Maybe a new pshat in lmaan yaarichin yamecha

Hashem will give u hatxlacha to accomplish things quickly.

Shteve gevaldiggggggg

Hi guys!

I wanna copy what I just posted to Zalman Dovid, who is growing in leaps and bounds! This is a powerful message, and I encourage all of you to read his thread and see where he's come from. I am honored to call this man my friend:

_____________________

ZD -

I have to say it this way: I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

You are growing, FEELING, understanding, you are AMAZING!!

You are climbing this mountain, called the road to recovery. You can feel the climb getting easier, the angle is leveling out, and you are almost at the top. You get over this top, you get thru the 5th step call, and you are on the other side, starting to go DOWN HILL, coasting, toward the Recovery and FREEDOM that's back at the bottom. It's not on top, where only the birds and clouds live - Recovery is LIFE at the ground level. That means the stuff of life is still happening, BUT YOU ARE EQUIPT to handle it properly cuz of the perspective, the CLARITY you gained when you were at the summit, when you could see for miles.

Like I always say  - THANK G-D I'M A PICKLE. I wouldn't trade this perspective for the world. And if this was the only road to get here, then THANK YOU HASHEM for making me walk this path.

Kol Tuv, and I LOVE you!! KUTGW!!!

_____________________

There IS a light at the end of this tunnel. And we can get there TOGETHER!!

My heart is SO FULL right now of LOVE and RESPECT for everyone of my chaveirim here at GYE and on the DC Calls, valiant soldiers in Hashem's Army, fighting the LAST MILCHOMA before Moshiach. The Milchomas Amelek within EACH of us. The selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, control needing, scared, jealous and inconsiderate part of ourselves that Edges G-d Out (EGO). The secret to undermining that is the difference between LIFE and DEATH - LIFE in Freedom and Recovery, or DEATH at the hands of my Lusting that wants to destroy me.

And the BLESSING of living with the realization that Hashem is always at my side, WAITING for me to ask for His help, Willing to partner with me if I AM WILLING to let Him into my life, and FEELING it when He graciously DOES IT. Is there a greater catalyst for JOY than this?

My friends, we CAN and we WILL LIVE to see the battle won, each of us in his own time and path, BE"H - With the Help of G-d.

HANG IN THERE!! Know that THERE IS A SOLUTION. Follow in the well-blazed path through the forest, and you can get there.

THE 12 STEPS WORK!!

Shteve that is one intelligent pickle

B

You're pretty smart yourself, my friend. For a guy who sells ice cream from an 18 wheeler, that is....

Remember? Attraction, not promotion.

Seriously dude, you're not leaving any Kool-Aid for anyone else!

Shteve

Here goes!!!!

GEVALDIGGGG!!!!!!

Steve, my favorie pickle.  Hope all is well. 

Is that dill, or garlic, reb shteve?

Definitely not Sour Pickles!

http://oldstersview.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/sweet_pickle_th.jpg

I had ice cream today. I want a pickle now.

STEVE,

YOU ARE SUPER HEILIGGG!!! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!! KEEP ROCKING IN THE PICKLE WORLD!!!!

HABA

Hey Steve just dropping in to say Hello. Wishing upon you super relaxing, spiritually uplifting, belly-filling, Shul-going, Nachas-Schepping uninteruppted Shabbos Bliss. 
Your Chaver,
Zalmandovid

Thank you, thank you, to all my friends and admirers.... 

I want to share a response I wrote to a letter i received from a very dear GYE chaver who was trying to explain the 12-step solution to a friend of his who admitted having this strong Yetzer Hara for Lust. Please bear with me, it's one of my longish posts, but i believe it is well worth your time. I have made edits to keep anonymity. --- Have a GREAT SHABBOS, A Gutte Chodesh, and an AWESOME Kabolas Hatorah, my friends.

