Shmiras Ainayim

Ahhhhhhhh New York City in the summer! A beautiful place for the soul - if you lock yourself up in a room and pull down the shades and say tehillim with great fervor.

But if you walk outside it is DANGEROUS! The pasuk says "Vi'lo sassuru acharei ... ainaichem" which means that one is not allowed to see immodestly dressed women. In New York, many of the women don't dress immodestly - they don't dress at all.

What is a ben-Torah to do?

Good question! As I traverse the different areas of the "city that never sleeps" [which is sometimes how I feel about myself] I wonder how I can deal with this issue and come out a better, holier person. Kedushah is defined by the degree that one is careful with what he looks at [see Rashi at the beginning of parshas kedoshim].

Two answers: 1] Try your best. Just because in order to cross the street you have to look up and you see things it is better not to see, doesn't mean that ones eyes should freely roam. EVERY SINGLE AVERTED GLANCE is important. Just because you have seen 50 forbidden sights doesn't mean that the 51st is o.k. 2] It is impossible to live in this world and have a job or buy food or just about anything else and not to see, so we are all anusim. We are not sinning because because it is not our fault. But at the very least we should let out a krechtz and say "I wish it wasn't like this."

Much more to say but the time is short and the work is plentiful.

Love and blessings sweetest friends!!:)