Seeing Holy Sights | Rabbi Uren Reich

The temptation for ראיית עיניים, the temptation to look at inappropriate things is very powerful. And one of the ways to be Mechazek and fortify ourselves against this Nisayon is to recognize how much we lose by even one, and כל שכן more, ראיות that are inappropriate. And I want to share a thought about this, with a story that I heard from HaGaon R’ Meir Stern shlit”a, that he remembered from his years when he learned in Lakewood under our great Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Aharon zt”l. In those days, Lakewood was a sleepy town, besides the Yeshiva, and there were hardly any visitors or people who would come into the Yeshiva in the middle of Seder. If someone walked in who wasn't part of the Yeshiva, it would be a curiosity. An obviously English-looking gentleman with a little child walked into the Beis HaMedrash and he looked around hesitatingly and R’ Meir Stern, being a friendly Bochur, went over to him and said: Could I help you? Shalom Aleichem. And the man said: I've come from England for a Chasunah to New York and I've come with my son, I would like to see the Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Aharon. And R’ Meir said to him: I feel so bad, because today the Rosh Yeshiva is saying his Shiur, and on a morning before the Rosh Yeshiva says a Shiur, he cannot be disturbed for anything. He doesn't have any time talk to you. I feel so bad that you came specially to talk to him. The man almost recoiled in shock and he said: Talk to him? I'm not worthy of talking to him. I have nothing to talk to him about. All I want is the privilege of seeing him. Is there any way that I could look at him and my child could have the zechus of seeing this great אדם גדול בענקים? R’ Meir, with a smile, said: That I can help you with. The door to the office of the Rosh Yeshiva had a glass pane that you could look through. And he said to this gentleman from England: You could look, you can talk. The Rosh Yeshiva will not notice you whatsoever. When he's immersed in learning, nothing can disturb him. The man was very excited. He went, he looked through, and every few seconds, he'd say to the child, Look, look. Look at R’ Aharon. Look at this great Gadol. Let your eyes take in and absorb the Kedushah of watching R’ Aharon sitting and being עוסק בתורה. What a beautiful story that teaches us how an ehrlicher Yid understands the preciousness of the wonderful things that our eyes can absorb. And we've all absorbed great things in our lifetime. But our eyes can only hold on to that Kedushah if we're not פוגם, if we don't sully them, with ראיות that are inappropriate. the Torah teaches us. When you look at the Techeles, but - Don't stray after your eyes which you have an inclination, which you naturally want to look at, because then you're going to lose the Segulah of זכירה. Let us hold on to this word וימאן throughout our life, so that we’ll be zoche to