, through the merit of the Messiras Nefesh of the Yidden to fight evil. And ever since then, the same great light comes down to the world on Chanukah each year and dances in the lights of the Menorah, lighting up the night and banishing the darkness.

Today in Eretz Yisrael, the Jewish people are under attack once again and the forces of evil have reared their ugly head. And once again - on Chanukah, the Jewish people have begun a war to strike back and vanquish the evil.

But Yidden! This battle is not fought only in the physical world. Having begun on Chanukah, this war clearly has its roots in the upper worlds. The forces of evil may manifest themselves today as Islamic extremists, but whenever evil rears its ugly head it takes it's strength from the darkness of the Yetzer Hara.

THIS IS A BATTLE CALL TO US ALL!


Are we going to let the 6,500 Jewish soldiers who were just called up to risk their lives and enter the hornets nest in Gaza - to fight alone?! Their entire strength comes from the spiritual battle that we Yidden fight with the Yetzer Hara each day. Each and every one of us bears the responsibility to make sure that Klal Yisrael triumphs over evil. Every time we say "no" to our Yetzer Hara, the side of good is strengthened and our enemies fall!

But just saying "no" once in a while is not enough. Why did the Israeli government finally decide to go to war now? Because they tried leaving Gaza, they tried making peace, they even tried extending the so-called "truce", but in the end nothing helped and so they finally decided enough is enough!

It is the same with the Yetzer Hara. Enough is enough!! We have tried everything and yet we kept falling. He claimed that all he wants is "one more time" but he is never satisfied. He promised us pleasure but he brings us only pain. He claimed that he is our friend, but he wants our very souls. It is time to take the gloves off and decide finally once and for all, we will do whatever it takes not be slaves to the Yetzer Hara any more!

We will bomb from the air and charge from the ground. We will join the weekly phone conferences, we will look into therapy options, we will call the hotline, we will read the Chizuk e-mail archives and Tips section when we feel weak - a little each time, we will get an accountability partner and we will post a log of our progress on the forum. We will not rest our laurels anymore. We have learned the hard way that one cannot make peace with the Yetzer Hara!

Who knows if this war now in Eretz Yisrael is not the last war before the Moshiach finally arrives? (at the end of e-mail #359 on this page we brought an interesting Zohar that implies big things for the last day of Chanukah). The Zohar also says that the final redemption will come about thrrough the merit of Shmiras Habris. Let us join forces with the Yidden in Eretz Yisrael in this trying time. Let us mobilize our strengths, all of us on this e-mail list and forum, and let us fight together with the Yidden in Eretz Yisrael and win, WHATEVER IT TAKES!

 

Click the "Chanukah War" picture below to see it full size.

 

366.

 

In honor of Be Holy's 40th day clean on the forum (and also Ano-nymous's 40th day clean!) we bring to you an inspirational niggun called "Kah Echsof" composed by R'Ahron of Karlin - a Talmid of the Magid of Mezritch. R'Ahron made over 70,000 Ba'lai Teshuvah in his short life. Huge crowds of yidden used to gather around him when he used to speak and daven in the market places and in the Shuls, and he used to bring them all - including the biggest sinners - to a complete Teshuvah, through the fire of his Avodah and intense love and fear of Hashem.
 

"Kah Echsof" is a song of the deepest yearning for Hashem.

Click here to play the Niggun.
(Put it on as you read the e-mail below)

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Taken from today's news at Arutz Sheva :




Tanks Deployed at Gaza Barrier;
Barak: War to the Death.

(See our Chanukah "war picture" here).


It says in a lot of sefarim that "Zos Chanukah" (the eighth day of Chanukah) is the last chance for Teshuvah, as far as the judgment of Rosh Hashana is concerned. A person's final chasimah (the sealing of his fate) can still be altered on "Zos Chanukah".
 
Battleworn posted on the forum:
 
The Divrei Chayim says, that on zos chanuka every yid can accomplish (through tefila) what only a great tzadik can accomplish on Yom Kippur! 
Daven!    Cry!    Do Teshuva!    Now is the time!!!

Dear Yidden, this Chanukah war in Israel is going to be fought soon by thousands of Jewish soldiers on the ground. Gaza is is booby-trapped with hundreds of Hizbullah-like underground bunkers that killed many soldiers R"L in the Second Lebanon War two years ago. They need our help. Klal Yisrael needs YOU, NOW. Let us fight this battle in the spiritual realm. What we do there, directly impacts the physical reality. Why should only these soldiers be Mosser Nefesh?! It's time for US to show a little Messiras Nefesh as well!

Let us all shout inside ourselves: THIS IS A WAR TO THE DEATH! Decide today: It's either me or him. Only one of us is going to survive.

As soon as we show that type of Messiras Nefesh, Hashem will step in and give over the
Giborim Biyad Chalashim. And Zos Chanukah is the most opportune time for this decision!

People, if you had falls on this Chanukah, don't feel down about it.
"Hakaras hara" (recognizing the evil) is a prerequisite to Teshuvah. Hashem often lets a person fall, only so that he should realize how insidious the addiction is and how he must take new and better steps to protect himself!

Jack once posted on the forum:

An important aspect that is emphasized on this site is that a person gets up 7 times after falling BEFORE he becomes a tzaddik. It's only after the 7th fall/getting up cycle that he's called a Tzaddik! Why? Because falling is part of the process! But we have to get up. I failed for 38 years. I'm not at all saying that I'm a tzaddik, but I AM saying that I knew this posuk, and therefore I NEVER lost hope in myself. The successful person, in ANYTHING, is NOT someone who never fell, it's the person who fell and then got up! The failure is the person who fell but DIDN'T get up. The people on this site will help you get up - use them, that's what they're here for - they're not here for ANY OTHER REASON!

Elya once posted on the forum:


Our addiction (YH) tells us that we can do Teshuva by passing by places we used to go, just to say we passed by and didn't go in again, or didn't meet that person again.  But this is a setup, because when you do it enough times you will go back to it. 

It's like this story in 6 chapters: 

Chapter 1: I walk down the street, I see a hole, I fall in. 
Chapter 2: I walk down the street, I see a hole, I fall in, I get up. 
Chapter 3: I walk down the street, I see a hole, I walk around it. 
Chapter 4: I walk down the street, I see a hole, I cross to the other side. 
Chapter 5: I walk down the other side of the street
Chapter 6: I walk down a different street. 

This is the story of recovery... setting boundaries, falling sometimes, getting back up, learning from the falls and yet you keep going!

Yidden! This Zos Chanukah, let us decide finally that we will walk down a different street!

367.


We should never think that we are above falling and let our guard down. "Jack" posted recently on the forum a story of Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt'l.

Rabbi Miller was once in the hospital and asked for a male nurse. The doctors said to him "but you're an old man already!". "Yes", replied Rabbi Miller, "but I don't want to become young again!"

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Someone asked us recently after a fall for an incentive to restart his clean count to 90 days. Off the top of my head, I wrote him the following:

Our sages say two things:

1) "Repent a day before you die". Since we don't know if we will be alive tomorrow, we must always repent TODAY. Like a saying I once heard, Lehavdil: "Live each day as if it was your last. One day, you will be right". So if you knew you had only one day left to live, would you continue these self destructive behaviors?

2) And Chaza"l also say: "One must wait for Moshiach each day". If you knew Moshiach will be here tomorrow, would you not do your best to do Teshuvah NOW? A Jew is supposed to live with this Emunah - that he can come any day! And once Moshiach will be here, it will be too late. We will wish we could go back to the time when we had Nisyonos and could still show Hashem how much we wanted to do for him!

Both of these above are BIG incentives.

Take it one day at a time. Imagine today was your last day to live and/or the last day before Moshiach comes. You can make it through TODAY! Tell yourself that no matter what, just for TODAY I will stay clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


We have a non-Jew on our Chizuk list for a long time already who has totally broken free from the addiction to masturbation and porn for over two years already. When we asked him what was the secret of his determination, this was his reply:

I have no secret other than the memory of the ordeal of suffering - both physical and mental, that I went through as a consequence of masturbation. To be quite frank, I'd rather die than experience that living death again. Even the shame would be enough to kill me. I know from personal experience that what the Rabbis say is true regarding the absolute need for sexual self-control. It truly is the foundation of manhood- and everything associated with being a more complete human being.

I also found this passage from a book that I intend to read to be rather inspiring. From "The Jugurthine War" by Gaius Crispus Sallust:


"It is the unfounded complaint of mankind that they are naturally weak and short-lived, and that it is chance, not merit, that rules their destiny. So far is this from the truth.... The mind is the guide and commander of life in mortal men. Where it has become the slave of low passions and has succumbed to sloth and bodily pleasures, a short submission to the fatal influence of lust suffices to fritter away strength, opportunities, and intellect, in idleness, and then the weakness of our nature receives the blame, and the doers charge circumstances with the defect that lies in themselves... The mind is pure and eternal; itself ungoverned, as the guide of man, it moves and governs all things. Hence we may be the more astonished at the degradation of those who surrender themselves to bodily pleasures, and spend their life in luxury and sloth, while they allow the intellect, the best and noblest factor in man's nature, to become inert from indolence and neglect..."

368.


Staying happy, upbeat and positive is one of the biggest keys to success in this struggle. Chanukah is over, there's war in Israel, the cold winter lies before us and there have been falls and slips here and there. The Yetzer Hara wants more than anything to drag us down into depression. For an injection of SIMCHA, I just uploaded a Leibidik niggun collection (6.30 minutes) from "Shirei Ho'Admorim" by Piamenta.

Click here to put it on and start to dance!


No matter what, we can always start again from TODAY. We need to be PROUD of our past accomplishments. We need to be HAPPY that we are doing the work of the King of Kings and are ZOCHE to struggle in this, where most other people in our situation just don't care. We are from Hashem's elite soldiers! And every second we hold back is priceless.

Let's rejoice that Hashem has chosen us for his front line battle against the Yetzer Hara. If he chose us, it means he TRUSTS us. He knows that in spite of the falls, we will emerge victorious. He waits and waits for us to do Teshuvah, sometimes for many years. But in the end it is all worth it, for in the process of breaking free we learn how to give our hearts to Hashem and grow so much!

Did you ever stop and think of the implications of us, mere mortals, having the honor of serving the Master of the entire Universe? The universe has about 100 million galaxies, and each galaxy has in it about 100 million stars! And each star is as big - or bigger - than our Sun (which itself could fit a million Earths into it)! And that's just the physical universe. Need I even mention the millions of spiritual words, Malachim, Serafim and Chayos Hakodesh?!! And this Almighty G-d - who created ALL THIS, has but one desire. He is looking into the hearts of his beloved people, and seeking someone, anyone, who is willing to do something for him with pure motives, hard work, and a little messiras nefesh. And he has chosen YOU for this!

Rejoice!! Simcha is the Key!

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"Battleworn" posted once on the forum:

Keep in mind that when Hashem invested in you, He knew what he was doing. He knows exactly who to choose for the very sensitive and dangerous mission, of penetrating the enemy's  territory. If he chose you, then you can definitely succeed. And remember, it's a tremendous honor to have been chosen by Hashem for this mission. R' Tvi Meir always says: Chazal tell us, that the malachim said to Hashem "Don't give the Torah to lowly people, "T'na Hodcha al Hashamayim -- The Torah should be for the malachim". So Hashem answered "Do you have a yetser haroh? If not, the Torah is not for you, but rather for the people that have a y"h. So we see that our entire claim to the greatest gift of all - the holy Torah, is based on the fact that we have a y'h. And so whoever has a bigger y'h, has a greater claim and a greater right to the holy Torah!!! 

REJOICE! we are the ones that will bring Moshiach! 

Simcha and a positive attitude are the key to success. Rabeinu Yona says in Yesod Hateshuva, "On that day [that you make up your mind to do teshuva] throw away your past and consider yourself like a baby that was just born" 

Take some time to think about how chashuv you obviously are in the Eyes of the Master Of The Universe, if he chose you for this mission. And then put on some good music and DANCE!!! Transform yourself from a worrier in to a warrior!!! (the spelling is very close, it's like the little difference between the letters of the words "chametz" and "matzah").
 

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"Me" posted to someone once on the forum :

The main advice I have for you is: "Simchah".  You mentioned that you are full of anxiety, and this is one of the major causes of this taivah.  In fact I saw it written, that the first thing the yetzer does with us is to fill our minds with worries and anxieties, and then when we feel sad, etc, this is what allows the klipot of arios to cling to us and over take our minds. I believe that your first step is to conquer your anxieties, and try to be b'simchah as much as possible, and remove every and any anxiety causing thought that enters your mind.

The Baal Shomer Emunim said, that we have a mitzvah of "Ivdu Es Hashem B'Simchah". Then the yetzer comes in to our minds and says, "what do you have to be happy about, just look around you, look at all of the sickness, poverty, suffering in the worlds etc....But, we must know that this is the yetzer telling us this. He goes on to explain. "Who is it that taught us "Ivdu Es Hashem B'Simchah"?.... None other than Rav Shimon Bar Yochai in the Zohar. And he says, "If anyone had reason to be down and sad, he did, since he lived right after the time of the Churban Beis Hamikdash, and yet, it was HIM that taught this to us!

369.


Some important points of Chizuk from "Battleworn" on the forum to someone who was having a hard time guarding his eyes and who found that focusing on guarding his eyes made it even harder for him:

1) Your life's focus must always be on the positive. You absolutely can't go around the whole day concentrating on what you're not going to do. Someone who does that is simply not living, and of course it can't work. The first thing is to make sure you know what you are trying to do with your life and then you can concentrate on accomplishing that goal and starting to really live. When you think of guarding your eyes as a means of getting where you want to in life, you won't have that problem. It's tested and proven.

2) R' Avigdor Miller zt'l said that shmiras einayim is pointless, if you are not also guarding your thoughts.

3) The mind set has to be that it's all a bunch of nothing and stupidity. Not guarding your eyes allows the menuval to get in and make something out of nothing. But if you think "It's paradise out there but I'm not looking" then you're doomed to failure.

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"Shomer" once posted on the forum:

Just wanted to share something I saw in the Michtav M'Eliyahu from Rabbi Dessler z"l.

Chazal tell us that "im puga buch menuval ze, mashcheyhu l'bais medresh" (If you encounter this 'mevuval', drag him to the bais medresh).  Rabbi Dessler is medayak in the lashon of this statement and asks ... why does it say if you encounter this 'menuval'.  It should say if you encounter the yetzer hara, drag him to the bais medresh.

Rabbi Dessler goes on to explain that in order to fight the yetzer hara, you must first realize that he is a 'menuval'.  Rabbi Dessler elaborates that the yetzer is "oseh meseh nivlus" (performs actions of nivlus). The yetzer promises a person that he will bring them satisfaction and contentment, but leaves them only with sorrow and despair. There is no bigger Nivlus than that.

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Never let the Yetzer Hara convince you that this struggle is too hard for you, or that Hashem didn't give you the strength or the tools or the nature to be able to over come him. Human beings are capable of the most amazing things when they put their minds to it. For a strong example of this,
click here. (By the way, it's not a Chr-stian song, see here)

370.


Taken from
YeshivaWorld news: Tanks, armored and specialized vehicles, artillery, foot soldiers and special forces are seen along the border (of Gaza), all preparing for the incursion, which according to a Channel 2 News report may take place anytime after Friday morning.

Dear brothers-in-arms,

We are fighting a vicious war with a merciless enemy. Our fight with the Yetzer Hara is very similar as Israel's fight. Israel's enemies are so determined to hurt Yidden that they do not care for their own lives. The Yetzer Hara is the same. He is so determined to make us lose our kesher with Hashem, that he causes us to harm ourselves. By becoming his slave, we stand to lose everything, both in this world and the next. But he doesn't care.

How can we fight such a relentless enemy, who is SO determined?

With lots of Mitzvos



With lots of Tehillim



And with lots of Simcha!



These three eitzos; Mitzvos, Tehillim and Simcha, are tried and proven weapons against the Yetzer Hara.

Mi La'Hashem Alai!

Together we will prevail! We need soldiers; battle-hardened and not afraid to fight to the death!

Let's follow King David's advice from the Eighteenth Psalm: "I will chase my enemies and catch them and I shall not return until I annihilate them."

Today: Accept upon yourself to do another Mitzva, to say a few Perakim of Tehillim and remain happy no matter what!

371.


I came across an awesome song called "Moishi On-Line" by "Destiny 4". Click here to listen to it.

The song is a great example of how a person sometimes must take drastic measures to save his soul. Although most of us can't afford to smash our computers, there are other things that we CAN do. For example, I know one guy who was so desperate to quit that he vowed to give $200 to tzedaka every time he fell. After falling twice and giving $400 to Tzedaka, he never went back to it again. Another guy kept matches next to his bed and vowed to burn himself before giving in. Another made a vow to go to the Mikva for a month every time he fell, another vowed to go to the kever of a tzadik and daven for at least an hour each time he fell. These type of vows are not dangerous to make, because they can be kept (unlike vows to just NEVER do it again, which - because of the nature of the addiction - make it often impossible to keep). And these type of vows are very helpful because they force the Yetzer Hara to agree with the Yetzer Tov and say, "heck, you know what, it's just not worth it!".

To use vows safely and effectively, see the following pages for advice. Click here and here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"GettingHelp" posted on the forum:

It is truly amazing to see that when I stop and think before doing anything, good or bad, the few seconds of really thinking through of what I am about to do or want to do, helps put me in line. If I could only think before I act, I would be so far ahead of the game. I know that I am only human, and this will take some hard work.

I am like a kid before his birthday, I can't wait to actually have my brain think in  a clear and holy way after 90 days. I so desire to be a holy yid!

"PoshutYid" wrote us an e-mail:

IY"H by Monday morning I will have a full month under my belt. I can say without a doubt that this group has helped me tremendously and I owe you all a huge amount of hakaras hatov. I cannot tell you how much more in control of my life I feel.

It has not come without challenges, but B"H with S"D I am still determined to fight this all the way. In fact, the yetzer tried to get me to go onto Facebook and look at some of the pictures over there with the rationalization that it is not pornography. I actually listened and went but I shut it down before I could really focus on it. I know this is his way of getting me to do something seemingly innocent which will lead me down a horrible path.

On a positive note I am davening better lately and I started a shiur this week. IY"H the Torah will replace the Tumah in my head and I will be able to be mekadesh my body, mind and speech.

372.


Yidden, Hashem is making miracles miracles for us! There's a huge war going on in Israel, hundereds of rockets have been shot at Israeli cities, many thousands of soldiers are deep in enemy territory, over 500 enemies have been killed, and yet - bli aiyin hara, there have been less casualties on our side than can be counted on the fingers of one hand (two of which were Druze Arabs - one construction worker and one Druze in the IDF). Of-course, every life is priceless, but it could be / have been much much worse R"L and Hashem is obviously protecting us! For example, they showed on the non-religious Israeli TV (Arutz Sheva had a live stream link for the war coverage) a house in Sderot that was TOTALLY destroyed, and yet the old woman inside was completely unhurt besides for some smoke inallation! And as they showed the destroyed house yesterday, a sign could be seen hanging on the broken walls that read:
"Ain Lanu Al Mi Lisha'en, ela Avinu Shebashamayim"!


Yidden! Every time we say NO to the Yetzer hara, another LIFE can be saved!! Another enemy bunker or weapons cache is blown up and another miracle happens! We are fighting along side our brothers in Israel and we are helping them in ways we could never imagine!

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The Beis Ahron of Karlin writes that Torah and Mitzvos need to feel fresh and new in our eyes every day. So he asks, how can we instill this in our hearts? Answers the Beis Ahron, we can learn a Kal Ve'Chocher from the Yetzer Hara himself. The Yetzer Hara tempts a person to sin and he listens to him and falls. But after the person sins, he becomes disgusted with the desire (and resolves never to fall again). And yet the very next day, the Yetzer Hara tempts him once again with this same desire and he renews the desire in his heart R"L, just like before. So how much more so, the Torah and Mitzvos, which are the life source of all the worlds and a person's very life - should feel new to a person every day!

Here's the original text:

373.


Unfortunately, 4 IDF soldiers were killed last night by friendly fire in two separate incidents. What is Hashem trying to show us? The fact that this happened on Asara bi'Teves is very significant. Just like all Jewish suffering throughout the ages, the message of Asara bi'Teves is that is that we bring suffering upon ourselves when we forget Hashem and fall into sinful ways. The fact that these soldiers were killed by friendly fire and not enemy fire, brings out this message loud and clear. When we give in to the Yetzer Hara, we are not just going against the will of Hashem, but we are actively destroying ourselves in both this world and the next, as the Pasuk says
"Tiyasreich Ra'aseich - your evil will afflict you".

Let us take heart at this tremendous tragedy, and resolve to do a sincere and lasting Teshuvah. A fast day is a special time to repent, and in light of this tragedy it is all the more so incumbent upon each and every one of us to ask ourselves: "what new boundaries or approaches to break free of the Yetzer Hara's grasp, have I not tried yet?"

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After the e-mail two days ago (#371) about taking drastic measures, "Mevakesh" sent us the following e-mail:

I'll tell you something that I have been doing for a while and it seems to be working and may work for others.
 
Every time I find myself looking at a woman for more time than I should, or if I find myself taking a second glance, I slap myself in the face or give myself a big pinch (yes, it hurts).
 
I know it sounds weird, but it serves a dual purpose: 1) It reminds me to be more careful next time, as I don't want another slap in the face. 2) It punishes me down here on earth, so that it will hopefully not need to be punished in the next world, which is much worse. As the Sefarim point out, that one who gets punishment down here doesnt get punished again for that aveira in the next world ("K'sheyesh din limata, ein din limalah - when their is judgement below, there is no judgement above").

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See this article for a strong lesson in how important Shmiras Ainayim is.

374.

 

"Poshut Yid" posted today on the forum:

I have failed! I have fallen. After 32 days I lost it. I knew I was losing it and I couldn't stop myself. It started with Facebook and I spent the whole day on the computer surfing. I even went home for supper and came back and thought I would control myself, but I didn't. I don't even want to look in the mirror I am so embarrassed. I just want to cry. After all that hard work, I have thrown it all away.
Is there hope??
 
Of-Course there's hope!! You know when hope is lost? After 120. As long as you still have a breath in your lungs, you can turn your entire life around to Hashem. Every one of the great warriors on this forum has been exactly where you have been and have fallen countless times. The difference between a successful person and a failure is not that the successful person doesn't fall and the failure does. They BOTH fall again and again. But the successful person is the one who gets up again each time and resolves to do better next time and learn from his mistakes!

