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It says in the Sefarim that Zos Chanukah is the G'mar - the sealing of the judgement and the last chance for those who still haven't been able to do Teshuvah since Rosh Hashana...
I wanted to share something from personal experience. For years, I had difficulty to avoid peeling scabs on Shabbos, even though it is prohibited. No matter how many times I tried to stop, I kept finding myself touching scabs on my face or head, and once I started touching them with my fingernails, it was impossible to resist scraping them off. One day, a tragedy occurred in my community and everyone was asked to strengthen themselves in one area. I made a shvuah that for a half a year I would not let my fingernails touch my head on Shabbos, unless I needed to scratch an itch. I found that this really worked. As long as I didn't start touching the scabs with my fingernails, it was not even a test!
I think we can apply the same to Shmiras Einayim. So many of us keep trying and falling in this area. We make kabalos and keep starting over, but we somehow never seem to be able to hold it for long. But what if we could somehow AVOID the nisayon in some small way, like not "touching" the scabs in the example above?
Let us try to make one small Kabala on this special day of Zos Chanukah, that for one month we will try our very best not to look outside of our 4-Amos when walking in the street. You see, as long as we are used to looking all around, it is like touching the scabs. It becomes almost impossible to resist gazing at things we shouldn't. But if we manage to "stay out of the boxing rink" and keep our eyes down whenever we are outside, the nisayon becomes SO MUCH easier to deal with!
It is true that this Kabala won't help for everything. It won't work for when we are on the computer, and it is also hard to implement when we are driving behind the wheel in our cars and are forced to keep our eyes up on the road. But let us start at least with this one small - but powerful - Kabala, that as long as we are WALKING outside we will keep our eyes down within our own 4 cubits and focus on just getting done whatever it is that we set out to do, and avoid being "tourists".
From experience, this plan works wonders. As long as our eyes aren't darting everywhere it becomes so much easier to succeed in Shmiras Einayim on the street! What once seemed impossible is now within reach.
May we all succeed in doing real Teshuva and giving our hearts to Hashem on this special day.
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Still Clean
