Even though I'm learning to control my eyes (well, at least I'm trying), my mind still conjures thoughts that I'm not proud of. I'm being totally honest here. It seems to me that this is one war I will never win.
I got up the nerve to ask Rabbi Levy about it. After our class one morning, I told him that these thoughts creep in especially while I'm on my way to work. I'm doing my best, employing all the tactics I've learned not to look at improper sights, but I still see them in my mind's eye.
"Steve, you've got to fight fire with fire," he answered. When he saw my puzzled look, he explained. "A man has to fight the fire in his heart with the fire of Torah."
Then he opened up the Mishnah Berurah to chapter 98:2, where the Chofetz Chaim writes about how to control your thoughts. Rabbi Levy advised, "Here's how to deal with your problem. When you are walking through an immodest area, say to yourself verse 12 of Psalm 51, 'Elokim, create a pure heart within me and renew my spirit.' Whether you say it in Hebrew or in English, just repeating the holy words of King David will uplift your soul. In addition, you'll be cutting off these improper thoughts by substituting words of Torah in your mind."
It seems to me that this technique is more than just diverting my thoughts. Those words are actually a short prayer. If I ask God to help me to keep my thoughts pure, it's a direct request. How could He turn that down?
These e-mails are excerpts taken from the book "Windows of the Soul" by Rabbi Zvi Miller of the Salant Foundation.