Thursday, July 24, 2008

Question & Answer With My Yetzer Hara - Shmiras Einayim In The Summer


My Yetzer Hara asks:

After you got rid of your television you are trying to tell me that you are actually attempting to guard your eyes in the summertime; the time of year when shmiras einayim is the most difficult? Do you actually think that you of all people have the will power not to slip in this area at least once or twice a day? Don't you realize what you will miss seeing over the course of your lifetime if you don't use your eyes to see all of Hashem's creations? You never used to have a problem looking at such things - do I need to go back through your historical files and pull up some examples? Why are you making such a big deal of this now? Do you really think you are better than others?

A Simple Jew answers:

Like countless other people, I have gotten trapped by your questions in the past. You craftfully come up with new angles and approaches that catch me off guard and trip me up from time to time. Yet, from your tactics I also learn how to wage a successful battle against you. While my yetzer tov sends a single inclination for kedusha into my brain, you repeatedly nag me with questions and attempt to have me second guess my motives. I will not attempt to answer all the questions you posed above; sometimes no answer is also an answer.

17 Comments:

At July 24, 2008 at 7:31:00 AM EDT, Blogger yitz said...

Kol HaKavod, beautiful post, spot on!

 
At July 24, 2008 at 7:33:00 AM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

Thank you, Yitz! :)

 
At July 24, 2008 at 8:16:00 AM EDT, Blogger Neil Harris said...

What a brilliant and true post.
Understanding that is as a "battle" in terms of our closeness to Kedusha is something that many people just don't grasp. Well done.

 
At July 24, 2008 at 8:17:00 AM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

It's nice to know I finally wrote something that resonated with others.

 
At July 24, 2008 at 11:19:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The title of this post made me laugh so hard I almost did a spit take. Great post. Thanks.

 
At July 24, 2008 at 11:49:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent!
And I hope to reach your madreiga! My YH outmaneuvers me so often that it’s pathetic. I can almost see him rolling his eyes every time I fall for his same old arguments; it's not even a challange for him. It’s embarrassing – shouldn't I see him coming a mile away?!

 
At July 24, 2008 at 12:14:00 PM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

Chabakuk Elisha: In what area does he attack you most frequently?

 
At July 24, 2008 at 12:24:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

He's all over the place: Davening with minyan...Gossip...Bittul Torah...Anger...You name it
:-/

 
At July 25, 2008 at 12:01:00 AM EDT, Blogger Ehav Ever said...

I really like this post in that it is simple and it points the angles that we own up to our own personal Yetzer Hara. I also like the response in terms of how the Yetzer Hara comes up with various angles. I have found that true of my own, taking things into different angles to get me to look past what is my real responsibility. All said and done good post and good response.

 
At July 25, 2008 at 12:02:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks. the battle with the yetzer hara is on going. Views such as this keeps us going forward, as we know we are not alone.
From:A believing gentile

 
At July 25, 2008 at 4:42:00 AM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

I will have to drag my yetzer hara back for some more Q&A postings so I can use him for the good once again. Thanks for all your feedback.

 
At July 25, 2008 at 10:35:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tell your yetzer it needs a vacation. It's been working so hard and deserves time off.

 
At July 25, 2008 at 7:26:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is enough language I'm not familiar enough I'm not able to translate it all out, but this seems relevant:

בחודש תמוז היה רבינו להזכיר את הא דאיתא מהאריז"ל על הפסוק ויהיה כמשלש חדשים שחדשי טבת וחצי שבט ותמוז וחצי אב שהם ביחד ג' חדשים הם החדשים הנמוכים ביותר, שאז צריכים להשמר ביתר שאת מפני התגברות הטומאה, שאז עלולים להכשל גם במה שנזהרים בכל השנה, ואז היצר בועד כתנור, והאדם שיוצא אז לרחוב איננו עוד אותו שאדם שהיה קודם לכן. וראוי להסתתר בבית המדרש כל היום כדי שישהה במקום קדוש ויהיה לו למחסה ומסתור, וימנה עצמו בכל יכלתו מלהלך ברחוב המלא טומאה וזוהמה, ואפיךו בבית הכסא לא ישהה יותר מן ההכרח כיון שהוא מקום טומאה.

Halichos Chaim, Moadim

P.S. Thanks for the heads up about Halichos Chaim on Seder HaYom. It showed up Wednesday. :) :) :)

 
At July 27, 2008 at 4:15:00 PM EDT, Blogger Schvach said...

Superb post. Like you and many of
the commentators, my YH gets me all the time, despite my best efforts to thwart its machinations. I too have
tossed my TV into the garbage, where it belongs.

 
At July 27, 2008 at 8:30:00 PM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

Thanks for sharing that, Yirmeyahu.

Shvach: I appreciate your feedback.

 
At June 11, 2009 at 1:10:00 PM EDT, Blogger chanie said...

Kol hakavod, really nice post. :)
(baruch shelo asani gever :P)

 
At June 16, 2009 at 9:18:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Levi Yitzchock said...

Wonderful post, I too have to deal with this every day.

 

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