Divine Protection | Rabbi Shlomo Landau

It was just a few days after the horrific Lag Ba’omer in Meron, where 45 beautiful Neshamas ascended to Shomayim. All of Klal Yisroel was in such pain and in trauma. There was a Chasidishe Yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel where the Hanhalah realized that the Bochurim, they just couldn't get back to themselves. They were distracted, they were emotionally hurting, And the Hanhalah decided, We have to do something to help the Bochurim. And they came up with the following strategy. They compiled a list of almost 50 different areas in Yiddishkeit that these boys could work on, and they asked every Bochur to be mekabel one small but tangible Kabbalah, and do it L’ilui Nishmas these 45 Neshamas. Hopefully, it would bring them some sense of Nechama. The list was very long. Retzufos - learning consecutive, davening with extra Kavanah, Shemiras Halashon, Kavanah by Brachos. But one of the items on the list of 50 Kabbalos was Shemiras Ha’einayim. One young Chasidishe Bochur was looking at the list. There were so many things there that he knew he had to work on. But then he saw Shemiras Ha’einayim and he said to himself, I've never really worked on Shemiras Ha’einayim, maybe now is a good time to start. He filled out the card. He was Mekabel on himself Shemiras Ha’einayim, and that very day he began to be more careful what he looked at and where he went. Just a few days later, one of his friends suggested that he attend the incredible Chanukas Habayis of the beautiful brand-new Karlin-Stolin Beis Medrash in Givat Ze’ev. He was excited. He said, sure, let's do it. And the day before Shavuos, they traveled to Givat Ze’ev. They came to the Tish where there were thousands of people and they climbed to the top of one of the bleachers so they could get an excellent view of the Rebbe, of the celebration, of the proceedings. Sadly, just a few minutes into the Tish, there was a terrible commotion, as one complete section of the bleachers collapsed. This bochur, who was all the way at the top, was thrown violently from the top, and he struck something on the way down. He was rushed to the hospital with terrible swelling around one of his eyes, and the doctors feared that he would lose his sight or maybe even his eye. Yet miraculously, within 12 hours, the swelling had subsided and Baruch Hashem, his eye was okay and his vision was intact. The doctors shared that had he come in contact with the object that hit him, had it been one millimeter closer, Rachmono Litzlan, he would definitely have lost his eyesight, perhaps even his eye. Remarkable. He was Shomer his Einayim, and the Ribono shel Olam was also Shomer his Einayim. He was careful with what he looked at and the Ribono shel Olam protected those eyes. This is an incredible story, but what's more incredible is that he was literally just a few days, maybe a week, into being more careful with Shemiras Ha’einayim, and that created enough Zechus, enough merit, for the Ribono shel Olam to intervene and to be Shomer his Ayin, and to watch his eye. You know, we're only a few weeks into this Vayimaen initiative of people trying to be more careful with Shemiras Ha’einayim. but the results have been staggering! Refuos, Yeshuos, Parnasa, Shidduchim, Shalom Bayis. Let's all try to be mekabel on ourselves, even just for a short period of time to be Shomer Einayim, to elevate our level of Kedusha. And if we're Shomer our Einayim, Im Yirtze Hashem, the Ribono shel Olam will give us incredible Shemira.