Think about it, if you were watching a great fight between a man and a Lion, would you be more impressed if the man had a sword and he slew the lion in one fell blow, or rather if the man used only his bare hands and there was a huge fight, and sometimes the man was down and the lion was at his throat and yet he managed to push off the lion again and again and finally he overpowers the lion and wins the fight?! Hashem gave us a beast inside us to slay. He could have made us mighty as the Malachim, but he wants us to earn true reward and bring down his Shchinah to dwell in the lowest places. And this can only be done by human beings, who fight with their bare hands in the darkness of this world. The fact that you fell now after doing so well means you are in the game for real, and Hashem is looking down at you with love and the Malachim are roaring and cheering to see how fast you'll get back up, because that's the name of the game!
 
Dear not-so-Poshut-Yid and all of us in the holy GuardUrEyes community on this Chizuk list and Forum; The first step in joining our community is to
get the concept of "giving up" out of your lexicon. There is no such thing. These three sayings of Rebbe Nachman are our motto:
1) If you believe you can destroy, believe you can fix.
2) There is no such thing as Yiush in the world.
3) As long as the candle is lit, one can still fix.
 
So Poshut yid, where do we go from here? It's Poshut! A fall doesn't just happen. There were various things that led to it (in your case, it was Face-book this time). We need to make a careful accounting of where we went wrong and how we can prevent this from reoccurring. In this way, we take the fall and uplift it to Hashem. We use the falls themselves to get STRONGER!
 
Small Example: I know someone who was doing very well for a long time, but one day he came across a movie that he happened to open, unaware that it was not Kosher. But since he had already started watching it, he couldn't control himself and pull himself away, and before he knew it he had fallen. So what did he do? He make a vow for a year never to open any movie video file on any computer unless his wife checked it first and told him that it was Ok for him to see. In this way, he made a strong barrier for the future to assure that this wouldn't happen again. He had learned from his fall that once he had already opened the video file, he was too weak to pull away. But with the new fence in place, he wouldn't have to face the Yetzer Hara head on in the same way again.
 
Every fall has a reason, and for every reason there are barriers that one can make to be sure he doesn't have to fight the Yetzer Hara head-on again next time. To all of us here, if you know that certain things keep bringing you to fall, sit down and think what you can do to assure yourself that you don't have to face these same desires head-on again in the future. And if you can't think of a sure enough way on your own, post your dilemma on the forum and together we'll all help you think of ways.

375.


Continuing the theme of yesterday: Having a fall is no reason at all to give up!

Taken from YeshivaWorld.com today over here
Title:
"We're Fighting for Our Survival"

From interviews with soldiers and parents, one can discern the attitude is a positive one and the soldiers are calling to push ahead and eliminate the enemy...

Interviews with the wounded carry the same undertone, with soldiers asking doctors when they will be well enough to
return to their units to get the job done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Battleworn posted on the forum:

Please understand that you haven't thrown it all away at all!!! You ask if there's still hope. There is certainly hope. Actually, there's even more hope now than ever before!! Let me explain why. The Gemoroh says "Habah letaher misaayen lo - he who comes to be purified will be helped" and also "Biderech she'adom rotzeh leilech molichin osoh - in the way a man wants to go, they help him" Why do Chaza"l speak in plural form:  "misayen lo - they help him" and "molichin oso - they lead him". Shouldn't it just say that Hashem helps him? So the Maharsha and the Kedushas Levi explain that every resolution and every effort a person makes, creates a Malach (an angel). And when the army of malachim gets large enough, it has the power to help the person overcome all the obstacles and lead him to where he wants to get.

So all times you held back and desired to be holy over the past period you were clean, has created tens and hundreds of Malachim that will help you now to stay clean for much longer! That's why there's even MORE hope now than before.

Yes, it hurts to fall (I know the feeling very well) but the nachas ruach that we give Hashem when we ignore the fall and get right back up, is the greatest there can be!

Use the fall to learn from. Learn to always keep your guard up, etc... And then the fall itself will become a zechus and turn you in to a Tzadik!

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Mevakesh posted on the forum:

Though you are starting again from "day 1", don't think for a second that your past accomplishments are down the drain! Quite the contrary: Every Hisgabrus you have over the lousy Yetzer Hara is yours forever! Even if you fall again after that Hisgabrus. 

The Steipler writes that one who was Misgaber over the Yetzer Hara of Hashchosas Zera L'Vatalah, even if he  goes on to fail and fail, time and time again, it is that initial Hisgabrus which will guarantee him an ultimate triumph in this matter over the Yetzer Hara, no matter how long it takes.

I can attest to this personally. I tried and tried so many things so many times. I had already basically given up on myself and resigned myself to the fact that I will live my life as a sinner. Yet, now that I look back and I marvel at being clean for 10 months (B'Chasdei Hashem) there is no doubt in my mind that that initial Hisgabrus I had for a very short time a very long time ago is what propelled me to finally win my battle many years later.

Keep strong. Don't  listen to the Yetzer Hara's stupid logic. You are winning the battle and will ultimately win the war!

376.


Someone sent us this cute "number Cheshbon" below, based on the ABC. Although obviously this is not a "Gematria" with any real meaning, the lesson it brings out is a powerful truth.

(Pictures from the war in Gaza were added for illustrative purposes).
If you can't see the picture below, click here
Pass this on to your friends!

Love-of-G-d-GUE


Knowledge of HOW to beat the Yetzer Hara is 96% of winning the battle. It can be found on our website, forum and Chizuk list archives.

Hard Work is 98%, and it must be done by each individual alone.

ATTITUDE equals 100% and is what will really get you there! This includes; enjoying the challenge, understanding that this is what we are here in this world for and the great reward that awaits us, and NEVER GIVING UP. (See "Mind Tips" for more attitude shapers).

But it is the
Love of Hashem that equals 101% and will really take you OVER THE TOP. Happy is he who learns to transfer his deepest desires and love to Hashem. In the process of the struggle towards this sublime achievement, one becomes transformed into an altogether different person!

 
Chaza"l say (Lehavdil):
"One who reviews his learning 100 times can not be compared with one who reviews it 101 times".

 In this battle for our very souls, we need to give it 101%!

377.

 

Today begins the six week period known as "Shovavim", which is an acronym made up of the first letters of the Parshios of these 6 weeks, Shmos, Va'era etc... Shovavim is a very auspicious time for Teshuvah, based on the Pasuk "Shuvu Banim Shovavim - return, my wayward children". Many Sefarim bring down that these weeks are an especially opportune time for doing Teshuva on aveiros in the area of Yesod (Shmiras Habris).
 
The parshios of the six weeks of Shovavim deal with the enslavement of the Jewish people in Mitzrayim and their subsequent redemption and salvation. Many Sefarim talk about how a man's struggle with his Yetzer hara is symbolized by the enslavement in Mitzrayim and Hashem's ultimate help in redeeming him. The Pesukim in this week's parsha describe the hard work and bitterness of the oppression in Mitzrayim, and in next week's parsha we see how the yidden didn't listen to Moshe
"mi'kotzer Ruach ume'avodah kasha - due to oppressiveness of spirit and hard work".

Those who are enslaved by the Yetzer Hara know well what these words mean. The Yetzer Hara causes one's entire life to become
"Kotzer Ruach" and his obsession doesn't let him experience the "Nachas Ruach" that life has to offer.
 
One frum addiction therapist that I know, uses meditative techniques with his patients to help them break free of this addiction. His theme is
"Nachas Ruach" and one of the techniques he teaches his patients is that when they feel weak, vulnerable or overwhelmed with the struggle, they should take four slow deep breaths, breathing in "Nachas Ruach" with each breath, and breathing out "Kotzer Ruach" with each breath. His approach tries to teach the patient how to flow with life and not fight against it. After all, Hashem doesn't want us to have to fight our whole lives, instead he wants us to learn how to flow with the beauty and happiness that life has to offer, instead of trying to seek pleasure and happiness in temporary and illusionary ways which only lead to Kotzer Ruach and Avodah Kasha.
 
Here's an example of one meditation technique that you may be able to do on your own. Try it three times a week, for a few weeks. It should take about 20 minutes each time.

Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. Completely relax. To help you relax and enter a meditative state, breath in slowly, hold for a few seconds, and then breath out. Repeat this 10 times. Afterwards, imagine you are diving into a deep pond. See yourself in your mind swimming downwards, deeper and deeper. (This will help you access your subconscious mind). Then, picture yourself in a field, holding a balloon. The balloon contains all of your sexual tension and pain in it. Picture this well. Then, release the balloon in your mind, with all the tension and pain inside it. Watch the balloon slowly climb away, higher and higher, count the feet it rises in your mind, until the balloon is finally out of site. When you are done with the balloon, imagine again that you are at the bottom of the deep pond. Start swimming back up, slowly coming closer and closer to the surface. Then, break out of the water. Open your eyes, get up from your chair and walk away feeling free!
 
Click here for more self-therapy ideas and options.

The contact information of the therapist mentioned above is:
Dr/Rabbi Naftali Fish - Jerusalem, Native English Speaker
Torah Based Psychotherapy, combined with meditation and hypnosis techniques
"Healing the Inner Wounded Child"
Office: 02-5376514  
Home: 02-6722663
Cell: 052 2639325   
e-mail: nachatruach@walla.com

378.


Every Midah (attribute) that Hashem created, can be used for either good or bad. How can the attribute of "laziness" be used for good? Well, one powerful way to fight the Yetzer Hara is simply to be LAZY about sinning. The Yetzer Hara wants us to act out, but what if we just say: "heck, I don't have strength for this.
"Shev Ve'al Taseh Adif - sitting and doing nothing is better". That's using laziness in the RIGHT way.

The Medrash Yalkut Shemoni (click here) writes: "Who ever turns himself away from aveira (sin), then even if he is a Israelite, he is worthy of bringing a sacrifice on the alter like the Kohen Gadol"...
"And who ever is lazy to sin and doesn't sin, he merits to enjoy the shine of the Shechina like the ministering angels".

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"Mevakesh" replies to someone on the forum who had a fall:

In my book, failure is only when we fail to realize that we have slipped, and fail to muster the courage to start again. If one slips off the mountain, shrugs and walks away, he will never reach the summit. If one slips off the mountain, and resolves to climb again (yes, with better gear and with safety nets) then he hasn't failed at all. He has merely has taken a small detour, strengthened himself and made the summit all the more in reach now. It's his for the taking!!!

"MDM" responds as well:

"Mevakesh" does it again: to the point. Well, I myself fell through on the holy Chanukah days, which started so great. I was devastated and I could not calm myself and continued to indulge in these suicidal acts. Until my friends here made me realize that I still am on a higher rung of the ladder I was a few months ago. I decided to take this fall to greater height. No more using the internet for fun, except Guardureyes.com.

The sefer "Zera Kodesh" explains that a smart person advances after a fall. He compares this to a ball thrower. The more he lowers his hand before the throw, the higher the ball will ascend.
379.


There's a fundamental and elementary piece from the holy Ohr Hachayim that gives a clear perspective on the powerful nature of carnal desire, and helps us understand how Hashem expects us to remain holy in spite of it being against human nature. In honor of Shovavim, I would like to bring this Ohr Hachayim now in a few stages. To see the original text in Hebrew,
click here (the important parts are marked in yellow, and the VERY important parts in red).

