Parshas Beshalach:

Amar oyeiv erdof asig achaleik shalal timla'eimo nafshi arik charbi. _(15:9)

Amar Oyeiv - The Yetzer Horah says, "Erdof - I want to chase a Yid! Asig - How can I reach him? By [at first] splitting with him." The Yetzer Horah won't try to confront us with big ugly aveiros. Those we will surely resist.

"What? Me? Do such a thing? I am normal, only a sicko would even think of it!"

So the sly Yetzer uses some cunning. At first he pushes us only to half an aveira, just a little slip. Achaleik shalal. "This little slip is nothing. It happens to the best of us!"

Then, Timla'eimo nafshi - we start enjoying it. We like the taste. It whets our apetite. We lick our lips and want more. Just a teeny weeny bit more.

Hayom omar lo assei kach, ul'machar omer lo assai kach, ul'besof omar lo....

We reach the point where Arik charbi - he unsheathes his sword & .......... [His victims are dead meat!]






In the Artscroll translation:
Timla'eimo nafshi = I will satisfy my lust with them.  :o

Parshas Beshalach:

Mah titz'ak eilai.
Lo eis atta l'ha'arich b'tefila..... _(Rashi)

Now is not the time for lengthy prayers, Klal Yisroel is in a tzarah.

Note: Hashem did NOT say that now there is no time for prayer; it is only lengthy prayer which He is telling Moshe to avoid.


DAVENING IS ALWAYS NEEDED! Without a tefillah we cannot achieve anything at all!







In Parshas Bereishis, when Hashem created the world, nothing existed until Adam Harishon davened for it on Friday!

Parsha Yisro:

Hagbel ess hahor v'kidashto.

By setting boundaries we can attain kedusha. Holiness & purity!

Parshas Yisro:


Ani chosencha Yisro baah eilecha v'ishtecha ushnei baneha. Vayeitzei Moshe likras chosno _(18:6,7)

.אני חותנך יתרו וגו׳. אם אין אתה יוצא בגיני צא בגין אשתך ואם אין אתה יוצא בגין אשתך צא בגין שני בניה
ויצא משה. כבוד גלול נתכבד יתרו באותו שעה כיון שיצא משה יצא אהרן נדב ואביהוא ומי הוא שראה את אלו ייצאין ולא יצא

Yisro was formerly the Kohen Midyan, a priest, even though he abandoned idol worship, in the same way that we often times knock ourselves for our past misdeeds, he may have had a low self-esteem. That may be why he PM'd Moshe Rabbeinu about his imminent arrival to the Jews' camp in the Midbar, saying that he is bringing along Moshe's wife & two sons. If you don't think I am worth welcoming, at least welcome them.

Moshe lead an entourage of the greatest honor! All the Who's Who of the community were there! In full view of them all Moshe kissed Yisro & welcomed him with a bow. (When a head-of-state bows in greeting it makes headlines!)

Moshe wanted to give Yisro self image a boost. To show him, along with the rest of Klal Yisroel the greatness of someone who leaves his sinful ways behind him, Moshe disregarded his own family & went out to great Yisro himself!

Parshas Yisro:

Vayomer ma hadavar asher atta osseh la'am,
Madi'a atta yosheiv levadecha,
v'chol ha'am nitzav alecha min haboker ad erev.
Vayomer Moshe l'chasno ki yavo eilai ha'am lidrosh Elokim. _(18:14,15)


The words Mah Hadavar can be read to imply wonder, as in Mah rabbu maasecha or Mah ahavti Torosecha.

Yisro was impressed with the steps that Moshe Rabbeinu was taking to avoid even a slip. Moshe Rabbeinu made sure that if he ever was sitting alone in a room, others should come in & check up on him! He should always have someone standing over him!

Moshe responded, "If I want to be a mevakesh Hashem, I MUST have the people come in to my chambers. I cannot afford the privacy. Even a tzadik can slip when he is alone!"

Parshas Yisro:


וישמע יתרו כהן מדין את כל אשר עשה וגומר
מה שמועה שמע ובא? קריאת ים סוף ומלחמת עמלק, רש"י

ZemirosShabbos wrote on 18 Jan 2011 16:37:


There is a story told about Rav Shach Ztz"l. There was a time that, due to medical issues, he wasn't able to delve into Torah with his usual iyun.

Nu? How can a fish survive without water? How can a Godol B'Torah like Rav Shach survive without learning Torah?

So Rav Shach chose the easiest & simplest part of the Torah to learn: On apples we make a Borei pri ha'etz, On carrots we make a Borei pri Ho'adama, On oranges we make a Borei pri ha'etz, On pears we make a Borei pri ha'etz, On bread we say Hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz, etc.      These halochos don't take much brain power to review, but they are an considered part of the Torah! He was learning Torah!

Yisro was travelling. He couldn't delve into the intricate details of complicated subjects. So what did Yisro learn while enroute? Mah shemuah shoma while he was coming??

He learned easy stuff. He learned stories from the Torah. He reviewed the grand stories of K'riyas Yam Suf & The War with Amalek. They are fascinating tales.

