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Navigating the ocean of my life
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TOPIC: Navigating the ocean of my life 6072 Views

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 08 Nov 2024 14:25 #424697

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Stunning! Thanks for sharing.
You can win the fight, but I'll have to live with the loser.

Any excuse you use for yourself, you must be willing to use for your wife.

Not Always can I understand others, but I can always respect their wishes.

You're human, it's okay.

One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 08 Nov 2024 14:55 #424703

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Thank you for sharing this beautiful vort! When I met HHM (also a few months ago), he told me this vort too. At the time, I told him about an interesting phenomenon I'd noticed which shtimmed very nicely with this. There's an eitzah that I saw in a sefer I have on שמירת עינים called אשא עיני, which sometimes works for me. Remind yourself that the shiktzah you're stealing looks at, the body that you're lusting after, is a body made of ״אכילות שקץ והעכבר וכל מיני שרץ השורץ על הארץ״, and how מיאוס that is to a yid. Kind of everyone's favorite "humanizing" vort here on GYE, but on steroids. Now, obviously this doesn't always work for me, but here's my point, while it does sometimes work when encountered a goyish girl in person, it 100% of the time does NOT work when looking at girls online. I think it may be because when we look at a picture of someone, there's no human there, just an image, free for us to use as we please, and, as you said, just see her through desire-tinted glasses.
"Believe you can and you're halfway there" - Theodore Roosevelt
"Comparison is the thief of joy" - also Theodore Roosevelt

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Last Edit: 08 Nov 2024 15:45 by iwantlife.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 08 Nov 2024 15:47 #424705

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amevakesh wrote on 08 Nov 2024 05:26:
A few months ago, during a conversation with HHM, he told me a priceless Vort on this weeks פרשה that speaks to the struggle. I think that it’s a מצוה to share so here goes.

The פסוק in this weeks פרשה says when אברהם and שרה traveled to מצרים, he told her הנה נא ידעתי כי אשה יפת מראה את. Rashi is bothered, why does it say הנה נא which implies that he only realized that she was pretty now. רש"י gives 3 answers. The first one  is, עד עכשיו לא הכיר בה מתוך צניעות שבשניהם, ועכשיו הכיר בה ע"י מעשה .

רבינו בחיי explains that from here we see that אברהם never looked at שרה up until that point. Astounding!

Some אחרונים ask on רבינו בחיי, isn’t there a הלכה that אסור לאדם לישא אשה עד שיראנה? Various answers are given in the אחרונים. Some say that if the whole problem is that she won’t be pleasing to the husband, then אברהם knew that for him it wouldn’t make a difference. Others say that he really did know what she looked like, it’s just that he never gazed at her, hence the לשון of לא הכיר בה. Others say that until now he only saw her face, but now he saw her thigh.

זאגט HHM in the name of someone I forgot, that the מדרש תנחומא relates, that as they approached the gates of מצרים, they passed by a body of water, and אברהם saw שרה’s reflection shining like the sun, he saw her beauty and he realized that he had a problem on his hands. Of course אברהם knew what she looked like, perhaps he even gazed at her (this wouldn’t fit with רבינו בחיי). But until that moment when he looked at her, he saw “HER” - her essence, the radiance of her נשמה which shone forth so brightly it eclipsed any physicality one could possibly attribute to her. However, when he saw her reflection in the water, all he saw was her image, because he wasn’t looking at שרה herself. Suddenly, he realized that it might be possible for lowly people to see her through a lens of desire for the physical beauty, that when he realized the problem. The lesson is self evident. Good Shabbos!

i thought this פשט from HHM you mentioned  is פשט in the first פשט in rashi (with a twist), rashi has an additional few words to this medrish,
" עד עכשיו לא הכיר בה מתוך צניעות שבשניהם ועכשיו הכיר בה ע"י מעשה"
צניעות - means = פנימיות (see "מכתב מאליהו "צניעות)
its not that avrom didnt look @ sara, nor does it mean she wore a berka,
he new water reflects and he woudnt of looked,  or he wouldve seen a berka in the reflection.
waht rashi saying is, of course he new how sara looked and her beauty chazal say the mothers were beautiful to save from sin, and she had a special name because of her beauty (see מדרש)
the פשט is,
he didnt recognize her because everything was פנימיות he always saw her חיצוניות through her פנימיות, he never recognized her beauty as something separate of her soul essence, theres no 2 things "her and her beauty"
until he saw her reflection only her image just חיצוניות, he said now i recognize that your beauty, can be seen by others as a thing for itself just חיצוני,
then there could be trouble.