Ohr Hachayim (Acharei Mos, 18:2)
Part 1

It is known that all the Mitzvos that Hashem commanded his holy nation are Mitzvos that a man can stand by and cause himself a desire to do, besides for the Mitzva of staying away from arayos (illicit sexual relations) which is something that a person craves and his desires forces him to act, unless one makes an effort to stay far away from two things: 1) Seeing with the eyes, 2) Thinking about it. However, if a person does not keep away from these two aspects (sight and thought), a man will not be able to control himself and rid himself of it.

As long as one does not stay away from looking, even if he stays away from thinking about it, he will not be able to control himself and rid himself of the inevitable desire. As we can see from the story of R' Amram, the Rebbe of all Chassidim (Kidushin 81a), that even though he was far from thinking about these things, he was won over by the aspect of "sight" (to see the full story see Chizuk e-mail #275 on this page). And we can also see this from the story of Reb Masya Ben Charash (Yalkut Shimoni; Veyechi) who chose to blind himself when he felt that he would be forced to come to bad deeds through the sight of his eyes, even though he was surely far from thinking of these things - as is clear in the story (see the story in Chizuk e-mail #46 on this page).

And if one does not distance himself from thinking about these things, his thoughts will also force him to seek out and lust after the deed. As we can see from the story in the Gemara (Avodah Zara 22b) of a non-Jew who bought a thigh of meat in the market place, cut into it, used it to pleasure himself, and then cooked it and ate it. This comes from being steeped in the aspect of "thought" which forced him to do these deeds even without seeing anything.

So we see, that with either of these two aspects, sight or thought, it becomes close to impossible for a person to control himself in this area. And it goes without saying that if one looks AND thinks about these things, he will be very weak when facing this desire. And it also goes without saying, that if one actually begins to taste from the bad, he will be completely given over into the hands of his desires.
 
(To be continued in the coming e-mails, IY"H).
380.


I would like to bring an important message today from Elya K (moderator of the free 12-Step phone conferences) that he posted on the forum:


I was recently at a conference, and one of the groups was having a discussion about internet filters and someone brought up the point that there is a huge difference between simply being "sober" or being in real "recovery" from lust. 

When we are living a spiritual life, when we are not worried about the future and we have come to terms with our past... we live in the present moment, take one day at a time. When we are living like this... in serenity... there is little chance we will act out... no matter if we have a filter or not. (Webmaster Comment: Obviously though, until we really get there, a filter is essential).

So this is the end goal. The filter cannot be the end goal. Recovery is the end goal. And that means working a program of perfecting our Middos so we don't hold resentments, anger, fear, etc. We trust Hashem that whatever he has dealt us, moneywise, healthwise, Shidduch wise, is meant to be.

We get rid of our resentments and fears by examining them for our part in them.  We make amends to people we have hurt and help others recover. 

The tools are all here on the forum and on the GuardUrEyes site. The tools are in your communities at SA & SLAA meetings. There were 595 goyim at this conference and 20 Jews from all spectrums. Chassidim, Misnagdim, all walking around with their Yarmulkes making a Kiddush Hashem. We had a minyan on Shabbos with a sefer Torah, all arranged by the conference. 

If they can do that publicly, you can go to a meeting. If they can LEAD meetings and get up and speak in front of hundreds of people as a proud yid, you can too. 

It all depends on whether you REALLY want to get better or you're happy living on the cliff of the slippery slope, where the Yetzer Harah continues to convince you that it's OK to just peek just as long as you don't go all the way.

Elya K takes anonymous calls on the Hot-line. You can also write Elya for more info on the SA groups and recovery at yidvre@gmail.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Ano-nymous" comments on Elya's message with an intelligent parable. (Ano-nymous is a Bochur who is already clean for approximately two months and is well on his way to the "Wall of Hashem's Honor"!)

WOW Elya, this is powerful stuff. I can't agree more with the message. When you have a dumpster full of garbage in your house and you don't want to smell it, you don't cover up the dumpster with a towel and you don't spray a deodorant and leave it that way. If you really want the smell to go away, you need to take the dumpster out of your house. While you move the dumpster, it is wise to cover the dumpster and spray deodorant to stem the tide and make it smell a little better. But the goal is obviously to take out the garbage, because if you don't, as soon as the towel falls off or the deodorant wears off, it stinks again. Consider the filter the towel or deodorant. It is a great help, but if you don't fix YOURSELF the problem will arise as soon as you have an opportunity without the filter. This is the attitude all of us really need to have to truly succeed. Good luck to everyone (myself included)!
381.


We continue below the insightful piece from the holy Ohr Hachayim that we started in e-mail 379. The Ohr hachayim explains the powerful nature of carnal desires and helps us understand how Hashem expects us to remain holy in spite of it being against human nature. To see the original text in Hebrew,
click here (the important parts are marked in yellow, and the VERY important parts in red).

Ohr Hachayim (Acharei Mos, 18:2)
Part 2

And the only way that a man can wage war with this powerful desire is by removing from himself these two aspects (1. improper sights and 2. lustful thoughts). And by doing this, one instills within himself that he should not lust after this, and he will be able to control his natural desires. And this is the reason that Chaza"l say (Brachos 34b) "In the place that Balei Teshuvah stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand". For the natural good will of the completely righteous wins over their desires without great effort, which is not the case with a Ba'al Teshuvah.

And if one should ask, "How can a natural person be in control of his desires which "force" him to act? After all, it does not make sense that Hashem would obligate all men equally to guard themselves in this area, only people who can stand up and have the will power to deny this desire! And these are people who never came into the tests of seeing improper sights and thinking lustful thoughts. Only for such people did the Torah command these Mitzvos. But for people who already fell into these things, it is naturally impossible for a man to control himself and hold back from this craving that forces him to act!"

To counter this claim, Hashem wrote in the Torah with pleasant words of life, and the Parsha of Arayos starts out with the words "Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, I am Hashem your G-d". For it is true that in the human race, besides for the Jewish people, they can claim this complaint and say that they did not find it in their strength to deny the power of this intense desire from themselves. However, with you, the Children of Israel, because I am Hashem your G-d - that is, you can achieve understanding and awareness of G-d - and through this G-dly strength, you will win over the natural physical drives.

(To be continued in the coming e-mail, IY"H).

The Ohr Hachayim has touched here on the "core" of the 12-Step program, which is that without bringing G-d into the picture, we are powerless to overcome this powerful desire. See also this Q&A.
382.

Question:
I've given up the bad stuff already for a few months, but I still feel far from learning to control my eyes. When we see a beautiful girl, and we really KNOW that it's really nothing, but it affects our senses, how in the world can we deal with that? I mean, it feels like we have to forgo the most beautiful things in this world! I know it's possible, but it's so painful sometimes.

Answer: R' Nachman once said that the entire strength of the Yetzer Hara is through "dimyon" - imagination, and he said that we should change the Yetzer Hara's name to "Ha'Medameh" (Likutei Maharan; Torah 25)

This whole desire is a blown up bubble of hot-air, built around what we see and imagine in the mind. Experience has shown us all, that as soon as we get what we thought we wanted -- what we thought was going to be absolutely incredible (according to what we saw and fantasized), the bubble pops and all that's left is "hot air". And we are left shaking our head and not believing that for this we were willing to sell our very souls.

So in essence, the fact that we struggle so much with shmiras ainayim and all these powerful fantasies, and the fact that it feels like it takes such effort give our hearts over to Hashem - this all is really Hashem's greatest gift to us. Let me explain what I mean:

If we would just be like those who don't care and give in and get all that they desire, we would have NOTHING at the end. Do you think they have joy from this? Did you ever see a non-Jew walking around happy because he gets whatever he wants? The minute it's over, they are left disillusioned and seeking other pleasures to fill the void they feel. So think about it. Hashem has chosen us and uplifted us from the filth of the world, and given us the opportunity to make all these "valiant" struggles every time we turn away from looking at something the Yetzer Hara wants us to look at - just so that Hashem can embrace us and reward us with eternal divine light. But what is the alternative, i.e. if we would give in? Nothing! Emptiness and disillusionment! The Yetzer Hara promises so much, but he delivers nothing! So this whole blown up desire that we have and all these difficult struggles not to look, etc... it's really all a "game" that Hashem is playing with us. He makes us feel as if we are "ripping out our hearts" for him - and he indeed rewards us AS IF we have sacrificed our hearts on the alter, and he allows us to come closer to him than any non-Jew could dream of coming, and yet, it's all a game. Because if one would be able to see in advance the way he would feel after he would give in, he wouldn't even have a struggle!!

That is perhaps what Chaza"l meant when they said that one day the Tzadikim will weep with joy that they were able to overcome the mountain of the Yetzer Hara, and Resha'im will weep that they couldn't overcome this little string of the Yetzer Hara. One may ask, how could the Yetzer Hara be both things, which is the real truth? Well, based on the above, it could be that the Tzadikim are talking about the "mountain" that the Yetzer Hara "FELT LIKE" - when they didn't give in. But the Resha'im are seeing the little "nothing" that the Yetzer Hara really was when they actually gave in. 

So it's really all a game of Hashem's kindness and love for us. Hashem is only asking of us to over come a "small string", but he makes it LOOK like a mountain so that we can be worthy of coming close to him and receive the tremendous reward he wants to give us!

If you remember this important idea, you will stay be able to stay strong even in what "feels like" the most difficult moments!
383.


For today's Chizuk e-mail, I want to share an inspiring story that someone sent us today. (By the time I had finished reading the story, I was crying).

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I first discovered masturbation at about age 15, when a fellow yeshiva student showed me smut. Before hand I had never even considered it at all, I had never even thought of women. This went on for years, and every Rosh Hashana I would swear that I would stop. When I got married I was certain that I would find salvation, but I became even worse, convincing my wife that she could even help me masturbate (when she was ASSUR to me, or didn't want to be intimate) and that she was saving me from AVERAH by the fact that she was involved (so it was "love"). This came after a point when the Yetzer had already convinced me that there was no possibility of abstinence, and I was sure that it was an impossible test made up by some Rabbis, based on an obscure passage in the Torah. I only used the computer to finish the job.

My Torah life, which was very dry and had no connection to Hashem, slowly started to come alive through the very medium that all the Tumah was coming through, and slowly Rebbe Nachman entered my life. Both me and my wife loved hearing shiurim together and I was slowly becoming a better person, husband and father, but I was still was living with the conviction that masturbation was inevitable.

Then one Shabbos, a friend of mine taught me about HITBOBEDUT (Torah 25 in the second half of Likutai Moharan) and he admitted to me how he had once spent time in front of the computer doing forbidden things. "You too?!!" I asked. "But you're a big Tzadik!" He told me how he had been religious on the outside but his inside was totally devoid of Hashem. He had gone to Uman and begged to be cleaned, and at the point of our conversation he was clean already 10 months.

I took this to heart and realized what was missing. I HAD NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED ASKING HASHEM FOR HELP, I WAS TRYING TO FIGHT MY YETZER WITH A PEA-SHOOTER. Over the next 3 days I cried out to Hashem until I felt that I had nothing left in me. I called my friend and he said that I should try learning Torah 282 (Likutei Moharan). After learning it, the excitement was immense. I couldn't sleep till 3 AM, I had never felt so high or positive in my life. At that point, I started to see incredible help from above. I felt that I could beat it hands down. When I was working on the computer and the pre-urge came about, I would leave the computer and do Hitbodedut or make myself coffee. When I came back to the computer, the urge was gone B"H.

I have since been trying to keep my eyes and thoughts clean (not easy), and as both my wife and I become more connected to our Neshamos, we have decided only to be intimate on Shabbat. It's not easy, but B"H it has been already a year now.

