~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GuardYourEyes Chizuk E-Mail (No. 1231)  

Getting stronger every day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Follow us on Twitter

 

In Today's Issue  

  • 12-Step Recovery: Step 4 (p. 4)
     
  • Torah Attitude: GYE Principle 12
     
  • Audio of the Day: The Sacred Seed of Life

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

 

One-liner

  

 Keep your sobriety first to make it last. 

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

 

Category: 12-Step Recovery

  

Step Four

Part 4

 

By Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

 

Rabbi Yisrael Pinson is the Director of the Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House in West Bloomfield, MI. Since joining the Friendship House he has helped create a local Jewish Recovery Community where recovering addicts are helped through support, guidance, friendship and community.  

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

 

Category: Torah Attitude

 

GYE Principle 12: 

Catching ourselves as we slip

 

(Click here for the previous principles)

 

Even if we started to slip, we can achieve the greatest levels of Kedusha by stopping ourselves from sliding further. The Sefarim write that the Nachas Ruach we give to Hashem by holding back even when we feel that "we already blew it", is even greater than when we successfully avoid the tests in the first place.

 

Perhaps the greatest illustration of this is Yosef Hatzadik. The Gemara (Sotah 36b) says that Yosef actually came to Potifar's house to sin (as Rashi brings). And the Gemara goes on to say that he actually spilled some seed at the time, thereby losing ten Shevatim that were supposed to come from him. And when after all that, he still held back from sinning, he became the great Yosef Hatzadik!

 

R' Tzadok explains that this is what really constituted the great test. The Satan said to Yosef: "Don't you see that you already messed everything up? Don't you realize what a goner you are? Your brothers hate you and sold you to Mitzrayim, nobody cares about you anymore. You're lost and cut off from this world and the next. And now you've failed so badly. Face the facts, it's over!"

 

But Yosef 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 very moment? What does my Father in Heaven want from me right now?" And it was in that zechus that he merited everything. And Chazal say that even the splitting of the Yam Suf was in Yosef's merit!

 

So, if we want to split our own personal Yam Suf, this is one of the greatest Yesodos to keep in mind! 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Discuss these ideas with your friends on the forum. See this and other articles on your Personal Homepage (log-in required).

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

Audio of the Day


 

 Guarding the Sacred Seed of Life

By: Rabbi YY Jacobson

 

Guarding Your Seed of Eternity: The Jewish Perspective on How to Respect the Procreative Seed of Life

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

Hard Copy of the GYE Handbook

 
If you find it hard to read the
and you feel you would have a lot to benefit from a hard copy,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Help Us Help Others!

 

Please help support our work so we can continue to help acheinu b'nei Yisrael!

Secure On-line Donations here

(Anonymous recurring credit card donations possible)

To donate by phone, call (24 hours): 718-878-3075 


Checks can be made out to: "GYE Corp." and mailed to:

GYE Corp.

P.O. Box 32380 

Pikesville, MD 21282

U.S.A.

Donations are tax deductible.


 

Quick Links 

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


Our Websites 

~~~~~~~~~~

Guardyoureyes.com - Helping thousands break free

GYE Prevention - Shmiras einayim & resources for parents & educators

Venishmartem.com - Find the best filters for any device!

 

Help spread the word. Print this flyer!

- GYE Poster

 

Important Links

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

The GuardYourEyes Handbook - Breaking Free of Lust Addiction, Step by Step.

Browse previous E-Mails 

Contact Us  

Haskamos

Join Our Mailing List
If you have been forwarded this e-mail by a friend, click above to join the list!