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Thought for the Day: The Constant Battle with the יצר הרע/Evil Inclination

When my children were young, we had a book called, "Never Tease a Weasel." It was a cute story about how teasing and annoying someone is just not nice. Yet Chazal give us that advice for dealing with our יצר הרע/Evil Inclination. In fact, it's only one step in systematic strategy to subdue the יצר הרע/Evil Inclination (Brachos 5a). 

R' Levi bar Chama, a person should constantly be use his יצר טוב/Good Inclination to antagonize his יצר הרע. If you win that battle; great! If not, then get involved in Torah. If you win that battle, great! If not, then say k'riyas Sh'ma. If you now win that battle, great! If not, remember you will die someday.

One might ask, if remembering the day of death is the most powerful antidote to the יצר הרע, why not just start there and get on with your life? What's with the escalation and constantly trying new strategies?  What's the goal, in fact? I mean, if the יצר הרע is so dangerous, then is antagonizing it a good idea? Poking a grizzly bear just doesn't seem like a great strategy. And if the יצר הרע is not so bad, then just ignore it. How many times did I hear as a child and then say over as a parent: He just wants your reaction! Stop reacting and he'll stop bugging you.

There is an amazing story about R' Hutner, ztz"l to illustrate the problem and the goal. R' Hutner told a talmid that he really needed to get a chavruso. The talmid (a bit of a m'chutzif, apparently) replied that he didn't see R' Hutner learning with anyone. R' Hutner told the student that he was wrong, R' Hutner did have a chavruso, his יצר הרע. The talmid now asked why not learn with his יצר טוב? R' Hutner replied that his יצר הרע was the best chavruso ever for two reasons: (1) he never gave up; (2) he was never late for seder.

The יצר הרע is not evil incarnate.True, his mission is to kill you, However, his goal is to keep you constantly engaged in growing and learning. But you have to know how serious the battle is. It is absolutely about your life; your eternal life. That's why the יצר הרע will never give up. As long as you are alive, there is room for growth. There is always the potential for an expanded and deepened relationship with HaShem.

Hence, you want to utilize your יצר הרע to the fullest. Of course, it is a tricky business. The best way to utilize the extraordinary power and potential of the יצר הרע is to antagonize/tease it with your יצר טוב. That is, engage fully with your יצר הרע by putting it to work for the יצר טוב. If it starts to get under control, redirect some of learning Torah from "learning for its own sake" to subduing the יצר טוב. Not the highest use of Torah, but certainly still involved with Torah. If the יצר טוב continues to flex its muscles, say k'riyas Sh'ma -- accept the yoke of Heaven; remember for whom you toil and to whom you will ultimately need to give a strict accounting for all your actions. If the יצר הרע is still out of control, just remind yourself that this world doesn't last forever. Think of something you thought was really great at the time, and now just makes you cringe. (The older I get, the more old memories get ast in that new light and the cringier they get.)

And when you win that battle? To back to using your יצר טוב to tease your יצר הרע. Never tease a weasel. This is very good advice. A weasel will not like it. And teasing isn't nice! But always tease your יצר הרע. This is how you achieve your mission. (I know it doesn't rhyme. sigh)

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