Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The Yetzer Hara often disguises temptation as our own judgment and desire. Drawing on Cain, Chovos Halevavos, and Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, this article explains why awareness is the first step toward overcoming it.
The Enemy From Within
Cain’s Warning: The Yetzer Hara Within
In this week’s Torah reading, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, offered sacrifices to God. While Abel’s offerings were of prime quality, Cain’s were of inferior nature. Consequently, a fire descended from heaven and consumed Abel’s offerings but not Cain’s. Cain was gravely disappointed. In an effort to prod Cain to a better path in life, God said to him (4:6-7), “Why are you upset and why has your face slouched down? If you improve your deeds, he will let you do so, and if you don’t, he will be waiting to take vengeance from you, and he is constantly out to seduce you, and if you desire, you will control him.” Who is the “he” referred to in these verses? Our Sages tell us (Tractate Kidushin 30b) that this is referring to the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination we are created with.
The Enemy That Knows Us From Within
God’s words to Cain serve as an introduction to life in this world. God created us with a Yetzer Hara whose sole purpose is to entice us to sin. The Chovos Halevavos expounds on the nature of the Yetzer Harah and says as follows (Gate of Divinity of Actions, chapter 5): “Human Being! You must know that your greatest enemy in the world is your Yetzer Hara! He is interwoven with the powers of your soul, he is mixed into your nature, and he is involved in all your materialistic and spiritual activities. He controls the thoughts of your soul and your secrets, he advises you on any move you make with your free will, and stands in ambush, ready to entice you in every step you take. Even when you are sleeping, he is awake, busy with you. You ignore him, but he doesn’t take his attention off of you. He cloaks himself with friendliness, adorns himself with display of love, and he gets counted amongst your loyal ones, your trusted advisers and treasured loved ones. He seems to run to please you, but in reality he is shooting deadly arrows at you to uproot you from the Next World.” The Yetzer Hara is our most sneaky and dangerous enemy, looking to capture us in his evil clutches every second in our lives.
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter’s Lesson in Vigilance
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, renowned for his piety and for particularly being careful to not do things at the expenses of others, once visited a wealthy man. During their conversation, the wealthy man had his box of cash open with him. The man had to step out for a moment, and Rabbi Salanter quickly sprang out of the room. Rabbi Salanter said that one must not be secluded in a room with the money of others. We can be sure that the notion of theft was as far from Rabbi Salanter as one can possibly imagine. But Rabbi Yisroel Salanter understood even better the potential of the Yetzer Hara, and he did not allow himself to be in a situation in which any kind of temptation to sin might exist.
Recognizing the Yetzer Hara’s Voice
Unfortunately, our most dangerous enemy is also the one we neglect the most. He is the most cunning double agent which ever existed, and too often we fall prey to his traps. The first step in combating the enemy is to gain awareness of his existence. Very often, when we desire things, we don’t even realize that the desire we feel is not truly our own, but a covert lust, stemming from the Yetzer Hara, aimed to destroy us spiritually. This is one enemy we cannot afford to ignore. In every step we take in our lives we must examine our motives and try to identify honestly if and where the Yetzer Hara is involved in our thought process. Our Yetzer Hara is constantly on the alert, looking for opportunities to make us stumble into a spiritual pitfall. We must be equally alert and prepared for battle to defend ourselves from his attacks. If one ignores him or forgets about him, and leads his life without paying close attention to the Yetzer Hara, he is doomed.
Overcoming the Yetzer Hara
As intimidating as the Yetzer Harah may sound, God has promised that we have the strength to overpower him. As long as we don’t neglect our awareness of his existence within us, we all have the ability to fend him off and overcome his temptations. If we take control of our lives and stand guard of his lurking attacks to seduce us, we will be victorious and succeed in reigning over him. By maintaining consciousness of his presence, we are set up to truly lead a life of real success.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber
