What Do You Really Want | Rabbi Binyomin Weinrib

Every one of us throughout our day are faced with tremendous temptations in the area of Shemiras Einayim. When we're walking on the street, when we’re at work, when we're on the computer, everywhere we go, there are challenges and temptations in the area of Shemiras Einayim. And we're all looking for what's the עצה, what piece of advice can we give ourselves to be able to overcome the temptations? What weapon can we use against this enemy? What do we have in our toolbox to be able to stand up against this challenge of Shemiras Einayim. And the Heiliger Kotzke Rebbe זכותו יגן עלינו tells us that we need two words and only two words in order to be able to overcome the challenge. When Yosef HaTzaddik was sent by Yaakov Avinu to go check up on his brothers who were shepherding the sheep out in Shechem, Yosef HaTzaddik bumps into an איש, which Rashi says was the Mal’ach Gavriel. Gavriel HaMal’ach asks Yosef HaTzaddik, What are you looking for? And Yosef HaTzaddik very famously answers, I am looking for my brothers. Says the Heiliger Kotzke Rebbe, the Mal’ach Gavriel was giving Yosef HaTzaddik the weapon necessary to be able to make it through the hardest challenges that Yosef HaTzaddik was going to face in Mitzrayim. The challenges of Eishes Potifar, the challenges of living in a place of ערוות הארץ, the filth of the world was in Mitzrayim, and the Mal’ach Gavriel was giving Yosef HaTzaddik the weapon to overcome those challenges. Those two words, Gavriel tells Yosef HaTzaddik, Ask yourself, What am I looking for in life? What's my goal in life? What do I really want in life? What are my real רצונות in life? That את פניך ה’ אבקש that my real רצונות, that רצון of every Yid is רצוננו לעשות רצונך and when we're faced with temptations, we know that those temptations are not going to last. It's a fleeting pleasure that the Yetzer Hara tries to get us to think that that's what we really want. But if we ask ourselves the simple question throughout the day, when we're walking on the street, when we're faced with temptations, מה תבקש? What do we really want? And we remind ourselves that רצוננו לעשות רצונך that every Yid has only one desire, To get closer and closer to the Ribono shel OIam. Then it reminds us and keeps us in check and it reminds us that our real רצון is not for that which is grabbing our eyes’ attention at the moment, but our real רצון is to get close to the Ribono shel Olam. And by remembering those words and asking it to ourselves again and again throughout the day, we’ll be zoche to overcome the challenges of Shemiras Einayim in our דור.