Shmirat Einayim Especially During Tammuz and Av

Shmirat Einayim (Guarding One's Eyes)

Likutei Moharan (21:2) explains that there are seven candles on a person's face, corresponding to the Menorah, and that they must be used properly. Two candles are the eyes, which we must guard from immodest sights (the remaining five candles are the two ears, two nostrils, and mouth). In Parshat Shelach we read: וְלֹא-תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵ ינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר-אַתֶּם זֹנִים, אַחֲרֵיהֶם - (“and you shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes, by which you go astray”). Rashi cites a Midrash, saying that “the eyes see, the heart desires, and the body sins.” The Prohibition It is forbidden to look at immodestly dressed women, and it is even forbidden to look at a woman's little finger if one does so for pleasure. Although everyone knows that it is forbidden to look at a woman who does not cover everything required by halachah, it should be remembered that even if a woman is dressed properly, looking at her for pleasure is entirely forbidden. This is not a chumrah (stringency), but simple halachah. In addition, if a man has another woman in mind besides his wife, this can cause his children to be like mamzerim on a spiritual level. (Kav HaYashar, chapter 2, where the Zohar is cited) The yetzer hara is stronger in the summer. Although shmirat einayim is relevant all year round, it is especially important during the summer months. Perhaps this is why Shelach, in which we study the matters mentioned above, falls at the beginning of the summer months. In Tammuz, it is especially important to be strict about “shmirat einayim”. In Parshat Shelach (13:20) it says: וְהַיָּמִים-יְמֵי בִּכּוּרֵי עֲנָבִים — (the season when the grapes first ripen). This refers to the time when the meraglim (spies) set out on their mission. Rabbeinu Chida says in the name of Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropoli that if you look at which letters come before each letter of עֲנָבם, you get the word סמאל, “Samech-Mem” (the name of the prosecuting angel). The Chida explains that the word עֲנָבִים is often written without a “yud”. He explains that “Samech-Mem” is stronger during the months of Tammuz and Av, since these are the months of Esav, and he is the angel of Esav. (Pnei David) Rashi, commenting on the pasuk from Shelach, וְלֹא-תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם, says that the eyes are called “meraglim”. Just as Samech-Mem was able to cause the incident involving the meraglim, so too it causes other meraglim—the eyes—to sin during the summer. Gates to the Neshamah The eyes are gates to the neshamah. It is interesting that the eyes are the only part of the human body affected even by the tiniest speck of dirt. We all know how unpleasant it is when a small hair or speck of dust gets into the eye. This helps us somewhat understand how any speck of “dirt” on the neshamah severely contaminates it. Looking at inappropriate things causes terrible damage. One should not look into the face of an evil person or look at impure things, but the greatest challenge is seeing immodestly dressed women or looking at them for pleasure. The Eyes Do Not See What the Heart Does Not Desire When Reb Aharon, the son of Reb Yehoshua of Belz, became engaged, the governor of the city announced that he would come with a governess to congratulate the rabbi and his son. Reb Aharon asked his father what he should do if he had to meet the governess, since he might have to look at her. Reb Yehoshua told his son that the Midrash quoted by Rashi says that the eyes see and the heart desires, but the pasuk mentions the heart before the eyes. The Rebbe explained that the reason is that if the heart does not desire, the eyes do not see. Segulot Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk says the following in “Tzetel Katan”: One should not look beyond one's four cubits, and if one sees a woman, one should imagine the Name א־ד־נ־י before one's eyes. If someone sees an immodestly dressed woman, he should say the pasuk from the Shema: וְלֹא-תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכ — “ve-lo taturu acharei levavchem ve-acharei eineichem asher atem zonim achareihem” — (and you shall not stray after your heart and your eyes, by which you go astray). Kav HaYosher (chapter 2) writes that David HaMelech says in Tehillim (119:37): הַעֲבֵ֣ר עֵ֭ינַי מֵרְא֣וֹת שָׁ֑וְא בִּדְרָכֶ֥ךָ חַיֵּֽנִי׃ “Ha'aver einai me-reot shav, bid'rachecha chayeini” — (turn my eyes away from seeing vanity; preserve me through Your way). The word שָׁוְא has the same gematria