Somehow though, I knew that the struggle would continue. I have been abroad lately for over 3 weeks on matters of Parnasah. Hashem has taken all parnasah from me and I am unfortunately returning home with nothing for my family. At one point I discovered a certain fashion publication (underwear) at the home of my hosts, and due to my Ye'ush (hopelessness and despair) I found myself ready to go! I even started touching myself, when I realized what I was doing! I would be cheating on my wife (it doesn't matter that most people don't see self-pleasuring as cheating, IT IS), and I would be cheating on Hashem, destroying a year's worth of hard work for a second hand pleasure that would bring to more Ye'ush the moment I cleaned up. I don't know what miracle saved me, but I have since not allowed myself to be alone until I return home tomorrow.

From my humble experience, as a BENONI, we have not yet destroyed this urge. It is only in check, and the more Torah you learn and the more you keep away from it, the easier it becomes. But the best medicine is LE'HIYOT BE'SIMCHA TAMID (to always remain happy) and connected to Hashem Yitbarach. And if you are, the Yetzer Hara can't even get within your Dalet Amot (4 cubits).

Be sure about one thing. Hashem always loves you and his people are always around, just open your real eyes and you'll be OK.

Behatzlacha
384.


Someone sent me a nice article from www.jewishworldreview.com By Rabbi Zelig Pliskin. Tne philosophy behind this idea can help us in our struggle with the Yetzer Hara.

Five Powerful Words: 'What Can I Do Now?'

Develop the habit of asking yourself, "What can I do now?"

This is an antidote to two problematic patterns: wasting a lot of time being upset about things that are over and done with, and worrying about something that might happen in the future. Even if it seems that an undesirable outcome is likely, worrying just prevents you from doing what you can to improve the situation.

If something is over and done with, it is over and done no matter how much time you waste being upset. But if you're going to be upset, at least be upset about it for only a short amount of time. Then ask yourself, "What can I do now?" If your first thought is that you can't do anything about the situation, then at least do something constructive about something else. But sometimes you might think of something creative that will turn the situation around.

Having the thought of, "What can I do now?" on your mind might lead to ideas that will at least partially solve the problem. When you can't think of anything on your own, ask some friends or a mentor for suggestions. Other people might think of something that you didn't.

People with a pattern of thinking worrisome thoughts should think of practical things that can be done. This will save them from much distress.

Just taking action makes you feel better. When you feel better, you will think more clearly. You're more likely to think of something to do now that you hadn't thought of when your mind was focused on worrying. So remember to keep asking yourself, "What can I do now?"

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This state of mind can be hard sometimes, but it is vital to our ultimate success. Don't dwell on past failures - even if it was five minutes ago, and don't let yourself worry about future tests. Always live in the present moment and ask yourself: "what can I do NOW to make Hashem happy, and to move towards holiness, recovery and freedom?"
385.


We finish below the insightful piece from the holy Ohr Hachayim that we started in e-mail 379 [and continued in 381]. The Ohr hachayim explains the powerful nature of carnal desires and helps us understand how Hashem expects us to remain holy in spite of it being against human nature. To see the original text in Hebrew,
click here (the important parts are marked in yellow, and the VERY important parts in red). The Hebrew text can be printed out and read at your leisure.

Ohr Hachayim (Acharei Mos, 18:2)
Part 3

The mind can control the matter. So when a Jewish person accepts upon himself to be "one" with Hashem his G-d (di'veikus), he will be in control of his nature. As Chaza"l say, "The hearts of the Tzadikim are given over in their hands, but the hearts of Resha'im control them". The meaning of this is, that desire and lust are in the heart of a man, yet his "will power" is in his mind. And these are the two levels that the Master of the World has given man (to work with). And when a person sees something of a sexual nature, his heart will crave it, but this is not the end. The "will power" in his mind can deny himself the desire and he will not act upon it, even though he covets it... And that is the meaning of the words "For I am Hashem your G-d" (in the Parsha of Arayos). This means to say, that since Hashem shines the light of his Shechinah into the soul of a man, through this, one has the strength to win over his desires with his will power...
 
So to return to what we were saying... The aspect of thinking about sexual matters strengthens the desire. And one cannot win over this desire unless he distances his mind and thoughts from these things and does not look upon these things. But should his eyes gaze upon them, he is in grave danger, like the story of David Hamelech A"H, that when circumstance brought him to see what he saw, his heart, which had been empty of desire (as the Pasuk says "and my heart is empty inside me") was aroused and he acted.
 
And even if one just "begins" to think about these things, it will cause a strengthening of his natural desires. And therefore the wisest of all men, Shlomo Hamelech A"H, wrote in Mishlei (1); "My son, if the sins will persuade you, do not listen" - meaning, do not even enter into negotiations with your Yetzer Hara, for the longer you think about it, even in a negative light, the more the desire is strengthened and will turn his will towards it.
 
And this is also why Hashem says; "Tell them that I am Hashem their G-d", because (those who guard the Bris) are on the level that Hashem wants to unify his great name upon them. For he who guards his Bris is on a great level. Indeed, there is no greater level than this.

386.


Jack sent me an e-mail recently:

We couldn't improve in any area without resistance to what we are trying to achieve. It's that push, that brute force, that makes us stronger.

In martial arts theory, we see an enemy not as an enemy, but as a chance to perfect ourselves. So if we get hit, the response is NOT - "I hate him"- but rather "why couldn't I block it? Could you please throw that punch again - I want to see if I can block it this time". Without a yetzer hara, life would be meaningless.

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"ReshPehBet" posted on the forum:
 
I have discovered 3 things that I finally understand and would like to share with you.

1 - If we listen to Rebbe Nachman and live only this moment to its fullest, then a week or a month or even a year are all the same, because you are only living one day and dealing with its challenges. Tomorrow doesn't exist. As soon as you think "I am not certain I can last that long", that is SITRA ACHRA!!!

2 - A person only sins if a RUACH SHTUT enters him. I saw that this is really literal recently when I was close to falling, in that I was willing to take a chance on a full year's worth of work, my wife's faith in me, and the despair that would obviously follow the sin.

It finally makes sense how the Y"H gets his foot in the door, he makes you think that whatever you see now as a reality is the only reality, and that it will last forever. People commit suicide over monetary matters that any person with eyes in his head knows how it comes and goes.

I think that the RUACH SHTUT (that Chaza"l refer to) is that a person loses sight of everything important to him, and instead sees only the "now" and thinks that is all he can act on. Like if someone thinks "I have no money now, and this will be forever", then he will despair and seek an outlet for his despair and frustration. And we all know which outlet the Y"H wants him to use.


3 - Read "The Garden of Peace" by Rav Shalom Arush (translated by Rav Brody) if you can. It puts the role of the husband in a totally different light than you have ever seen. It doesn't really talk about sexuality, but anyone with eyes in their head will realize just how warped the modern view of sex really is.

I also heard this lecture by Rav Moshe New from Chabad.org which helped me understand what a woman really is on a spiritual level (here is the link). 
 
Also, with you guys here, I feel I am able to draw coach from you even though we have never met.

387.


Question:
"Why am I so easily aroused and triggered by everything I see? When I walk in the street or even see a children's movie, there are just so many triggers. Have I messed up my mind for life?"

Almost anyone who was once addicted to these things has indeed warped his ability to look at women in a normal way and must make barriers and fences for himself that perhaps others don't have to make. We need to be much more careful with Shmiras Ainayim than most people. We simply do not have a choice. This includes not watching non-Jewish movies of any type. There is almost no movie today that does not have in it attractive women dressed provocatively or some sort of romance or love scene, even in the most "parve" children's movies. And these things are strong triggers for us. Also browsing the web is very dangerous. Even regular news sites like CNN, ABC and Fox news, are just full of triggers. As addicts, we also need to be much more careful about where we go and who we interact with in our every day lives. And TV? Forget about it. We all know that would be a disaster for any of us.

But Yidden, is this a drawback or a disadvantage? Quite the opposite! We are the fortunate ones! Having fallen so many times and having felt the pain of addiction, we are FORCED to avoid all these things if we want to stay Erlich at all! This is a GIFT from Hashem. After all, think about it. Most Yidden want to be holy deep down, and they know that watching TV, movies and browsing the web indiscriminantly are detrimental to this effect, and yet they simply don't have the strength to stay away from these things. And it's hard to blame them. Movies, TV, internet, magazines, they're just everywhere, and they beckon to us from every medium and outlet, everywhere we go! But we, who have been down these paths of addiction, pain and distance from Hashem, know what happens when we let ourselves enjoy all these seemingly "harmless" behaviors and pastimes. And we have no choice but to make drastic life-style changes to remain sober. And in the process of doing so, we are finally able to lead the life Hashem anyway wants EVERY YID to live!

Hashem knew we would be in this situation. He knew we would fall and fall and he waited for so many years until the time would be right and we would learn to give him our hearts. We were given a much greater potential for true "ahavas Hashem" and personal growth than most other Yidden. We have the ability to shoot up the spiritual ladder at a faster rate than others who don't have this intense struggle. We must rejoice with this challenge and learn to focus all our yearnings to the source of all beauty, all good, all pleasure and all love: Hakadosh Baruch HU!

388.


Here's a nice vort for the Shabbos table, as well as a profound understanding into our struggle with the Yetzer Hara. It is not for nothing that these Parshios of "leaving Mitzrayim" were chosen to be SHOVAVIM (which are weeks that are especially opportune for breaking free of the Yetzer Hara and Tikkun Habris).

 
In the end of last week's Parsha, Moshe asks Hashem "Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in your name, it has only become worse for your people and you have not saved your nation?" And Hashem answers Moshe, "You shall see what I shall do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand they shall send them out and with a strong hand they shall banish them from their land".
 
We need to understand how Hashem's reply is an answer to Moshe's question? Moshe wants to know why, just when it should be getting better - it's getting worse, and Hashem answers: "you shall see that they will banish them with a strong hand", but how does that answer the question of why it is getting worse now?
 
Chaza"l say that when it came time to leave Mitzrayim, many Yidden didn't want to leave. Four fifths were struck down by Hashem during the days of darkness, and even with the remaining Jews, the Medrash says that the Egyptians had to chase them out with sticks!
 
According to this, Hashem's reply to Moshe was the perfect answer! Moshe wanted to know why it's getting worse, so Hashem tells him, "you shall see that the Egyptians will need to chase out the Yidden with a strong hand (with sticks!) even after it has gotten so much worse!" In other words, if it wouldn't get worse now, how much more so would the Yidden not want to leave!
 
This is a profound lesson to understanding our struggle with the Yetzer Hara. For years we simply didn't want to leave Mitzrayim. We didn't have the willpower or the strength, and the temptations were too great. But Hashem didn't send us to this world to keep us in Mitzrayim. He wants to give each Jew a chance to do Teshuvah and break free of the servitude to the Yetzer Hara. And so, to awaken our hearts to a true and proper Teshuvah, Hashem makes it start to get WORSE just as we are ready to do Teshuvah. We start to have real pain from our addiction, our lives often start to fall apart and we feel ourselves falling even farther. And we ask Hashem; "WHY?!", since we came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, since we decided we want to do Teshuvah and break free of the Yetzer Hara's grasp, it has only gotten worse?! And the answer fm Hashem is that we didn't REALLY WANT to leave Mitzrayim yet. A person needs to "Hit Bottom" before they are ready to surrender to Hashem and finally let Hashem take us out of Mitzrayim. And "Hitting bottom" means that the person can no longer bear to live the way he has been living until now.
 
