We would like to wish a big Mazal Tov to a great warrior on our forum who goes by the name "Kedusha" upon reaching 90 days clean and getting on to the "Wall of Hashem's Honor". He wrote on the forum:
With endless gratitude to the Ribono Shel Olam and to the GYE Chevra, I have reached the 90-day milestone, with 4 days to spare before Rosh Chodesh Elul. I look forward, b'Ezras Hashem, to building upon this accomplishment, one day at a time.
Kedusha joined us right before Shavu'os, and he mentioned in his first post that a Sefer Torah had fallen in his community recently. Every Jew is like a Sefer Torah, with a Neshama carved from under the Kisei Hakavod. When we fall into these things and fill our eyes, hearts and minds with garbage, it is worse than taking a holy sefer Torah and throwing it on to the floor R"L! We are all KEDUSHA - holy. Let us learn from KEDUSHA, pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off - as he did, so that Hashem can hold us once again on his lap and give us a reverent kiss.
"Kedusha" is not one to just pick himself up alone. Once he found our network, he wanted to help spread the word to others who may have fallen into these things and given up hope. He printed out a flyer (download it here) and hung it up in various Shuls. Here is a post from Kedusha about this:
With regard to the flyers that I put up yesterday, I davened in one of the Shuls this morning (the one that has numerous Minyanim every day). Before davening, the flyer was still up, but by the time davening was over, it had been taken down. I think it's likely that the Rav removed the sign (or even if someone else did, I assume they would have consulted with the Rav). I wrote an anonymous letter to the Rav, which I plan to mail today. Below is the letter (slightly edited, to remove any identifying information):
Dear Rav ******, Shlita,
I put up the enclosed flyer on [the Shul] bulletin board on Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday morning, it had been removed.
As the Rav is surely aware, addiction to the Internet, especially (but not limited to) Internet pornography, is a very serious problem in the Frum world today. It affects not only the modern orthodox, but people who are considered to be Bnei Torah as well. It is unknown how many Bnei Torah are leading double lives and crying out for help, with nowhere to turn. Imagine the pain of a Frum, Heimishe father, attending his child's Siddur party. It should be a moment of great Nachas. Instead, the father is ridden with guilt because of where he was on the Internet the previous night.
For some people, the answer is to have no Internet in the home (however, as the Internet becomes more and more essential, it is becoming increasingly difficult to suggest this as a long-term solution for Klal Yisrael). For those who need it, however, there must be another solution. My solution, in part, has been to install an Internet filter to which only my wife knows the password (furthermore, in case the password is lost, it will be sent to my wife's e-mail account, to which I have no access). In addition, I realize that this is an addiction and has to be treated as such. As with any addiction, I have no control over yesterday or tomorrow, but I can work on being clean today, with the Ribbono Shel Olam's help. I have been clean in the past, once for as long as 18 months, but I always fell eventually. But now, for the first time, I have somewhere to turn for help.
The website www.guardureyes.com (which is in the process of being upgraded to www.guardyoureyes.org) has countless resources for battling this addiction. It is a life preserver for those who are drowning in a sea of Tumah. If the Rav is the one who took down the sign, I beg him to reconsider. Countless people pass through [your Shul], especially during the week. If only one Neshama is saved, it would have been worthwhile for the sign to be posted. I, therefore, humbly request that the Rav consider posting the enclosed sign, or at least refrain from removing it the next time it gets posted.
In the merit of helping those who are trying to sanctify themselves, may the Ribbono Shel Olam grant our Kehila and Klal Yisrael Bracha v'Hatzlacha, and protect us from all harm.
Respectfully,
Who among the readers of this e-mail will take Kedusha's example and raise the banner of Teshuva & hope for his brothers? It is right before Elul now. Imagine the merit you can have if you save even one Yiddishe Neshama! There are Sifrei Torah lying in the dust! Help pick them up and return them to Hashem's lap! Print out the flyer and hang it up around your neighborhood, or leave copies in the local shtiblach. Or copy Kedusha's letter above, and leave copies of it around your neighborhood Shuls.
"And you should know, my brother, that the merit of the believer, even should he reach the utmost completion in fixing his soul for blessed G-d, and even should he be close to the angels in their good traits and praiseworthy actions, and in the efforts they expend in their service of their creator, and in their pure love for Him, still do not reach the merits of someone who guides people onto the good path and steers the wicked to divine service. For his merits are doubled in relation to their merits, for all days and all times".