as שז, an abbreviation of שכבת זרע, and David HaMelech means: “Turn my eyes away from anything that could cause שכבת זרע.” The Tur, in the very first section of Orach Chaim, mentions this pasuk and says that a Jew should keep this pasuk in mind at all times. Reb Moshe of Kobrin teaches that no one is punished for the first, unintentional glance; however, if someone looks a second time, intentionally, he is punished for it. Beit Yisrael of Gur said that if someone is walking down the street and encounters an immodestly dressed woman, as long as he continues walking and does not think about it, he will not be held accountable. If a person has bad thoughts and is able to overcome them, G-d derives great pleasure from this. If someone discovers that he is thinking about what he saw, instead of fighting by trying to force the thoughts out of his mind—which will only make them stronger—he should simply think about something else, such as Torah, avodah, or even business, because two thoughts cannot occupy the mind simultaneously. (Likutei Moharan 233) Leil Shavuot Staying awake all night on Shavuot, reciting Tikkun Leil Shavuot, with a tikkun for forbidden things a person has seen with his eyes, is extremely helpful. (Pele Yo'etz, Mo'ed LeKol Chai) The Chozeh of Lublin If a person has “kosher” eyes, he will be able to see exalted things that eyes do not normally see. (Likutei Moharan 254) When Reb Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin was a student, he walked with his eyes closed so that he would not see what he should not. People approached his Rebbe and asked what kind of foolishness this was, but the Rebbe told them to leave Yaakov Yitzchak alone. When he came of age, a wonderful shidduch was found for him. He did not look at his kallah before the wedding, since he did not need to see her before the wedding. At the wedding, he opened his eyes to see his future wife and saw an image on her face. He immediately told his father that the wedding had to be canceled. Understandably, they were extremely angry with him. The girl supposedly possessed all the qualities anyone could want. But he knew what he had seen on the girl's face, and he had no choice but to cancel the wedding. Throughout all those years, when he did not look at anything inappropriate, he was able to see what the ordinary eye could not perceive. The rest is history. He found his proper match and became known as the Chozeh, the Seer, because he could see from one end of the world to the other as a result of guarding his eyes from forbidden sights. A Woman's Responsibility This is not the place to discuss tzniut—it is a separate topic—but women should take care to dress appropriately so as not to lead men into sin by looking at them. If a woman is dressed modestly and a man chooses to look at her, that is his problem. However, if a woman dresses immodestly, causing men to look at her, she causes others to sin. Unfortunately, in recent years, stores owned by frum Jews have appeared in frum neighborhoods, selling clothing to frum Jews that is extremely provocative. There is no need to go into details, and this is not a chumrah by any stretch of the imagination. Enough said. While not looking at forbidden things is an obligation, and a person will be rewarded for it in Olam HaBa, there are segulot that take effect when a person is careful about shmirat einayim. Segulot of Shmirat Einayim Reb Uri “the Saraf” of Sterlisk said that his children would live and be able to grow up without pain. Sefer Yisrael Kedoshim says that a person will be protected from ayin hara, because ayin hara can affect only someone who damages his eyes by looking at forbidden things. Reb Aharon Roth, Shomer Emunim, says that when someone walks down the street and guards his eyes, this is considered very important in Heaven. If a person walks along a small alley and watches his eyes, it is considered as though he has learned a small masechet. If he walks along a large street and guards his eyes, it is considered as though he has learned a large masechet. There is a kabbalah transmitted from the Vilna Gaon, also cited by Reb Aharon Roth. If someone encounters a forbidden sight and overcomes his yetzer hara and does not look, it is a sha'at rachamim, a time of mercy from Heaven, and everything a person does at that time is mesugal to be accepted. Similarly, Rabbi Yehuda Tzadkah related that one of the great rabbis asked Baba Sali why his own tefillot had not been answered, while when Baba Sali prayed, he received an answer. Baba Sali replied: “Because I guard my eyes and my mouth.”   http://zchusavos.blogspot.com/2007/06/shmiras-einayim-thoughts-stories-and_06.html