And that is what it says in this week's Parsha; "I will take them out from sivlus Mitzrayim". R' Bunim of Psische explains, what does the word "sivlus" mean? It means to tolerate, to accept, to swallow, to bear. Before Hashem can take a person out of Mitzrayim, he needs to first take him out from the SIVLUS Mitzrayim. In other words, one is not ready to leave Mitzrayim until he can no longer BEAR the enslavement of the Yetzer Hara.
 
To take this lesson to a practical level, we need to daven to Hashem every day that he take us out of the Sivlus Mitzrayim without it having to get worse. Our constant Teffilah to Hashem should be, that he should put into our hearts NOW, that we can no longer tolerate (be sovel) the Yetzer Hara.

Daven: "Help me Hashem to "hit bottom" without having to fall anymore, take me out of the SIVLUS MITZRAYIM and help me already today to hate the Yetzer Hara to the point where I can't bear it anymore.
 
And as soon as we reach that point, we are ready to leave Mitzrayim for good.

389.


Dear Members, the GuardUrEyes Forum is a vibrant community of Yidden determined to break the addiction and purify themselves. The amount of Teshuvah and Chizuk that goes on there every day is enough to banish the Yetzer Hara to the ends of the earth! If you haven't joined the forum yet, sign up today and begin to post a log of your struggles and progress every day.

Here are some recent inspiring posts:


'Boruch' Writes:

I have known for a long time what I know today, but such is man's ability to delude himself, and it was not until last Monday that I realized that I really was addicted. Until then I made excuses, Yetzer Hora, stress, occasional lapses, etc. When I discovered last Monday that I was indulging in forbidden activities and was unable to pull away despite very important scheduled commitments that I just let lapse, I knew that I was addicted. At that point I realized that half-hearted measures would not work anymore and I am now applying everything that I have, on every level, to break this addiction.

'Ano-nymous' Writes:

Just a couple months ago I thought I could never get to where I am now. I've found that the feelings of "I can't" are just an illusion created by the Yetzer Hara to keep people from an earnest attempt to quit. I had those feelings at the outset, and I just ignored them. I wish you all the success in the world. Every person who joins this forum and fights makes it easier for me to win when I am tempted. Thank you!


'Ben' Writes:

Remember what Hashem said to Yehoshua right after Moshe Rabbeinu died.  Yehoshua was about to embark on the conquest of Eretz Yisrael.  And Hashem said to him (among other things): "Did I not command you, be strong and have courage, do not fear and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  So how does this apply to us?  We are not conquering Eretz Yisrael.  No, indeed, but we are striving to conquer our own "holy land," our own bodies. Our bodies are "occupied" by the Y"H, which must be driven out.  So be strong and courageous in your battle with the Y"H, and remember that this is Hashem's battle!


'Gettinghelp' Writes:

B"H on all fronts things are really quite good. I find that my desires are not as strong as they were in the beginning. I am just waiting for the y'h to kick up his heels and try to trap me. I now have some new ways to avoid his traps, thanks to GUE. For instance, today I had a really late start and started to get upset and anxious over it. A perfect way to escape into the internet. But B'H I pushed myself and was able to get into a much better frame of mind. It was harder than I thought, but the minute I made up my mind not to give in, the positive energy I created within my neshema multiplied.


And 'Gettinghelp' writes to encourage another member:

Keep building your foundation of success. Each day of success is one more solid brick you are using to build a mansion that is you. A big beautiful home filled with shalom bayis and bracha after bracha. Each clean day makes me feel that much closer to my wife and kids, and therefore closer to Hashem. I think that all he (Hashem) really wants us to do is to use our minds and bodies as a means of getting closer and more in touch with our true selves, thus enabling a better and closer relationship with Hashem. It's so hard and painful at times to overcome past experiences that influence us today. But this is the life Hashem has given us to live, each one special and tailored, made for us and only us. We have the power within ourselves to reach levels of kedusha we never dreamed we could. Just by being on GUE, you have already reached a new level of kedusha!

390.


Announcement

We've started a new section on the forum for women. If you are a struggling woman, join today!

See here
for information on why this is a useful and important step.

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"Jack" posted on the forum to someone who is struggling with certain times of the week that he feels very vulnerable to falling:

Get a sponsor who you can call anytime and call him when you feel the urge coming on. Put your head between your knees and brace yourself. Bite into a sponge, go into a room where no one will hear you and scream your head off. Hit your bed with a tennis racket. Take a hammer and bang nails into some wood. I assure you, the urge will pass.

Even better, meditate. Slow down your thinking, concentrate on your breath. The urge will pass.

But yes, it will be back.

Do one, or all, of these things every time you have the urge. I am extremely serious. Call up your sponsor, first tell him you don't hate him, and then scream at him! You have to get rid of the urge somehow in a permissible manner. I used to get rid of it by masturbating, then I found the forum, and with it, I found a dedicated sponsor,
Elya K. I wonder if his ear still works after all the things I've said to him...

Seriously, try these things.

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"Battleworn" Posted:

I went around for 25 years thinking that I have a problem with self control. It was only recently that I realized that my self control is actually way above average. (When you're always fighting the addiction/drive, your self control gets a whole lot of exercise!) The problem is not at all with your self control, the problem is with the power of the addiction. And the only solution is to fight it consistently and completely. Behavior patterns and thought patterns cannot be changed suddenly. It takes thought, diligence and never giving up. It also takes a lot of Siyata Dishmaya, so be sure to daven as much as you can.

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"Be-holy" Posted:

Thank you, everyone. Last night I went to three shiurim. Reb Zvi Meir Zilberberg, a Shovavim shiur and then another chumash shiur. You guys make me feel like I'm not alone. This is crucial. Last night I had a gift of clarity while walking with a friend. The past was not there and we were just in the moment. This is a rarity for me. May we all go higher and higher everyday.

391.


Elya K
(our dedicated 12-Step phone conference moderator) offers below a Frum "10 Step Program" as an alternative to the 12-Step program, for anyone that - for whatever reason - doesn't feel the 12-Steps "talk to them".  Elya writes:

I just attended a convention with 650 people who were all working the 12 steps. Twenty of them were Frum Yidden. Some of these frum yidden have already 4-10 years of sobriety. They have completely saved their marriages and their lives by working the steps. Anyone who has this much sobriety and has NOT worked the steps, please raise your mouse and let us know about it. PLEASE! But if you insist on a "Frum" alternative, here's one that can perhaps have the same overall effect:

#1: Admit that you have a problem - you do, or you wouldn't be reading this.

#2: If you can't stop the problem on your own, think about the reasons/causes you can't, and then explore if you can find alternatives (to those causes).

#3: Find a friend (even from the forum), and either call or meet with them to discuss your struggle.

#4: Explore the root of your disease. Why are you doing this and not drinking or gambling?

#5: Do a Chesbon Hanefesh: Are you helping your fellow man? Are you holding grudges? Are you angry? The Torah says, anger is like worshiping Avodah Zorah. How do you get rid of the anger? How do fix your low self esteem? How do you get rid of fear? Discuss these issues with your friend or go to a counselor.

#6: Tell your friend everything you've done. Viduy!

#7: Learn mussar to perfect your character traits.  Take a different trait and work it for a full week, recording your progress.  Then do it over and over again. See the sefer "Chesbon Hanefesh" for details.

#8: Admit when you're wrong and make amends to anyone you've hurt.  We do this before Yom Kippur, but you can do it anytime.

#9: Now that you've learned mussar, made amends and done a Chesbon Hanefesh everyday, you should be a pretty sober person, healthy mentally and happy.

#10: Repeat #1-#9.

392.


A new warrior who calls himself "Boruch" has joined the forum. After coming to the realization that he is dealing with a full blown addiction, he is strongly determined to break free of it. We quoted him in e-mail #389 as saying:


"I now realize that half-hearted measures will not work anymore and I am now applying everything that I have, on every level, to break this addiction".

Boruch has begun a log of his journey on the "Wall of Honor" section of the forum. We encourage everyone to do he same. Here is Boruch's first inspiring post (edited a bit) that I think we can all learn from:

Thank you all for a life-saving and life-giving forum. Thank you Guard for caring and being there for all of us.

This will not be a journal about struggling daily with tempting situations and near misses. This will be a journal of a different type of struggle entirely. A struggle to steadfastly refuse to get caught up in the cat and mouse game of revolving door cycles of urges and relapses and to keep absolutely, totally and single-mindedly focused on the big picture --- developing day, by day, with Hashem's help, the inspiration, enthusiasm, strength, energy and determination to ultimately emerge completely victorious in a lifetime conquest of addiction, beginning today --- with no relapses.

Hashem should help me in my quest to achieve from today a lifetime conquest of addiction and to inspire others to strive for what they had best only dared to dream of. To achieve what they were totally convinced was impossible. With your Will Hashem, we should in great numbers prove that what many and even most had believed was impossible is really very doable if we only learn how to turn directly to You for Guidance and how to implement your Will, one step at a time.

In days of Old when Jews like ourselves desperately needed Guidance from Hashem they would approach the local novi or prophet who would show them how to use their personalities, gifts and talents to follow Hashem's Will and Plan. Today, sadly we have no nevi'im, prophets and so we cannot get access to such ready-made and customized Divine Prescriptions. 

However we still have a Torah, and if we know how - with Hashem's help, we can look directly and genuinely to the Torah for guidance and go much further than we ever dreamed was possible.

Perhaps the starting point can be the most striking description of extreme addiction that we find in Chaza"l (to my knowledge at least). The source is the Gemara in Avodo Zoro 17a dealing with Elazar ben Durdia, who, the Gemara tells us, was so addicted that there was no prostitute anywhere with whom he had not sinned at least once. 

As recorded by the Gemara, after a life of total and absolute failure to curb his worst instincts, he finally confronted his sexual addiction and cried out with tremendous intensity, "I have no one to rely on but myself" (Gem. Avodo Zoro 17a). He then put his head between his knees and began to weep, until he achieved such a complete Teshuvah that his soul left his body. (For in that short time, he was mesaken (fixed) all that he had come to the world to fix). The Gemara records that a voice from Heaven announced that Elazar had, in that moment, earned himself a prominent place in the World to Come. Rebbi (R' Yehuda Hanasi) adds that not only has Elazar ben Durdia earned himself a prominent place in the World to Come, additionally he is now referred to as Rebbe Elazar ben Durdia because he serves as a role model in the fight against addiction and in the power of teshuvah.

Inspired by the example of Rebbe Elazar ben Durdia and enlightened by the insight revealed by the Holy Tanna, Rav Yehuda Hanassi, my personal first step in fighting this addiction is: "Personal Responsibility" -- I take 100% ownership of my addiction.

393.


Yesterday, two great warriors on the forum hit
Level 6, their 70th day clean! They call themselves "BeHoly" and "Ano-nymous" - a Buchor. We are looking forward to making a big Le'chayim for them when they reach the 90 Day "Wall of Honor" chart.

They both posted very inspiring posts on the forum yesterday that we can all be inspired from:

"Beholy" Posted (edited for clarity):

Good morning fellow warriors. Battle log day 70 - be"h!!

Today is like no other, yesterday is gone, who knows about tomorrow? We are here today, that is why it is called "the present" - a gift from Hashem.

We have all done wrong in our lives (that we thought would bring us happiness), yet we had no happiness. We lived in fear and depression, yet we couldn't get out. We lived in shame and we saw no end. We yearned for closeness, but could not focus on what type of closeness our souls really yearned for.

