rashkebehag wrote on 24 Feb 2010 21:19:
I don't buy that if one has a תאוה he can't go up in מדרגות as long as he keeps his תאוה under control. secondly the main thing is doing mitzvos and serving Hashem, who said anything about Madreigos?
Agreed!
Let some folks just get a bumper sticker "Whoever dies with the most Madreigos wins!"
Ella what?: We are winners if we are with Hashem -
period. That's the attitude that I have seen works best for addicts. All the rest - paraphrasing Rebbi Akiva - is commentary.
Serving Hashem by doing
His Will rather than
my will (or anyone else's) is
the ikkar for me (and as described in the 12 steps), and
madreigos are tofeil. And they always
will be, I believe.
To me, discussions based on what's right are nice, but are of very limited - if any - value. Ah, to be young again! To be able to sit back, picking and choosing the best derech for me to be yotzei alleh sheetos..."does it fit well with a Rav Dessler, a RMB"M, a gemorah in Succah?" Nu. Such luxuries neither I nor my wife and children always had. I wonder who does. There was a time when I was far too busy just staying out out hell. Early recovery was the very
worst time for me to think about madreigos and worry about hashkofa. And guess what? It's the time when folks are the most consumed with it!! I was for about 10 years, as I got worse and worse...I blamed el nino', I guess ;D. The Chofetz Chayim used to say, "Besides being not doing aveiros, Hashem
also doesn't want one to be a fool". Acting out with lust happens to be my own personal "foolishness", cuz it ruins my life. For others, it's drinking...if they worry about "the source" of the lav for drinking alcohol, gambling, heroin, etc., over much, they flush their lives down the toilet, and often die. Plain and poshut. Right? So, please tell me: What lav, exactly, is "flushing"?
Hah, hah....
So, my most basic hashkofa was this: Hashem doesn't want me to flush five lives down the toilet. And the devil isn't in the details, cuz I don't have to
deserve to be with Him - I just have to start to give my life and my will into His care and continue doing just that. Of course, as a frum yid that means halocha, but it's a work in progress. That's a madreigo? Don't believe it! It's just enlightened
self-interest! Good enough for me!
Sorry for the crassness, nu, I'm tired now. Wanna split a happy-pill, anyone?