Seeing Holy Sights | Rabbi Uren Reich

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Vayimaen’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

The temptation for ראיית עיניים, the temptation to look at inappropriate things is very powerful. And one of the ways to be Mechazek and fortify ourselves against this Nisayon is to recognize how much we lose by even one, and כל שכן more, ראיות that are inappropriate. And I want to share a thought about this, with a story that I heard from HaGaon R’ Meir Stern shlit”a, that he remembered from his years when he learned in Lakewood under our great Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Aharon zt”l. In those days, Lakewood was a sleepy town, besides the Yeshiva, and there were hardly any visitors or people who would come into the Yeshiva in the middle of Seder. If someone walked in who wasn't part of the Yeshiva, it would be a curiosity. An obviously English-looking gentleman with a little child walked into the Beis HaMedrash and he looked around hesitatingly and R’ Meir Stern, being a friendly Bochur, went over to him and said: Could I help you? Shalom Aleichem.

Jump to a moment

1. 0:05The temptation for ראיית עיניים, the temptation to look at inappropriate things is very powerful. And…
2. 0:38In those days, Lakewood was a sleepy town, besides the Yeshiva, and there were hardly any…
3. 1:08And the man said: I've come from England for a Chasunah to New York and I've…
4. 1:39I have nothing to talk to him about. All I want is the privilege of seeing…
5. 2:11The man was very excited. He went, he looked through, and every few seconds, he'd say…
6. 2:42But our eyes can only hold on to that Kedushah if we're not פוגם, if we…
7. 3:18Let us hold on to this word וימאן throughout our life, so that we’ll be zoche…

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