Purity Through and Through | Rabbi Nachum Cohen

Four things need reinforcement. Rashi says, Always, with all of one’s strength. The negative Mitzvah of ‘And you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes’ needs reinforcement. I was by Rabbi Meir Abuhatzeira. I asked him, How did you reach such a high level of Kedushah? My grandfather, Rabbi Masud, took me and told me: Your name is Meir (illuminates). Do you want to illuminate the world? If you want to be holy, guard your eyes. Since then, I have never seen the form of woman, because my grandfather requested. If my father wants to see me, he comes to me, because I can’t go to him, lest I damage my eyes. I heard from R’ Elya Lopian z”l, I am over 80 years old, one eye doesn’t work at all, the other one works partly. When I walk in the street, the Yetzer Hara tells me: Look, look. What do you want from me? I’m already an old man. The Yetzer Hara never leaves. I had the merit in Yerushalayim to meet a number of Jews. R’ Velvel Chechik, a disciple of the Brisker Rav, he would walk down the street and never lift his eyes. He had holy eyes. R’ Nota Tzeinvirt, I wanted to walk with him, Let’s go from here, because here our eyes will be more guarded than walking on the street. I said: R’ Nota, did you ever damage (your eyes)? I have never damaged my eyes. R’ Zundel Kroizer z”l, when he walked, he would not lift his eyes. His eyes were holy. So all of their prayers were accepted mercifully and willingly. Because the eyes keep the thoughts clean. The holy Zohar says, If one wants to guard his eyes, even if you’re in the car, you’re driving, if you want to guard your eyes, Hashem guards you. It’s all up to the person. One brings upon himself all that comes upon him. And that is what we need to work on. When guarding your eyes, your prayer is different, your Torah learning is different, your thoughts are entirely different. And that is what we need to request from Hashem, Enlighten our eyes with Your Torah, and attach our hearts to Your Mitzvos, and then purify our hearts to worship You truly.