Blind by Choice | Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

Even though we're accustomed to thinking that if a person does an Aveira, they could just do Teshuva, unfortunately, it's not so easy. The Gemara tells us in Masechet Yuma there are certain Averios that Teshuva doesn't necessarily work for alone. Even Yom Kippur doesn't necessarily cleanse a person from all Averios. There are certain Aveiros where you need more than that. The Gemara says, certain Aveiros require ייסורים, and some Aveiros even require מיתה, for example, Chilul Hashem. And this is a very frightening teaching of the Gemara. But there's good news. There's great hope for us. The Ribono shel Olam provides us with a great gift because while מיתה, Chas V’shalom, may be required for full Teshuva, for full repentance, to be cleansed, there is an easy way to fulfill that. The Gemara tells us in Nedarim, סומא חשוב כמת. A blind person is considered as if they're dead. Well, says R’ Eliezer Puah, student of Rama Mipano, one of the early Mekubalim, if a blind person is considered as if they're dead, then imagine someone who could see and chooses to close their eyes. Certainly, they're considered as if they're a מת. And therefore, if someone faces and encounters an immodest image, an indecent sight, and they say, ‘Right now I'm going to close my eyes to it ‘and I'm going to render myself a סומא, a מת.’ At that moment, a person could say, ‘Ribono shel Olam, I would like to do Teshuva for my sins, ‘and I'm combined it with the fact that I'm closing my eyes.’ At that moment, all your sins are forgiven. But the person's walking down the street, he's healthy, he's happy, he has a family, he's making a Parnasa. Yeah, but he closed his eyes, and he made himself a סומא, and a סומא is חשוב כמת. And a Teshuva and a התגברות היצר closing your eyes, in one moment, יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת. All your sins are forgiven. Don't look at it as a challenge, look at it as an opportunity.