tried to be clear
potentially  true פשט
cande'
Last Edit: 10 Nov 2024 05:08 by cande.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 10 Nov 2024 16:25 #424761

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Not gonna lie. Been slipping in some of the גדרים that I've set up for myself. Two of my weaknesses are sports and politics. The World Series and the elections didn't help things out. My recreational use of internet has gone way up, and the content of what I'm watching is slowly changing, not for the better. It hasn't descended in to any lust, and I don't think it will, but I don't want to take any chances. It has to stop now. So I'm making a קבלה ברבים on the forums that at least until Chanukah there will be no recreational use of internet (besides for GYE of course). This includes news, sports, politics. Hopefully, this will help me reestablish the fences that have held me strong until now.
Feel free to email me at amevakesh23@gmail.com

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 10 Nov 2024 17:01 #424764

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Yaasher Koach Brother and Hatzlacha!
Today is yesterday's tomorrow.
The yetzarim a person has the most trouble dealing with are his most powerful God-given tools for developing his potential and achieving shleimus.
It doesn't matter how big the number is, only that today it is going up by one.

A little about what I'm doing here: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/412971-I-Want-to-Help-Others

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 01 Dec 2024 22:45 #426245

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Question for the Chashuve Oilam. We know, that תפילה has the power to alter certain decrees. We also know that sometimes 'ה has a plan for a person to struggle with something for the duration of his stay on this world (likely for his benefit), which no amount of תפילה will change. When one has been Davening for something for a while to happen, at what point is he meant to accept it as part of 'ה’s plan and make peace with it. Davening repeatedly for something can be very very draining. I am aware that no תפילה goes to waste, but if I come to accept a situation beyond my control as part of 'ה’s master plan of my life, it would bring a certain level of peace. But I can only do so if I give up hope that it will get better. Paradoxically, the hope itself is a source of frustration, because I find that as time goes on and I try yet another עצה, and offer another תפילה only to have my hopes dashed time and again (I know that 'ה has my real best interests in mind, that's not the question), it chips away at my resolve and ability to accept it with joy as 'ה's plan for my life. At which point, if any, does one say I've Davened enough, it's time to move on and deal with it as a fact of life, and make the best of the situation. Looking for clarity.
Feel free to email me at amevakesh23@gmail.com
Last Edit: 02 Dec 2024 03:39 by amevakesh.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 01 Dec 2024 23:23 #426248

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Oy, mein friend. If you ever reach clarity on this question, you have mein number.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 00:12 #426254

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I would love an in on that phone call.
May you slide down the banister of happiness and get many splinters of success up your career

Feel free to send me an owl, a howler, or even a Crumple-Horned Snorkack to Iamredfaced@gmail.com


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Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 01:50 #426261

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I heard a vort that if תפילה wouldn't be a mitzvah it would be כפירה ממש to be mispalel,  because if hashem made someone sick how can you pray for him to get healthy, hashem made him sick so it's for his benefit, 
hashem want a relationship with us and that comes through dialog,
Imagine your wife  just always agrees with you, is doing what ever you want, never has her own opinion, goes wherever you wanna go eats whatever you wanna eat wears whatever you wanna wear, never want something different, (I know ppl will think that this is great) it isn't a relationship because there is only one mind, its a friendship with yourself, and just another body involved, 
And hashem whant a relationship with us not just i say you do and that why he gave us בחירה,  and תפילה 

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:04 #426262

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5678 wrote on 02 Dec 2024 01:50:
I heard a vort that if תפילה wouldn't be a mitzvah it would be כפירה ממש to be mispalel,  because if hashem made someone sick how can you pray for him to get healthy, hashem made him sick so it's for his benefit, 
hashem want a relationship with us and that comes through dialog,
Imagine your wife  just always agrees with you, is doing what ever you want, never has her own opinion, goes wherever you wanna go eats whatever you wanna eat wears whatever you wanna wear, never want something different, (I know ppl will think that this is great) it isn't a relationship because there is only one mind, its a friendship with yourself, and just another body involved, 
And hashem whant a relationship with us not just i say you do and that why he gave us בחירה,  and תפילה 

This is all very beautiful, but what do you do when you feel like the dialogue is only flowing one way? Like you’re not being heard, seen or understood? What then? What does it say about the relationship in question? Is there even a relationship at that point? Is it that we send our words Upstairs and every time it’s just spin at the roulette on whether or not the message will be responded to?

