Bandits in Baghdad | Rabbi Pinchas Novoseller

The Sefer המספיק לעובד השם from Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam brings down that of the five senses, sight, the חוש הראיה, gives the person the most intense pleasure of all. The question then becomes, What do we answer that voice that whispers in our ear, Take a look. Take a glance. It's only a second. How do we push that away? In the Yeshiva of the Ben Ish Chai in Baghdad the day would begin with Tikkun Chatzos, followed by the Shiur of the Ben Ish Chai, and when the Shiur was over, they would daven נץ, they would daven ותיקין together. It was one night, about midnight, and a Bochur was walking through the streets of Baghdad, and he passed the mansion of the wealthiest woman in Baghdad. He noticed that the door was a crack open, and he says: Let me take a look inside. It might be interesting. He walks in. It was quiet. The house was asleep. And before he knew it, he was standing in front of the vault, in front of an entire safe of gold, silver, diamonds. And he made a quick Cheshbon and said: I can do one tiny Aveira of stealing and in that Zchus, I'll be able to support all the Yeshivas and Shuls in the neighborhood. He quickly grabbed a sack and started loading it, until he said to himself after a moment or two, Am I crazy? The Torah said: לא תגנוב. No way. He dropped the sack, he ran to Yeshiva. Baruch Hashem, he slipped into the Shiur without being noticed. The Shiur was over, they davened Shachris, and then he couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of his eyes, when this very woman walks into Yeshiva and she walks straight into the office of the Ben Ish Chai. After a little while, the Ben Ish Chai comes out and he starts scanning the Beis Medrash, he starts scanning the room, until he points to that one Bochur, and he says: You, come into my office. The Bochur comes in. He knew that it was over. The Ben Ish Chai turns to him, he says: This woman just told me that in middle of the night, bandits, robbers came into her house. They entered her safe room and for some reason or another, they took nothing and they left. Now she was afraid for her life. Who knows if they're armed, they might have a weapon. So she pretended to stay asleep and did not come out of her room. But she's nervous now, sleeping alone every night, and she asked if I can do something to help her and I thought of the following idea. You are now assigned to sleep in her home every night. You'll take along another Bochur with you so it won't be a question of Yichud. And with that, she'll be safe. And that's what happened. After a few months, this woman passed away and in her צוואה, in her will, she left over all of her wealth to this one Bochur. The Bochur goes back into the Ben Ish Chai and says: Rebbe, you're obviously aware that that night it was me who broke into the house. The Ben Ish Chai said: No, I had no idea. For some reason, I chose you, I don't know why, but you taught me a lesson. I always knew what the Medrash tells us, If I give up a pleasure in This World, I'll get it back in the Next World. But now I learned something new. If I give up a pleasure in This World that is coming to me in a forbidden way, I will get that very pleasure back in This World in a permitted way, באופן המותר. Dovid HaMelech tells us, We have to uplift and elevate our eyes, אשא עיניי מאין is the letters ימאן. From וימאן יבוא עזרי.