_____________

My Chaver wrote about his friend:

I spent part of my afternoon speaking openly about our work with my emotionally plagued friend and suggested that he has this addiction, and he admitted he has it.  I had my own fear about sharing, but I figured that it was just self-centered fear, and that he needs me to be the agent to bring him the steps and save his life.

He is having a hard time with Step 1 though.  He believes that he has "partial control."  Like driving a car, he has control of the wheel, but not of other drivers (outside factors) and believes at any given slip he has the free will to make the choice and he sometimes gives in, and sometimes holds out.  He is not maskim to the idea of total powerlessness.  He prefers to think of the bnei Torah who have this addiction to be "unable to feel the concept of s'char v'onesh, they just haven't made it real enough" but if they felt what they intellectually know, then certainly he (and they) would have the self-control to stop doing what they are doing.  Like if they felt their Higher Power with a gun to their heads, they would never act out.

After that he took a few laps around d'Nile, and when he finished the swim I told him about our chevra.  Now, the rest is up to him. 

My response:

Such a shame.

Everyone thinks by admitting powerlessness they think they are giving up b'chira. They don't understand they have LOST their b'chira IN THIS INYAN already.

Because they dont understand the process the way we do, they think b'chira happens when one joins battle with the YH, then faces the choice to sin or not to sin, simple and black and white. Adam HaRishon had the same misconception, which led him to CHOOSE to eat from the Eitz HaDaas. The YH is a Maalach. Only Yaakov Avinu could wrestle with him without falling, but even HE could only stalemate him, he could not beat him. So the only solution is to exercise one's bechira by choosing NOT to join battle with the YH. THE POINT IS TO BE FREE FROM HIM, not to try to beat him.

Baruch and Chasdei Hashem, we in our beautiful Chevra with Duvid Chaim have just now, with the 5th step solution, learned the SECRET how to AVOID the battle with the YH. And that is to recognize that when he calls out to us, he is acting as Hashem's shliach AS HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO, to wake us up to begin a conversation with HASHEM HIMSELF (not with the YH), to discover what message Hashem who loves us is sending us, and that He wants us to move closer to Him. And we can only do that by negating our own Ego, through refocussing on others instead of on ourselves. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, we become the happy and balanced people we are supposed to be, because THAT IS OUR TRUE NATURE, as a Tzelem Elokim who is the ULTIMATE in Chesed and Kedusha. "Be Kadosh, Because I Hashem Am Kadosh" - and what are the steps to DO THAT? -  LOOK AT THE NEXT PESUKIM!! - They are all about BEIN ADAM L'CHAVEIRO!!! Caring, being understanding, being of SERVICE to our fellow man BECAUSE THATS WHAT WE WERE CREATED TO DO!!

I am finally understanding a TREMENDOUS YESOD!! The YH's CREATED PURPOSE is only to TEMPT us, not to FIGHT with us. The Temptation is the sign to use our bechira to AVOID THE FIGHT. WE WERE ORIGINALLY CREATED WITHOUT THE YH INSIDE US. Hashem's design is for us NOT to engage ourselves so closely with the YH. But if we CHOOSE to fight, then we are going AGAINST Hashem's intention for it's purpose, so now the Maalach YH has permission to go against HIS OWN LIMITATIONS of his original purpose and do his utmost to FORCE us into situations where we CAN'T HELP BUT SIN.

My Dear Chaver, give this letter to your friend. Explain it to him. Tell him.

Tell the WORLD!

WE, even little we in our own generation, CAN GET BACK ONCE AGAIN TO THE LEVEL OF ADAM HARISHON KODEM HACHAIT, like we were by Mattan Torah!! That means we can push the YH out of ourselves, treat him like the outsider he should have always remained, and be FREE of him. By focussing on Chesed V'Emes, serving our fellow and serving Hashem who is Emes. And the TAVLIN, which means both antidote AND spice (the real antidote is the SPICE OF LIFE!) is Torah, TALMUD TORAH.

Help a brotha and lend a hand!