History is repeating itself as the Satan, in the last days before Mashiach, is given extra powers to bombard us. This time he has all the latest technology at his disposal. We are the victims of an unscrupulous assailant with awesome powers. What makes us assume that in Heaven they’re belittling our performance? On the contrary, they view the whole picture and are vastly proud of the indestructible purity, the unchanged priorities and the undimmed love of a nation fighting the impossible.
The Jewish People’s march through history is the story of the Nation that dwells apart. Turning to the final page, we find ourselves forming the cast of actors. Thrust as we are into the gathering darkness of today’s corrupt society, it will be the glorious light of the purity of our eyes that pierces the ominous black cloud to illuminate the golden ink of the book’s closing lines. It’s the book that started at Creation - The Book of the Generations of Man.
Rav Yehuda Leib Wittler, a prominent Mashgiach in Gateshead, wrote the following letter to a bochur who had become secretly caught up in the internet. The bochur had anonymously contacted an outreach organization, which advised him to seek professional guidance. That was also the catalyst for the Mashgiach to pen him a letter.
The bochur wrote a letter about how he was overwhelmed by this new yeitzer hora and how he believed that he was now living a lie. He felt that he was lacking the necessary weapons with which to wage his battle, and he wanted to strengthen warm feelings for mitzvos. Demoralizing feelings of loneliness and rejection were his constant companions.
The Mashgiach addresses each of his concerns and sets out a range of refreshingly practical strategies to help him deal with the various negative assumptions he had made. Certainly an underlying theme in this masterful letter is that aspiring and climbing towards spiritual heights will - at the very least - lift one well clear of the mud.
Dear Friend,
Having carefully read your letter, I felt compelled to write you a couple of points.
Honesty: A person going through a rough time, whilst still putting on a cheery face in public, is not living a lie, if at the same time he’s making an effort to rise above his challenges. Then on the contrary, this is much to be commended, for it affords him the ״space ״ to sort out his private difficulties, thereby returning to his cheery self.
Shame ( בושה ): Rabbi Miller zt ״l (Gateshead) would explain that feelings of contradiction stem from the Yiddishe virtue of shame and are necessary at times. These nagging feelings can and should be a motivation for change and not for disheartenment.
Incidentally, it was apparent from your letter that you are a very sensitive person, a gift you were given alongside some difficult challenges.
You are normal: Reb Elya Lopian zt״l was once trying to persuade a talmid to make a detour to avoid an area notoriously lacking in modesty. The confident talmid then proceeded to make it clear that he wasn’t affected by such issues. Reb Elya’s response was to ask him for his mother’s name, saying that he would daven for him as he would for a sick person.
This yeitzer hora was created for a purpose and is present in every healthy person. You are no exception.