We might have a tendency to think that after Rosh Hashana and Yom-Kippur when we worked so hard and achieved spiritual heights, the Yetzer Hara won't bother us for a while. But it is exactly the other way around. Precisely when there is so much spirituality and closeness to Hashem going on, the Yetzer Hara works over time.

Therefore, please dear Yidden. To make sure we don't lose all that was gained in the past month, we all need to be on the highest alert. After having been chased away during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, the Yetzer Hara comes back with a vengeance these days. There are many pressures now, work related, financial... we need to build a Sukkah, buy Arba Minim. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. And it is often these very emotions which trigger the addiction again. So we need to be on the highest alert and say to ourselves: "No matter how low or vulnerable I may feel now, physically OR spiritually, this is ONE DESIRE I have already decided that I am giving up to Hashem!"

Even if you find yourself slipping in other areas, such as eating too much, sleeping too much, lack of patience with the family, etc... and the Yetzer Hara says to you - "what's the use? You already lost that spiritual high from Yom-Kippur, give it up!" He'll do anything to make us fall into the addiction again, he'll make us feel spiritually low in other areas as well. But it is really THIS area that he wants us to fall in, more than anything else! Because he knows that if we fall here, he has us wrapped around his little finger.

So ignore the falls in other places for now. Stay committed to this one thing and shout in your heart, "I am NEVER going back there again! This desire is my one true sacrifice to Hashem!".

And if you overcome and chase him away, you will find that all the other areas you thought you were slipping in as well, were really no big deal. You will be able to quickly climb back up and will experience the true joy of the coming Yom-Tov!

Today most commercial flying is done on a radio beam. A directional beam is produced to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he keeps on this beam he knows that he is safe, even if he cannot see around him for fog, or get his bearings in any other way.

Rabbi Mordichai Lechovitcher, one of the great Chassidic masters once said "How bitter is the world when one lies inside it, and how good is the world when one is on top of it".

A Jew who is bound to his desires and cannot break free, feels a darkness in all he does. He can't appreciate the everyday beauty of the world and the harmony in nature. He can't appreciate the beauty of Yiddishkeit, or even of his own family. Everything he experiences has a bitter taste. However, the minute that one is master over his sexual desires, the world is suddenly so different. One can suddenly appreciate the beauty of a Shabbos and bask in the joy of Yom-Tov. One can finally look at his family and praise Hashem for having given him such beautiful children. He can finally appreciate his wife in the proper manner. He can suddenly see the kindness of Hashem wherever he turns.

How fortunate is one who masters these temptations, not just in the next world, but in this world too!

Here's a personal understanding of a brocha that I concentrate on each and every ma'ariv:

ki fodoh Hashem es Yaakov, ug'alo miyad chozok mimenu -

What's chozok mimenu? Well, my addiction is inexorable, cunning, baffling and powerful - certainly much stronger than I. And He redeems me from it every single day, so far.

Do you have a problem with obsessive and compulsive porn use? Have you seriously tried the tools on GYE and feel that you are not getting better? Maybe it’s time to consider joining a 12-Step program.

Porn Anonymous (PA)
If you’re compulsively acting-out with pornography and masturbation we suggest you explore joining Porn Anonymous (PA). If you need help deciding whether to join PA, call Michael at 347-699-2368, or email help@pornanonymous.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit pornanonymous.org (Hebrew: p-a.org.il / Yiddish: pa-yid.org).

Sexaholics Anonymous (SA)
If your compulsive acting-out has progressed beyond the screen (with other people, paid sexual services, etc.) we suggest you explore joining Sexaholics Anonymous (SA). To figure out if SA is for you, call Dov at 917-414-8205, or email Dov at dov@guardyoureyes.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit www.sa.org.