The Empty Fist | Rabbi Usher Yisroel Lissauer

As a boy growing up in Manhattan, I saw the emptiness, the vanity in a life chasing after desires. Once I came across the writings of R’ Nachman Breslever, I saw a beautiful Mashal. There was once a man that put up his fist and showed it to a crowd of people, and he said: Who can guess what I have in my hand? Something very precious, very special. And he turned around and he started running. And everyone started running after him. Herds and herds of people were running and trying to get a glimpse of this special entity that he's holding in his tightly-closed hand. At the end of the race, when everyone was so exhausted, everyone was already tired, so he opened his hand and he showed them that there's nothing there. This is what the Yetzer Hara does to us. He comes and he says: I have something great for you. I have one of the biggest pleasures that there is in the world. Look here, look there. Do this, do that. But at the end of the game, he faces us, and he tells us: There was really nothing there. I was just a שליח of Hashem to distract you and to see if you really want to live to your purpose, to your true תכלית. The pasuk in Yeshaya says, The Heiliger R’ Ahral’e Roth of Shomer Emunim tells us that at the extent that a Yid watches and guards his eyes in the Zman of the Galus, when the Geula will come, Hashem will reveal a very big and special light. This light will be beautiful. But for one that didn't guard his eyes, it may be blinding. For every time that a person guards his eyes, he gains a merit to see and to enjoy this special light that is awaiting us. And that's what I thought to say, בעזר השם, on עין בעין. Why does it say עין בלשון יחיד and not עיניים בלשון רבים? Why does it say a singular לשון? It could be the reason is the Navi is telling us, every single time you conquer the Yetzer Hara, every single time you show Hashem that you care about your holiness, you care about being close to him, you will be able to process and to feel this light of Moshiach, that is going to come speedily in our days, אמן ואמן.