To everyone reading this... Hashem will help us. We can gather strength together and fight our battles and win this war. But fighting is not enough, we need Torah and we need Emunah that Hashem is with us on the battlefield and will guide us through thick and thin.

What do we get from fighting this war? We get our lives back. We can feel Shabbos again. Torah has the opportunity to become sweet again. Our davening really talks to us. We don't live in shame. We can stand up with our friends and relatives and not feel like we are second class citizens always hiding something in the closet. We are not inferior to society as much as we used to think we were. These are just to name a few. Life becomes alive again.

Today is the day to make an advance on the enemy. We are half way through Shovavim, the clock is ticking. Today is one day closer to Moshiach, and this moment is the only thing we have. Let us gather strength together and take one day at a time. Not yesterday or tomorrow, but with tears in my eyes, I plead with you my fellow warriors, make that day be today! Seize the moment! We are living in erev moshiach, we don't have time to waste. Make that push today, for the sake of Hashem and for the sake of all that is dear to us. Believe that we can leave it behind and build a better future.

May we all stand together outside of Mitzrayim with our souls and bodies intact. May we be able to retain clarity as to what the Y"H really is (the #1 enemy), and may HASHEM grant us all the Siyatta Di'shmaya to get closer to him, one day at a time.

"Ano-nymous" Posted:

Well today is day 70. I really don't believe that I have come this far. I had never even gone 1 week clean, and now I will have completed my 10th week!! Yesterday was a hard day. The thoughts all invaded my head at once, and I couldn't completely resist them. But even though my head was full of poison, I refused to act on it. I kept fighting it until I fell asleep. I hope that after the 90 days have passed these kinds of attacks will become less frequent and less powerful. One thing I noticed is that the images, while still there (they may never go away), are much less vivid than they used to be, and I think that helped me fight it off.

Yidden! Hashem and all his Malachim are dancing with divine delight at the beautiful struggles of Yidden striving to come closer to Hashem. Start your journey today and join those Tzadikim who will be marching at the head of the line to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu any day!

394.


This Shabbos is perhaps the most powerful Shabbos of Shovavim since we read about Yetzias Mitzrayim. In a spiritual sense, everyone of us is given a chance this Shabbos to leave the Mitzrayim of the Yetzer Hara behind us once and for all.

I heard an adam Gadol speak this week, and he mentioned that the Beis Ahron of Karlin says that this Shabbos - Parshas Bo, a
Pesach (door) opens up already to the coming Pesach (Passover Holiday). And the adam Gadol also spoke about how a person has to stop being "Poseach al Shnei Hase'ifim" (as Eliyahu HaNavi asked Klal Yisrael - "until when will you hold on to both sides of the stick? If Hashem is G-d, go after him, and if the idols [read: Yetzer Hara], then go after them). Instead, he said, let us all fulfill the verse: "Pesach hu La'Hashem" and make a jump over to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, leaving all the foolishness behind us.

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"Struggling" Posted on the forum:

What I don't miss today about my addiction:

 - Feeling shame and guilt.
 - Trying to cover my tracks
 - Sneaking around and trying to think of excuses
 - Lying to the people I love and who love me!
 - Having to turn the sound off on my computer to quiet incoming messages or IMs.
 - Trying to think of ways to pay for my addictions without those dear to me finding out.

Instead, I feel clean and pure and have nothing to hide - because I don't!   

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"Me" replies:

Rabbi Nachman says that in order for a person to connect to Hashem on any level, this person must have Emunah, one must "believe" in Hashem. And R' Nachman explains that the #1 wall that prevents one from having Emunah in Hashem is.....SHEKER (Falsehood). If one has a need to live a life of lies, then this is proof that they are NOT relying on Hashem. They are not trusting in Hashem.... (and that is why they need to use lies).

So, the very first step in getting to Hashem (which is what we absolutely must do in order to heal ourselves from this sickness), is to work on the middah of EMES (Truthfulness).

So, the list you wrote above of lies, cover ups, hiding etc... we have all been there, and we know personally how terrible and shallow it has made us feel. Why? Because we were as far as we could be from our Father in Heaven..... and all because of the Sheker.

So, when we miss out on the middah of Emes, we totally miss out on our kesher with Hashem.

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"Mevakesh" Replies:

Thank you "Me", what a great perspective!

Yes, those "bad old days" of living a lie are OVER, and I am not afraid of my own shadow anymore! I love my wife more and she loves me more! I am a better father and a better person. Most of all, I am a better Jew. I don't need to rationalize anymore. I can LIVE! I can LIVE FREE! I can LIVE THE TRUTH!

Hashem is great! His Torah is great! His people are great!

Chazak V'Ematz!
395.


Here are excerpts from an inspiring post by "Boruch" on the forum (edited a bit for clarity):


Until recently, deep down, I believed that I was really in control and if only I wanted to enough... But that was the critical error. Because what I thought was my single greatest strength, "if only I wanted to enough", was my single greatest weakness. Because I indeed could only do things if I really wanted them enough, and that was why, much as I tried, I was so out of control.

At that moment, and I speak here not of theories and hypotheses but of deep and searing personal experience, I realized that I had gotten so out of control and had sunk to such depths, that that Monday night 12 days ago, when it was time for a certain publicly observed mitzvah that was extremely important to me, much as I wanted to break free and much as I had every incentive and enjoyment to be involved in that mitzvah, I was imprisoned, hiding in isolation, viewing forbidden material, unbeknown to anyone, my accountability partner included, and much as I tried to break away, the mitzvah came and went and I was unable to do anything about it.

So what did I do? Well, I have many faults, but wallowing in self-doubt and despair is not my problem, Baruch Hashem. So I did the one thing that I knew I needed to do. I knew that I needed to do teshuva. Not the motions of teshuva. Not, what for me, with my personality and background, would be a half-baked, temporary let's see how it goes, baby steps teshuva. But a teshuva that proclaimed from the depths of my soul:
"horeisa derech teshuva l'amcho Yisroel - you have taught the path of teshuvah to your nation, Israel". You, Hashem, have showed us the way to Teshuva in your Torah. The words of your Holy Torah are Eternal and can be applied ABSOLUTELY AND LITERALLY IN EVERY GENERATION, if only we do teshuva as you have told us to, Hashem, "bechol levovcho uvchol nafshecho - with all your heart and all your soul". 

I said, somewhere deep down in my heart, Hashem, you have taught us through your Chossid, Rabbenu Yonah, that for frequent and addicted sinners, after a fall, there is no time and no place for
"charotto - regret", and that the absolute total focus is to first do a complete "Azivas Hachet - to abandon the sin" with all one's heart, for life, once and for all, right here and right now.

I cannot explain it, other than to say
"HaBo LeTaher Messayin Osso min Hashomayim - He who comes to be purified is helped from Heaven", how I even got such feelings. Obviously, years of mussar and inspiration do not really ever go down any drainage system. But thanks to Hashem, deep within me I heard the stirrings of a lifetime commitment with no relapses at all. Of course, I knew that in implementation, it would be not just "one day at a time" but sometimes as little as "one second at a time", but deep down I felt that I was developing a commitment for life.

And so I went out there and did everything that would come to mind. I confessed to my accountability partner. I signed up on the forum. I divulged my addiction to the therapist I was seeing for ADD treatment. I built up a fearful array of filters and accountability software which I have further, extended and fortified in these last 11 days. And I put everything I had into the enterprise.

And in the past days, I have been building and growing my commitment and building and growing my sobriety, and I really became convinced that with Hashem's Kindness I would be able to follow through on my internal notions of a lifetime commitment.

396.


"Habib613" posted on the forum:


I'm starting to feel the yetzer hara following me around, telling me how disgusting and fake I am. I am trying not to let it get to me. I am fighting.

Reply:

Never let the Yetzer hara tell you that you are fake. Chaza"l say that Moshe Rabbeinu was wondering in what merit the Yidden could leave Mitzrayim, since he had seen that they were steeped in the 49th level of impurity. So Hashem showed Moshe Rabbeinu the burning bush to show him that even when a Jew is bare as a thorn bush, he has a burning fire inside him. And no matter how low a Jew falls, he always has a great holiness and yearning deep down that is just waiting to burst into flames. The moment a Jew decides he wants to become better, he becomes alight with a flame of G-dliness.

And listen to this: Chaza"l say (in Kiddushin), that if a Rasha Gamur marries a women on the condition that he is a Tzadik Gamur, she is indeed married to him since we say that maybe the Rasha had a thought of Teshuvah when he made the condition. Do you realize what this means? This means that with ONE thought of sincere Teshuvah, a Jew can turn himself from a Rasha Gamur to a Tzadik Gammur!!

"Habib613" replies:

That's really interesting actually - that one thought of real teshuva can turn someone into a tzaddik gamur. The only problem is, we are always doing to teshuva - admitting, regretting, resolving never to do it again. I myself have done it countless times. But I always went back to my old ways. I truly feel like a faker. On the outside everyone thinks I'm erlich. But on the inside though, there is constant turmoil, a never ending fight between physical desires and a desire to serve Hashem. Liars are a to'eva (abominable) to Hashem, right? Well I am a liar, in every sense of the word. I am trying really hard to make my life into a life of Emes (truth), but for the time being, it's still a lie. And so I feel I am disgusting to Hashem. 

Reply:

Chas veshalom to think you are disgusting to Hashem! Hashem loves you more than you can imagine. And the truth is, any human being that is not a Tzadik Gamur still has Sheker inside them. As long as the Yetzer Hara is in our hearts, as long as we don't live every second with full Emunah, as long as we don't spend our every waking minute serving Hashem with all our beings - we are, in a sense, liars. All of us are embroiled in a "never ending fight between physical desires and a desire to serve Hashem" (as you so eloquently wrote). That is why Hashem created humans as opposed to only creating Malachim. He created the Yetzer Hara for the purpose of us being able to grow. And it's all worth it in the end for people like you, Jews who are genuinely yearning to break free of the Yetzer Hara and come closer to Hashem. That is the whole purpose of all this sheker, because there is nothing as beautiful in Hashem's eyes as that.

The first step to becoming better is "Hakaras Hara" - recognizing the bad. Most people don't even recognize it and therefore never even take the first step. Hashem has granted you vision to see the bad, recognize it, and cry out that you want to LEAVE it. That is already a high level.

I just saw this past week in Rav Tzvi Meyer's sefarim on Hischazkus (parshas Shemos - Shovavim) that sometimes a person didn't even have full bechirah in the past, and his sins were like a "Shogeg" (mistake) . But the Yetzer Hara always tries to make him feel that his "Shogeg" was a "Meizid" (purposeful) so that he will get down and give up hope.

Never let the past or future concern you at all. Live only in the moment. If that is the ONE thing you learn from the entire GuardUrEyes network, it will have been worth it.

Hashem understands how hard it is. He put you in this struggle so you could learn how to love him truly, one step at a time. And each time you make a new push for it, each time you do any small thing to try and get holier and break free, it gives Hashem tremendous nachas ruach and it does much more than you can imagine in helping you to ultimately break free forever.

397.


In this weeks Parsha we read about Kriyas Yam Suf - the splitting of the sea. Even after the Yidden had left Mitzrayim, Pharaoh chased after them. And they would have indeed been lost if not for the Emunah and Messiras Nefesh of Nachshon Ben Aminadov, who Chaza"l say went into the water up to his nose before the Yam Suf finally split and the Yidden were saved.

