"And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to all the community of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy." (Vayikra 19:2)
How can a human being, who has a physical body and earthly desires, become "holy"?
At Mount Sinai, Hashem gave the Torah to the entire Jewish Nation and conferred the status of KedushatYisrael upon us. This means that He implanted a unique and permanent holiness into every Jewish soul.
Whenever a person is tempted to act in a way that is against the Torah and he controls himself, he elevates himself spiritually and fulfills the mitzvah of "You shall be holy." Since his control is a fulfillment of this mitzvah, he is rewarded, just as Hashem rewards him for all the other mitzvot that he performs. He ascends to a higher spiritual level than he was on before.
Now you might think that just because you withhold yourself from sinning, you aren't really "holy" and this verse does not refer to you. But it does. The verse says, "Speak toall the Children of Israel and say to them, "You shall be holy..." The Torah is teaching us that holiness is not exclusively reserved for tzaddikim, but for any Jew who attempts to elevate himself. (Ohr HaChaim)
This is an incredible concept! Control of our eyes is not just an inner battle between desire and restraint. We master ourselves countless times during the day and therefore, in Hashem's Eyes, we have the highest status - we are holy!
In fact, every time we succeed, we increase our own personal sanctity as well as that of the entire world. Once we understand this concept, we have the method and the motivation to gain control of our eyes. When we internalize the idea that we are holy in Hashem's Eyes, we feel happy with ourselves and we feel inspired to reach for higher levels in Torah and mitzvot.
Today: Each time you control your eyes from looking at an improper sight, tell yourself, "I am a member of a holy nation."
While waiting for the bus today, a woman came to the bus stop. Her clothing was immodest. My instant mental reaction was, "This is a spiritual test! Act now!" I casually moved to the other side while lowering my eyes so she would be out of my visual range.
A few weeks ago, I never would have believed that I could guard myself so effectively. But I've been doing some thinking about the "holiness" that Dave says is inborn in every Jew.
That word "holy" sounded so lofty when he first said it. I think of great rabbis and teachers as being holy, not regular people like me. But I was wrong. Dave explained that holy simply means being able to set yourself apart from the world-at-large, able to reach for spiritual goals. He showed me where the Torah says that every Jew can be holy. Even me.
"You don't know your own soul, Steve," he laughed. "You have what it takes to 'be holy' even if you don't think so."
So now I think of these challenging encounters as opportunities to gain spirituality, a chance to use the powers that Hashem gave me. Instead of shuddering when an improper sight crosses my path, a little bell goes off in my head, and my inner voice says, "Here's your chance."
These e-mails are excerpts taken from the book "Windows of the Soul" by Rabbi Zvi Miller of the Salant Foundation.