Self Control; Self Conquest

What does G-d want with sinners like me? What did He put such a louse of a creature here for? I just want to know: does He appreciate at all the effort I put into trying not to be what I am?

At that point I realized that my iPhone is the Primordial Snake from the Garden of Eden. But nevertheless, I love my iSnake.

Severe Siberian cold waves swept across the remote forest region with a vengeance, as the bitter temperature plummeted further. It was week two of his treacherous trek . . .

You now possess three-quarters of a billion dollars. You make yourself a cup of coffee, and you sit at your kitchen table, thinking about the money. How does it change your plans? How does it change who you are?

I found myself questioning the one thing I had always depended on—my Jewish faith...

G-d is not displeased with those who struggle to do the right thing. To the contrary, it causes G-d great pleasure to see us striving to overcome our lower nature.

We scratch because it feels good. At least in the moment. And it is a relief. But the pain always returns, for the itch comes back begging for more, and the cycle continues . . .

I tapped into a part of myself that’s generally under wraps. Mummified, really. This part of me, in case you’re wondering, is my integrity. My authenticity. Not that I’ve been living a lie, but I haven’t been so honest with the world, not even with myself...

Somehow, very early on along the way, eating became mechanical, emotional, social, comforting, and generally filled with mindlessness . . .

I should go. I didn’t want to go. In all honesty, I was embarrassed to admit it, I was afraid to go. This was an antiquated, angrily disputed place; quite small, really. Though you’d never guess it by the media attention it drew. I pushed it to the back o...