Each one of us can experience our own personal Kriyas Yam Suf. Indeed, even after we have left the Mitzrayim of addiction behind us, the Yetzer Hara continues to chase after us and try to drag us back into Mitzrayim. He asks as Pharaoh did: "How could we have let the Bnei Yisrael out from our servitude?".

And it is only with pure faith and Messiras Nefesh, like Nachson ben Aminadov, that we can be successful in truly breaking free of the Yetzer Hara's grasp forever.

But as long as we still haven't done all we can on our own, Hashem says to us
"Ma Titzak Elai? Daber El Binei Yisrael Ve'Yisa'u! - Why do you cry out to me, tell the Children of Israel to move forward!". One may ask, "Where should the Yidden have gone, into the sea??" And the answer is, YES. Hashem indeed asks of us Messiras Nefesh and Emunah in our personal struggles to break free of the Yetzer Hara. Even if it looks hopeless and we don't believe we will succeed, we must MOVE FORWARD and do all we can with complete trust in Hashem (even if what we are doing seems insignificant to achieving the goal).

So how do we fulfill
"Ve'yisa'u -Move Forward"? We must be ready to enter into the deep waters of commitment by doing things that take what feels like Messiras Nefesh. This includes putting in strong filters (and giving the password to someone else), telling someone close to us about our struggles and being brutally honest with ourselves and with Hashem. And when we have done all we can and then we cry out to Hashem "Hatzilaini, Ki Ba'u Mayim Ad Nafesh - Save me, for the waters have come until my soul!", at that moment "Hashem Yilachem Lachem Ve'atem Tacharishun - Hashem will fight for you and you shall be silent" and we shall experience a miracle as great as the splitting of the sea!

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Someone brought to our attention a wonderful accountability system that was set up by frum Yidden, for Frum Yidden. It uses the well known "Eye Covenant" technology, but it is being offered at a large discount price. Check out www.webchaver.org.

Sign up today and let this be your first jump into the Yam Suf!

398.


A beautiful post from "Chasdei Avos" on
the forum (after not hearing from him for a few months):

I am indebted to everyone here for all eternity, because bli ayin hora with ezras Hashem always, I have been clean almost as a whistle, since rosh chodesh Elul. Hashem should continue to give us all the strength we need.

Around Elul time I lost my job, and although I was not unhappy bec I really didn't enjoy it that much, I got down and frustrated a lot. However, I spent a few hours each day writing and reading on this web site. Since then, I feel like I have broke free (hopefully from the menuval). I now see that I must kiss Hashem and hug Him a trillion times for giving me the opportunity to be unemployed so that I could spend time on this website. I davened for many years that I should overcome this particular Y"H, and now, (as Hashem always does, we just don't always see it), Hashem answered my tefillos by taking away my job, so I could focus on this addiction (which I never ever thought was an addiction until I came to this website) and now I see the Yad Hashem. 

Part of what has been working for me is a complete ban on TV, no matter how clean the show or movie is. For me, just getting near a TV (with cable) is dangerous. So I have not even watched 2 mins of TV Bezras Hashem since then. The hardest is on vacation, where I always used to kick back and watch a movie. But I realized that would be too dangerous. Not to mention that the hotel TV's are X rated even if you don't officially watch anything X rated, because just scrolling is terrible.

Thank you all and thank You Hashem, and please let our struggles (not just our victories) be a zchus for all sick and jobless in the world.

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"Jack" Posted:

To the people that think they are not doing well because they are still falling: it is a process. In the beginning of the process, you think you're not doing well because you still fall. But falling and getting up is PART OF THE PROCESS. What do you think, you start right away with no falls? I fell for 38 years, until I finally, finally, was ready to stop falling. Have patience, and you WILL SUCCEED. In the yomim noraim davening it says "ad yom MOSO techakeh lo letshuva - until the day of his death, he waits for him to do Teshuvha". I hope it doesn't take you as long as it took me, but be prepared for the long haul, and be prepared that it's going to be hard. And don't think about tomorrow.

"Mevakesh" Responds to "Jack":
 
Dear Jack. I read your words, and it brings tears of joy to my eyes and heart! Just a few months short ago you didn't believe that you could change. You thought the Yetzer Hara had you in his wicked net forever! Yet, with hard work, Emunah and perseverance, you are here today a changed man, telling others that IT CAN BE DONE!!!

WOW! You are awesome Jack! A real Tzaddik!

"Jack" Responds to "Mevakesh":


Dear mevakesh until 120, may Hashem shower you with blessings ad bli dai! As you know, I agree with everything you said except one thing - I dont think that you should call me a tzadik. I really look for the truth and i'm really not a tzadik - just trying  to be one.

Response to "Jack" from GUE:

Jack it, won't help you. "Trying to be one" is what ALL Tzadikim do :-) Listen to this, I once heard an amazing vort. It says - "Zeh Hashar laHashem Tzadikim Yavo'u Vo - This is the gate to Hashem, Tzadikim will enter in it". The question is, WHAT IS "Zeh Hashar"? The answer is found in Pasuk before that says "Pischu li Sharei Tzedek avo vum Odeh Ka - Open for me the gates of righteousness, I shall enter them and praise Hashem"... When a person feels that he is still outside the gates and is begging Hashem to let him in saying: "Pischu Li" then "Zeh Hashar" - that precisely IS the "Shar" (gate) to Hashem of all true Tzadikim. (But those who feel they already ARE Tzadikim are missing the boat :-)

399.


I want to share with you a beautiful story of recovery that someone posted on www.jewishsexuality.com. The story contains tips and ideas that can help us all in this struggle, but what I found the nicest about it, is the simple no-nonsense outlook that the writer has, accepting the fact that Hashem put us in this situation for a reason, and that with hard work -and over time- we can fully break free.

Along a similar vein (to this outlook), someone recently shared with us a beautiful Shiur that offers some really important perspective and YESODOS in dealing with these struggles (many of the ideas are from the Steipler). I hope to send some Chizuk e-mails in the future about the main points of the Shiur, but whoever would like to listen to it can download it from here -
very highly recommended!

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I am a religious orthodox person who has grown up with a religious (frum) education and social circle but tragically fell victim to internet pornography at about 16 years of age.

Two years of yeshiva followed by further education, and until recently I really struggled with internet pornography.

I am a very sensitive and spiritual person. I also have many good qualities and have seen many wonderful opportunities and employment taken away from me - as a consequence of low self esteem and low confidence that has resulted from pornography. It has been so severe the I have twice become depressed and suffered great mental anguish and pain. 

However, in hindsight, these are some of the moments that now give me the greatest STRENGTH and DETERMINATION to remain clean.

I always felt that I had inner power of strength and determination, but truth be told I did not understand what such qualities (and blessings) really were... until now.

For many years, the temptations of internet pornography were too strong to resist on a weekly if not daily basis. I often think about the quantity and quality of time that could have been better spent, in addition to the waste of holy seed. I always made an effort to correct my ways, but grew complacent.

However, through light meditation and heartfelt prayer on a regular basis, I was able to slowly but surely intensify both personal power and my decision making ability to recover from this problem. The pornography had become a habit that possessed me for many years, day and night, but I knew that G-d, Hashem (Bless His Name) wanted me (like He does every one of his people) to correct my misdeeds and recover from this temporary sickness.

Internet pornography may be difficult to resist, but my personal story and reflection PROVES that any person CAN and MUST gain confidence in him or herself and increase oneself in EMUNAH (belief) through light meditation and prayer.

Baruch Hashem I am now able to honestly and with dignity say that I feel ready, strong, healthy (emotionally and mentally) and close to Hakadosh Barach Hu to pray for and - PLEASE G-D - be blessed with a suitable women to marry under the chupah.

May Hakadosh Barach Hu bless you and grant you success and energy in your endeavors and effort in acheiving a Teshuva Shleimah.

"Part 2" (more tips from this writer) will be sent tomorrow IY"H.

400.


Someone recently shared with us a beautiful Shiur from Rabbi Yisroel Reisman 
Shlit"a that offers some very important perspective and YESODOS in dealing with these struggles (many of the ideas are from the Steipler). We strongly encourage everyone to download the Shiur from here and listen to it.

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Yesterday we sent out a beautiful story of recovery that someone posted on www.jewishsexuality.com. Below, the author shares tips and advice on how he succeeded to break free of this addiction.


What a person needs when struggling with desires or temptations that are self destructive physically and spiritually, is primarily STRENGTH and DETERMINATION. Ultimately, the aim is to live your own life in accordance to HASHEM'S RATZON (will).

Strength is best defined as persistence in overcoming obstacles and avoiding to meet the enemy on the same path. We all have personal challenges and problems, but how to respond is the key to the success. The main purpose of life is freewill - CHOICE (bachira). A person needs to understand the root of each behavior and action, i.e. the cause of the desire, and the desire itself. This is best understood through internalization, by way of meditation and prayer. Determination follows from the above.

In the repentance (Teshuva) process there are three main stages: CONFESSION, FORSAKING SIN, and REGRET.


Once a person forsakes the sin and resists the temptation that is clearly evil and self harmful, only then can the determination to abandon such harmful misdeeds really kick-in.

Of course, the temptation is extremely strong and to be able to resist wrongdoing is painful at first, especially once it has become a habit. It is important to know though, that the strength of the desire to sin is more powerful at first due to the fact that the root of the sin has not yet been corrected, i.e. through complete repentance. 

However, prior to any chance of the possibility of overcoming temptation, a person needs to make a firm DECISION and take measures or make barriers not to cross the RED LINE. Simply consider the CONSEQUENCES in both the short and long term. These may include loss of self esteem and destroyed confidence, which ultimately negatively affects personal relationships, employment, life-opportunities, etc... and can go as far as leading to broken marriages, G-d forbid.

All of the above should be applied on a momentary basis. That is, for some people such a decision or act of strength (gevurah) may be once a week, every day or even on an hourly basis.

It is vital that if a person slips up, G-d forbid, that he retain a positive attitude and perceive it not as failure or weakness but as a step forward.

In such circumstance, such a person must make every endeavor to immerse in a ritual bath (mikveh) at the earliest opportunity. It is taught that a person should ideally stay under the waters (when immersed) for at least a few seconds and to concentrate (kavanah) on Teshuva as part of the repentance process.

Understand further that when a person has immersed in the waters (of the mikveh) in addition to a purification, it is also a change in status from impure to pure.

This is an opportunity for such a person to follow by praying with the depths of one's heart and to call out - ideally with tears, as part of the repentance (teshuva) process.

Such a person is truly on the way to making progress and building a foundation of strength and determination, which will ultimately bring them closer to Hashem.

Please understand that this typically does take time to 'learn oneself'. The objective, in summary, is to understand the root of the misdeed in order to find inner power and strength to take responsibility - via a strong decision - and to better one's life by being much closer to G-d, Hakadosh Barach Hu, who has blessed His holy sons and daughters with an ongoing opportunity for TESHUVA. 

RECOMMENDED READING: The Gates of Repentance (Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona), Waters of Eden (Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan), The Garden of Emunah (Rav Shalom Arush/Rabbi Lazer Brody).

RECITE 10 CHAPTERS OF TEHILLIM (CONCENTRATE!): 16, 32, 41 ,42, 59, 77 ,90, 105, 137 ,150)

I sincerely pray that you find INSPIRATION (chizuk) and BLESSING (baracha) in your yearning for strength and determination to become close to Hakadosh Barach Hu.