Staying Pure

I posted this mashal last year after Rosh Hashana and I think we can all take the same message for ourselves now, after Yom Kippur. We need to think of ways to keep the inspiration going. You all just went through (hopefully) a very powerful and touching YomHadin, a day where Hashem looked into each of your hearts while you davened and begged for forgiveness. Now that you have come out cleansed and pure, you need to make sure that the inspiration from Yom Kippur doesn't fade away.

How can you keep strong and hold back from doing the wrong thing?

Try to think about some of the things you asked Hashem to forgive you for and think of ways you can stop yourself from doing it again.
So many of the al chaits mention using our mouths for the wrong things...lashon hara, making fun of others, saying things that hurt someone else...Respecting elders, parents, teachers, your spouse...

...Looking at pictures or things that are harmful for your neshama. We all need to work on this. There is so much garbage out there on the internet - without even wanting to see it, the pictures just jump out at you. The internet can be such a time waster - you look at the clock and notice that your night is gone and you didn't even do much! Limiting the time you spend online or setting real limits and rules for yourself can help you prevent yourself from wasting something so precious...The less time you spend online, the more you can be sure you'll stay away from the bad stuff!

Now that Yom Kippur is over know that you are totally clean! It says, ashreichem yisroel - how lucky you are Bnei Yisroel, lifnei mi atem metaharim - before whom are you purifying yourself u'mi metaher eschem - and WHO is purifying you? Avichem Shebashamayim - your Father in Heaven! Do you understand what that means?! When you send a suit into the cleaners, you are not guaranteed to get it back 100% clean. The stains may not come out, in can come back a little bit faded or damaged...but when your neshama is cleaned by Hashem, you can be sure that when Yom Kippur is over and done, you are super clean! You can't get cleaner than the way Hashem cleans you! This is what the passuk is saying: know how lucky you are that your neshama gets cleaned by Hashem Himself!

Now that your neshama is clean and pure, try to keep it that way! Take the extra minute to have real kavannah when you make a bracha, say the words slowly and appreciate the food you are about to eat. Think about what you are saying when you say birchas hamazon - you just had a delicious and satisfying meal...so take the extra few minutes to read the words from the bencher and put some thought into your words!

There are so many areas to fix and so many things to work on. By making sure to be proactive about it and not letting yourself fall for the things the Yetzer Hara tells you, you can be sure that you will keep your purity intact!