Overcoming Yishmael | Rabbi Avraham Schorr

Our generation suffers from two Galuyos. Galus Edom and as the Maharal and others teach us, that before Moshiach comes, we will suffer also from Galus Yishmael. Galus Yishmael is a Galus of תאוה. Yishmael, the son of Avraham Avinu, Middas Hachesed which goes off to the left, which goes off to Ahava, but not Ahavas Hashem and not Ahavas Yisroel. No, Ahava of the תאוות of this world. Yishmael represents תאוה. If you'll go back in history, you will see that the Muslim religion started to become strong when the world started to become degraded, lose the morality and start to act not the way Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants the world to be. So we realize that the Nisayon of our generation to overcome Yishmael. Who is Yishmael? The heiliger Vilna Gaon teaches us that Yishmael is those who believe in the Muslim religion. And if you want to overcome Yishmael, we have to overcome what Yishmael represents. The Koach of תאוה. The תאוה of a person starts with his eyes. עין רואה ולב חומד Chazal tell us. The Chemda of the Lev, the תאוה of the Lev, comes from the eyes. So if one wants to know what our job is, our Avoda in this world is to bring the Geulah, is to overcome Yishmael, to overcome Yishmael in the spiritual world. If we will overcome the Koach of Yishmael, Yishmael will have no power whatsoever in the physical world. And therefore, the Inyan of Shmiras Ha’einayim, of תאוה, are so strong in our generation. But because they are so strong, we know that that's the Avoda, that's what we have to overcome. And that should give every person strength, because Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn't send a Neshama to this world to face Nisyonos that he can't overcome. So we all have the Koach. We can overcome all that Yishmael has in this world, all the strength that he has in this world, all the missiles that they are shooting at us, with one thing, with winning our war against Yishmael, our war in Chutz La’aretz, our war in the streets of overcoming Yishmael’s תאוה, Yishmael’s Koach to be מטמא our Einayim, and be zoche to be Mekadesh the Einayim, be Mekadesh ourselves and overcome Yishmael and see the Geulah במהרה.