This question reverberates throughout my conversations with so many... "Why is lust so tempting and difficult to overcome?" And furthermore "why me?"...

These are some explainations written in chazal... 

1- This middah is "Yesod" which means the foundation.  The yetzer horah tries to undermine our foundation , so the whole structure will become weak and possibly fall apart c"v.

2- We are very close to the geula and this is one of the things that holds back moshiach from coming. The yetzer horah knows that his existence depends on this so he puts major efforts to make it very difficult to overcome. 

3- Reb Tzudik Hakohen writes that the dor hamabul are getting another chance now to rectify their sins which included MZ"L. Many people are gilgulim from that dor and therefore this nisayon is so great for them.

4- The person was created through this desire therefore it's in the DNA to go after this desire, just like every plant seed has the same attributes of the plant it came from.

5- Every living specie has the desire to replicate itself and to make sure it stays in existence. Therefore our subconscious always wants to create.

Do you know of any other reasons? 

I hope these reasons will shed some light on how important it is to do everything we can to try to overcome lust with Hashem's help...

Thank you so much!

DavidT wrote on 05 Feb 2020 03:09:

I dont understand i was under the impression that bnei noach (alright before the mabul too) are not metzuvah in mzl and masturbation at all so whats the aveira and problem with them giving pleasure to themselves. Its not one of the sheva mitzvohs bnei noach so why should they be concerned at all.

Mark18 wrote on 06 Feb 2020 18:40:

It seems to my understanding that the reason for the mabul was not merely as a form of punishment but rather a cleansing of the world that has fallen very low.  The dor hamabul's actions went against the whole foundation of creation. 

The men of the Generation of the Flood used to take two wives. One was designated to bear children, the other to keep her husband company. The first was forced to live in seclusion, in a state of virtual widowhood while her husband was still alive. The second was given medications that would make her barren. She would sit beside her husband, heavily made up, and entertain him. This is inferred from the verse in Iyov (24:21), "He encourages the barren woman that does not give birth, but he gives no benefit to the widow." Rashi quotes this Midrash in Bereishis (4:19).

How does society fall so low that it is defined by pervasive degeneracy, theft and violence? By making the unchecked pursuit of personal pleasure the ultimate value.

Eat, drink and be merry. Have a good time. Enjoy yourself. Live for today. Self-indulgence. Gratification. When these are the values of society, when the moral compass goes haywire, the road leads straight down. Today, people may limit themselves to made-up, barren pleasure wives, but tomorrow they will inevitably expand their horizons. Eventually, they will turn their greedy eyes to unexplored illicit indulgences and all sorts of other acts of perversion and immorality. It is only a matter of time before it happens. The two-wife system led to the "degenerate world filled with violence" that triggered the Flood.

Please provide documentation of two wives in Jewish history.

Seems to me that it had/has lots of merit to it.

DavidT wrote on 06 Feb 2020 20:42:

Truthfully you words and insights are really very profound but how does this relate to bnei noach not being metzuvah in masturbation. It should he no problem at all. Even for jews mzl is not noted by any meforshim as one of the taryag mitzvohs or in any sefer hamitzvohs. Despite the fact its assur and the shulchan aruch and the zohar speak so frightenly about it at best its only alluded to in the torah aseres hadibros lo tinof actually adultry but the meforshim point out lo tinof bein by yad oben baregel mzl caused by maturbation by the hands or feet or any other manner. And in the maaseh of er and onan that wasnt masturbation but the withdrawal method of birth control either so as not to ruin tamars beauty or so as not to father a child that really is connected to the first husband via yibum. Any insights?

In Sanhedrin 57b it seems that the fact that they were punished shows that they were warned and prohibited from doing it. See rashi and tosfos there both agree to this that there is no punishment if there is no warning and prohibition.  

DavidT wrote on 07 Feb 2020 01:28:

How does that relate to any issur of mzl for bnei noach today

Mark18 wrote on 07 Feb 2020 01:41:

It's actually a machlokes haposkim if bnei noach are  prohibited on mzl. Some say that because the issur comes from the mitzvah of pru urevu and bnei noach are not required to do that mitzvah so they are not prohibited on mzl. But some say that we learn from the mabul that they are prohibited. Then there are those (aruch l'ner) that argue that the prohibition was only before matan torah.

BTW We are all eagerly looking forward to the 100th day of mark18 !!!

Just FYI - The סמ"ק does include in Mitzvah רצ"ב:
https://www.sefaria.org.il/Sefer_Mitzvot_Katan.292