Yetzer Harah and Yetzer Tov
When you turn 13 (Bar Mitzva) that is when one gets his Yetzer Hatov or Sechel, the ability to make mature logical decisions.
It is said that Benjamin Disraeli said that it is easy to do the right thing, what is hard is to know what the right thing to do is. This is maybe what Chazal referred to when they said, "Ein adam Choteh ela im Kein nichnas bo ruach Shtus".
In this generation which might very well be considered "Dor she'Ben David Bah" it says many thing defining that time, I would like to concentrate on two aspects of the time sheBen David Bah. It says that:1. Haemes Ne'ederes, that truth will be hidden i.e. the truth will not be known as sheker will abound. and 2. Chachmas Hasofrim Tisrach. The Sofrim are generally referred to what is known as the Ma'atikei Shmuah not "Gedolim".
Until not too long ago, the prevailing Yetzer Hara seemed to have been for "Haskala" which led to many Jews non-observance. That still exists. During that time it seemed like the truth was pretty obvious but there were real world forces that were very hard to overcome that were leading people astray from the truth. In a moment of weakness most of the people going astray knew what the truth was. However, it seems that a larger issue facing us today is the problem of "Haemes Ne'ederes" the truth or the true path to take is hidden.
Rabbi Yerucham Levuvitz, the Mirrer Mashgiach, quotes the Ramban in Shemos who quotes a Shemos Raba that says with regard to the pasuk "Ra'oh Rahisa es ani Mitzraim" that you Moshe see one thing however I see two things. You Moshe see the Bnei Yisrael coming before Mt. Sinai and getting the Torah but I see another aspect of yitzias mitzraim and that is the sin of the Egel. R' Yerucham says the Ramban means to say that the sin of the Egel was a direct result of Bnei Yisrael getting the Torah. If they would not have recieved the Torah they would also not have had the inclination to sin with the Egel.
The Gemara in Sucah say "Kal Hagadol Meichaveiro Yitzro Gadol Heimenu" and Abye adds "Ubetalmidei Chachamim yoser Mikulam" this does not mean (like we have been taught in cheder) that a greater person with more potential has a greater inclination to sin, rather that the greater a person becomes in actuality the greater his inclination to sin is. That is how R' Yisrael Salanter explains the Gemara in Berachos "Bechal Levavcha Beshnei Yetzarcha" You cannot do battle with the yetzer tov against the yetzer hara because the yetzer hara will co-opt the yetzer hatov and you will think that the yetzer tov is winning but really the yetzer hara is winning because your sechel will just be being used as a tool by the yetzer hara.
"Zacha Na'ases lo sam chaim, Lo Zacha Na'aseis lo Sam hamaves" the ba'alei musar say that zacha is from the root word "Zach" pure, meaning if you are not thinking purely and correctly the torah itself will become "Sam Hamaves" and cause you to sin with the Egel, a sin that you would never have come to if not for the Torah in the first place.
The Gemara in Berachos 5b says that the antidote for the yetzer hara is "Ya'asok Betorah and if that doesn't work "Yikra Krias Shema". The Anaf Yosef bring the Hafla'ah that says that Krias Shema will help you have the right kavana for torah. I would like to add that in saying krias shema you will focus on the pasuk of "beshnei yitzarecha" which will help lead you to learning in a pure way and not be mislead by your yetzer tov.
In a generation where "Emes Ne'ederes" is the prevailing problem the Yetzer Hara has a very easy job, just let the Yetzer Hatov take over and possibly allow for more learning of the Sam hamaves kind.
We must be very careful that our learning is truly a "Sam hachaim" so that it can help lead us back to the right way, maybe we need to focus a little bit more on the krias shema aspect of our life so that not be led astray by our yetzer hatov.
It is said that Benjamin Disraeli said that it is easy to do the right thing, what is hard is to know what the right thing to do is. This is maybe what Chazal referred to when they said, "Ein adam Choteh ela im Kein nichnas bo ruach Shtus".
In this generation which might very well be considered "Dor she'Ben David Bah" it says many thing defining that time, I would like to concentrate on two aspects of the time sheBen David Bah. It says that:1. Haemes Ne'ederes, that truth will be hidden i.e. the truth will not be known as sheker will abound. and 2. Chachmas Hasofrim Tisrach. The Sofrim are generally referred to what is known as the Ma'atikei Shmuah not "Gedolim".
Until not too long ago, the prevailing Yetzer Hara seemed to have been for "Haskala" which led to many Jews non-observance. That still exists. During that time it seemed like the truth was pretty obvious but there were real world forces that were very hard to overcome that were leading people astray from the truth. In a moment of weakness most of the people going astray knew what the truth was. However, it seems that a larger issue facing us today is the problem of "Haemes Ne'ederes" the truth or the true path to take is hidden.
Rabbi Yerucham Levuvitz, the Mirrer Mashgiach, quotes the Ramban in Shemos who quotes a Shemos Raba that says with regard to the pasuk "Ra'oh Rahisa es ani Mitzraim" that you Moshe see one thing however I see two things. You Moshe see the Bnei Yisrael coming before Mt. Sinai and getting the Torah but I see another aspect of yitzias mitzraim and that is the sin of the Egel. R' Yerucham says the Ramban means to say that the sin of the Egel was a direct result of Bnei Yisrael getting the Torah. If they would not have recieved the Torah they would also not have had the inclination to sin with the Egel.
The Gemara in Sucah say "Kal Hagadol Meichaveiro Yitzro Gadol Heimenu" and Abye adds "Ubetalmidei Chachamim yoser Mikulam" this does not mean (like we have been taught in cheder) that a greater person with more potential has a greater inclination to sin, rather that the greater a person becomes in actuality the greater his inclination to sin is. That is how R' Yisrael Salanter explains the Gemara in Berachos "Bechal Levavcha Beshnei Yetzarcha" You cannot do battle with the yetzer tov against the yetzer hara because the yetzer hara will co-opt the yetzer hatov and you will think that the yetzer tov is winning but really the yetzer hara is winning because your sechel will just be being used as a tool by the yetzer hara.
"Zacha Na'ases lo sam chaim, Lo Zacha Na'aseis lo Sam hamaves" the ba'alei musar say that zacha is from the root word "Zach" pure, meaning if you are not thinking purely and correctly the torah itself will become "Sam Hamaves" and cause you to sin with the Egel, a sin that you would never have come to if not for the Torah in the first place.
The Gemara in Berachos 5b says that the antidote for the yetzer hara is "Ya'asok Betorah and if that doesn't work "Yikra Krias Shema". The Anaf Yosef bring the Hafla'ah that says that Krias Shema will help you have the right kavana for torah. I would like to add that in saying krias shema you will focus on the pasuk of "beshnei yitzarecha" which will help lead you to learning in a pure way and not be mislead by your yetzer tov.
In a generation where "Emes Ne'ederes" is the prevailing problem the Yetzer Hara has a very easy job, just let the Yetzer Hatov take over and possibly allow for more learning of the Sam hamaves kind.
We must be very careful that our learning is truly a "Sam hachaim" so that it can help lead us back to the right way, maybe we need to focus a little bit more on the krias shema aspect of our life so that not be led astray by our yetzer hatov.
posted by funnyfundamentalist at 11:41 AM
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