Am I a Failure?

Q. I'm failing in guarding myself from mental stimulation and I have not been able to control my eyes properly. I keep fantasizing about whoever is dressed immodestly on the street.

A. Dear spiritual soldier! Don't be discouraged. You should know that guarding the eyes and the mind is a constant work. …

How can I ever start again fresh?

Q. I stopped looking at forbidden things a while ago. But they are still in my memory. Even if I do teshuva, my aveiros can never be erased completely. The eraser marks will still be there. The images are implanted in my memory and will never go away. I'm sick over it. Your website is like a rope being thrown to …

"Va'Yishman Yeshurun Va'Yivat"
And the Jewish people became fat and kicked

A person who just found out that he has a serious disease, for example, or someone who is ill, in pain, or just lost a large sum of money, it's unlikely that he would be having a difficult struggle with shmiras ainayim or improper thoughts at that time. Suddenly these type of desires would have no meaning; they become irrelevant in light of "more important matters" at hand. It's only …

The Gemara in Sotah (9a) says:

"One who puts his eyes on that which is not his, not only will he not achieve his desires, but he will lose even that which he has."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are commanded to bring the Korban Tamid in the Beis Hamikdash twice a day. The Torah uses the following words; "zeh ha'ishe asher takrivu la'hashem – this is the fire …

The Messiras Nefesh of a Simple Jew

 
We think we have it hard with Shmiras Ainayim and Shmiras Habris. And sometimes we do. But read this article and see the mesirus nefesh and love for Hashem's mitzvos of a simple Jew, just 65 years ago.
It makes me ashamed.

Preparing for Test Times & Test Zones

If shmiras ainayim seems so hard sometimes, let's take a moment and think about "how often are we really tested each day?" Most of us will find that we have tests in shmiras ainayim only a few times a day, for relatively short periods of time. If we look at these tests in the context of 24 hours, it's really not that much of the day that we are being tested. That alone should gird us with strength …

The Power of Vows
We all know that using "vows" is like playing with "fire". Yet, the Zohar in Parshas Yisro (on the third commandment about not swearing falsely in the name of G-d) writes:
 
"A vow to fulfill a commandment of his Master, this is a truthful vow (like someone who swears truthfully in court), like it says "Ubishmo Tishave'ah – and in his name you shall swear". When the Yetzer Hara is tempting a man and enticing him …

IT'S NOT WHAT WE SEE, IT'S WHAT WE THINK

 
A friend of mine told me a story that happened with him. He is a a Sefardic man, a Ba'al Teshuvah, who was sitting and learning Torah for many years in Kollel. He has a very strong Emunah and is very humble. About 12 years ago, he discovered a hidden Tzadik in Tel Aviv who was acting as the Gabai of a small Bet Knesset in the …

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
… Lao-tzu (Chinese philosopher)

True Purity in the area of Shmiras Ainayim and Shmiras Habris is a great achievement in today's world, and for some people it may look very far off. But take that first step today; you will get there in the end! Every time you say no to the Yetzer Hara, no matter how insignificant it seems, you have taken another step.
…

"Where Will I Be Tomorrow?"

Chaza"l say; "Repent one day before you die" which is explained to mean that one should repent every day, since no one knows when his day will come.
 
When surrounded by all the illusionary desires of this world, it is easy to lose sight of our priorities in life. But one way to stay strong is to keep asking ourselves, "Will I be alive tomorrow? Am I satisfied with my spiritual progress, that if I should be called to meet my maker now I would not be …