And, to circle back to amevakesh’s original question, when I’m in a dialogue with my wife, I know when to back off. At a certain point, I know that no matter how much I beg and plead, the answer is no. Because I can gauge her reactions. But with Hashem, how or when do we interpret the Reaction? What’s the secret code to deciphering Hahem’s Whispers back to us? 

I would love to know the answer to this one. Because if I would get similar feedback from my wife, that relationship would be over.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:23 #426263

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First of all you are always heard and. Answered the answer is just sometimes no or let's wait a bit more, 
when asking something from human being, no matter how much that person loves you and means the best for you, there will always be there needs involved in the answer, unlike when you ask something from hashem the answer will only be what's best for you, and if you don't feel it or don't understand just ask and keep on asking till you satisfied (alot of time he'll give you what you asked and alot of times hell give you דעת to understand the why, and sometimes he'll push it of more) hashem doesn't have a problem with it, and alot of times you just have to accept and keep on praying because that's your duty, 

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:24 #426264

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Our relationship with hashems is not husband and wife relationship, it's father and son, and I believe that from your you begged more than your wife 

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:36 #426265

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5678 wrote on 02 Dec 2024 02:23:
First of all you are always heard and. Answered the answer is just sometimes no or let's wait a bit more, 
when asking something from human being, no matter how much that person loves you and means the best for you, there will always be there needs involved in the answer, unlike when you ask something from hashem the answer will only be what's best for you, and if you don't feel it or don't understand just ask and keep on asking till you satisfied (alot of time he'll give you what you asked and alot of times hell give you דעת to understand the why, and sometimes he'll push it of more) hashem doesn't have a problem with it, and alot of times you just have to accept and keep on praying because that's your duty, 

I feared that this is what it all boils down to.

Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:43 #426266

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Oh my dear friend Moireinu R' Amevakesh, I really shouldn't be responding to your quetion, as I can't fathom the pain, you're going through in general, and especially the hard painful moment of acceptance. I know it's really hard, but reading your pain I can't help myself, if there's even a 1% chance, that something I'll write between my flowing tears, will help you to some extent, I'd feel aweful, just leaving you in the mud with a dumb thank you to your post.

My dear friend, I'd just like to ask you, "Who ever said that acceptance of your situation, means ceasing to pray for it?" Now please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that this should enlighten the burden or the pain, just to answer your question, about davening for it, I don't think you should  ever stop.

Now I know that's not exciting, but I humbly think it could become exciting, let's say for example, the women were born with a gezeira, that they can't do any mitzva's besides for the three they were given, and yet they pray each and every day about that gezeira, even though it can't be changed, they say every day ברוך... שעשני כרצונו so instead of davening to hashem to annul the gezeira, they praise hashem about it, which with all due respect, means true acceptance, I think this really the concept of the Mishna, כשם שמברך על הטוב כך מברך על הרעה, to just daven about your gezeira, not begging for it to be annuled, just reminding it in passing, and let hashem take the tefila and do with it, what he knows is best, for he really knows what you really want deep down, and he understands what you mean by just reminding it.

Again my eyes are teary, feeling your pain, as much as I possibly can, I really don't mean to preach, just give you a concept that you probably know, just need a reminder as אין חבוש מתור עצמו, and hope for the best for you.

With love Akiva
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Re: Navigating the ocean of my life 02 Dec 2024 02:48 #426267

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As we’re having this conversation, I just had a thought that might provide an answer to the original question:

When to stop asking Hashem for a specific bakasha?

Perhaps when the pain of being rejected begins to be felt more than the feeling of benefit you might gain as a result of your request being granted.

And maybe I’ll put a finer point on it.

There is a certain measure of pleasure in asking Hashem to grant your specific request. The fact that you are communicating with the All-mighty Being that can do anything and everything allows a rush of hope to fill your soul. It feels good. Maybe this time finally, finally, things will change.

So to access that good feeling, we allow ourselves to open ourselves up to the possibility of being rejected. It’s a trade off we’re willing to make.

But once the pain of rejection compounds over time, that good feeling of hope diminishes and is outweighed by the dread of another “No”. 

When that tipping point is reached, perhaps it’s time to back off.

I know that’s when I backed off.
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