Parshas Yisro:


Vayishma Yisro-Yisro heard.
Yisro heard about K'riyas Yam Suf & the victory over Amalek.
Vaysaper Moshe l'chasno...-And Moshe described to his Father-in-Law
To draw his heart, to bring him nearer to Torah (Rashi)
ess kol hatla'ah asher metza'asam baderech-all the travails that they encountered during their journey.
At the sea & Amalek. (Rashi)


Many have asked: If Yisro heard these stories prior to his coming why did Moshe retell the tales?


The news media reported the wondrous phenomena of the splitting sea. They announced the spectacular victory of the Jews over the Amalekites. What they failed to mention, though, is the dire straits that they found themselves in prior to those miracles.

Moshe felt that a prerequisite to being a Torah Jew is to learn how to properly view the difficult times in life. How we are to deal with the times that life's script does NOT go according to the way we wanted it. How to 'see' Hashem's hand in everything.

Chamisha Asar B'Shvat:


Much has already been written about the significance of this day. (A 'Jewish Arbor Day' or 'Environmental Education Day' is NOT among them. That is a myth of the Secular State in Israel. > )

Here is another take on the matter, in GYE style:

In its most basic level, this day has no significance outside the halachos of Maaser. Since the tithe must be taken from each year's produce separately, it is necessary to have a cut-off date as of when any newly sprouting fruit will be considered of the coming year's crop.

Chazal teach us that this day was chosen because on this day the sap begins to flow and this is the first beginnings of the new growth season. Although there is no noticeable difference on the tree or its limbs, the fact that deep down in the subterrainan roots there is new growth, albight in a very small amount, it is sufficient to herald the new beginnings!


The lesson is clear. Our goal here in the great GuardYourEyes Community is rebirth. BUT, even if, at times, we do not see any REAL change, we feel like we are back at our starting point, we should remember the lesson from the trees. An outside onlooker might not see the transformation, but WE know that internally we have the started afresh.

Ki adam eitz hasadeh! - A person is likened to a tree.

The ideas & perspective which we receive over here, the New Design for Living, is a new life-force coursing through our veins. We are in a new world! THE WORLD OF RECOVERY!

Parshas Yisro:


Vayichad Yisro:

      =  Yisro rejoiced together with his newfound co-religionists.
      =  Yisro's skin 'prickled' upon hearing about the demise of his former colleagues, the Egyptians.

Are these two statements contradictory?





A GYE Member:

• We are happy & appreciate our newfound recovery & sobriety.


• We long for the pleasurable sensation we got through lusting.

Am I living a contradiction?

Parshas Yisro:


Yosef Hatzadik wrote on 20 Jan 2011 16:11:


The above Rashi concludes that for 10 generations we mustn't belittle a gentile in the face of a ger.

This may be a source in the Torah for the axiom:
Once an Addict, Always an Addict.

Parshas Yisro:


V`attah im shemo'a tishme'u b'koli = if u will listen to the Calls;

U'shemartem ess brisi = u will reach the level of Shemiras Bris!!

Parshas Yisro:


Hatla'ah - The travails. _(18:8)
Lamed aleph min hayesod shel teivah v'hatav hu tikkun v'yesod hanofeil mimenu l'perakim. (Rashi)


GuardYourEyes.org is our Teivah. It is the ark in which we are to find refuge from the Great Flood that the world is drowning in.

Lamed aleph min hayesod shel teivah - Lamed aleph = learning about Hashem [i]Alufo shel Olam[/i]] is from the basics of this Teivah.

v'hatav hu tikkun - It is very tough to fix/correct [ourselves]

v'yesod hanofeil mimenu l'perakim - When the Yesod falls away from us, at times. When we do not 'feel' in touch with Hashem.

Parshas Yisro:


Vayichad Yisro:

      =  Yisro rejoiced
      =  Yisro's skin 'prickled'


[quote="Bardichev]
Simcha is the Secret
[/quote]

Yisro wasn't good at keeping a secret.

Parshas Mishpatim:


V'chi yish'al ish mei'im rei'eihu v'nishbar oi meis b'alav ein immo shaleim yeshaleim. V'im be'alav imo lo yeshaleim. _(22:13)

V'chi yish'al ish mei'im rei'eihu - If a person from GYE will reach out to his partner, because he is is either:

• Nishbar - broken - in a slippery state


• oi meis - already past that point

If b'alav ein immo - he recognizes that he is not the boss, he surrenders his will, he is humble,
Then shaleim yeshaleim - he will become Shaleim/complete again.


BUT,
V'im be'alav imo - he still think that he is in control,
lo yeshaleim - he will remain a broken person. There is no hope for him.

Parshas Mishpatim:





V'chi yiftach ish bor oi ki yichreh ish bor v'lo yechasenu v'nafal shama shor oi chamor. Baal habor y'shaleim kesef yashiv liv'alav v'hameis yiyeh lo. _(21:33,34)

Whether someone found a new way of falling or fell again into the same old one because it wasn't 'covered' with enough safeguards,

v'nafal shama shor oi chamor - His falling will be from looking (Ashirenu v'lo karov) or more chamur than that, R"L.

Baal habor y'shaleim - this guy can yet become whole again!!!!
kesef yashiv liv'alav - he should do a bit of Teshuva - express regret
v'hameis yiyeh lo - and this dead man neshomo can still return to being Hashem's!!!!