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Save "Yetzer Hara in theory and practice
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Yetzer Hara in theory and practice
וַיִּיצֶר֩ ה' אֱלֹקִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃

Ad-nai E-lohim formed (va'yitser, ​root word יצר) the human from the dust of the earth and He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and human became a living soul.

רַבִּי נַחְמָן בַּר שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן בְּשֵׁם רַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן אָמַר, הִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, זֶה יֵצֶר טוֹב. וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, זֶה יֵצֶר רָע. וְכִי יֵצֶר הָרָע טוֹב מְאֹד, אֶתְמְהָא. אֶלָּא שֶׁאִלּוּלֵי יֵצֶר הָרָע לֹא בָּנָה אָדָם בַּיִת, וְלֹא נָשָׂא אִשָּׁה, וְלֹא הוֹלִיד, וְלֹא נָשָׂא וְנָתַן. וְכֵן שְׁלֹמֹה אוֹמֵר (קהלת ד, ד): כִּי הִיא קִנְאַת אִישׁ מֵרֵעֵהוּ.

Rabbi Nahman said in Rabbi Samuel's name: 'Behold, it was good' refers to the Good Impulse (yetzer tov); 'And behold, it was very good' refers to the Evil Impulse (yetzer ra). Can then the Evil Impulse be very good? That is surprising! But without the Evil Impulse, however, no man would build a house, take a wife and beget children; and thus said Solomon: 'Again, I considered all labor and all excelling in work, that it is a man's rivalry with his neighbor.' (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

~ The midrash is calling our attention to the fact that the Torah text only says 'very good' after the human was created with both good and bad impulses, in all other cases it only says 'and God saw that it was good'.

~ How does the midrash prove that its point is not merely a linguistical issue?

~ What does it mean for the idea of Evil Impulse?

A fairly famous story - or what the rabbis learn from the Evil Implulse
(נחמיה ט, ד) ויצעקו אל ה' אלקים בקול גדול מאי אמור אמר רב ואיתימא ר' יוחנן בייא בייא היינו האי דאחרביה למקדשא וקליה להיכליה וקטלינהו לכולהו צדיקי ואגלינהו לישראל מארעהון ועדיין מרקד בינן כלום יהבתיה לן אלא לקבולי ביה אגרא לא איהו בעינן ולא אגריה בעינן נפל להו פיתקא מרקיעא דהוה כתב בה אמת אמר רב חנינא שמע מינה חותמו של הקב"ה אמת אותיבו בתעניתא תלתא יומין ותלתא לילואתא מסרוהו ניהליהו נפק אתא כי גוריא דנורא מבית קדשי הקדשים אמר להו נביא לישראל היינו יצרא דעבודת כוכבים שנאמר (זכריה ה, ח) ויאמר זאת הרשעה בהדי דתפסוה ליה אשתמיט ביניתא ממזייא ורמא קלא ואזל קליה ארבע מאה פרסי אמרו היכי נעביד דילמא חס ושלום מרחמי עליה מן שמיא אמר להו נביא שדיוהו בדודא דאברא וחפיוהו לפומיה באברא דאברא משאב שאיב קלא שנאמר (זכריה ה, ח) ויאמר זאת הרשעה וישלך אותה אל תוך האיפה וישלך את אבן העופרת אל פיה אמרו הואיל ועת רצון הוא נבעי רחמי איצרא דעבירה בעו רחמי ואמסר בידייהו אמר להו חזו דאי קטליתו ליה לההוא כליא עלמא חבשוהו תלתא יומי ובעו ביעתא בת יומא בכל ארץ ישראל ולא אשתכח אמרי היכי נעביד נקטליה כליא עלמא ניבעי רחמי אפלגא פלגא ברקיעא לא יהבי כחלינהו לעיניה ושבקוהו ואהני דלא מיגרי ביה לאיניש בקריבתה

The verse states: And they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God (Nehemiah 9:4). What was said? Rav said, and some say it was Rabbi Yoḥanan who said: Woe, woe. It is this, i.e., the evil inclination, that destroyed the Temple, and burned its Sanctuary, and murdered all the righteous ones, and caused the Jewish people to be exiled from their land. And it still dances among us! Didn’t You gave it to us for solely for the purpose of our receiving reward for overcoming it? We do not want it, and we do not want its reward! In response a note fell to them from the heavens upon which was written: Truth, indicating that God accepted their request. [The Gemara makes a parenthetical observation. Rav Ḥanina said: Learn from this that the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is truth.] They observed a fast for three days and three nights, and God delivered the evil inclination to them. It came as a fiery lion cub, from the chamber of the Holy of Holies. Zechariah the prophet of the Jewish people said to them: This is the inclination for idol worship, as it is stated in the verse that refers to this event: “And he said: This is the evil one” (Zechariah 5:8). When they caught hold of it one of its hairs fell, and it let out a shriek of pain that was heard for four hundred parasangs (2,240 km or 1,400 miles). They said: What should we do? Perhaps, Heaven forfend, they will have mercy upon it from Heaven! The prophet said to them: Throw it into a container made of lead and seal the opening with lead, since lead absorbs sound. As it is stated: “And he said: This is the evil one. And he cast it down into the midst of the measure, and he cast a stone of lead upon its opening” (Zechariah 5:8). They said: Since it is an auspicious time, let us pray also concerning the inclination for sexual transgressions. They prayed, and it was also delivered into their hands. It said to them: See that if you kill it (i.e. me) the world will be destroyed! They imprisoned it for three days. Then they searched for a fresh egg throughout all of Eretz Yisrael and could not find one. They said: What should we do? If we kill it, the world will be destroyed. If we pray for half nothing will be achieved because Heaven does not grant half gifts, only whole gifts. What did they do? They gouged out its eyes and set it free. And this was effective in that people are not aroused regarding their close relatives.

~ What is the significance of the Evil Impulse to be presented in the form of a fiery lion's cub?

~ Why does it come from the Holy of Holies?

[Note that the number 400 represents 'truth' in the Talmud, since it is the end of the word emet - truth is only discovered at the end, and not at the beginning of a narrative]

~ What did the rabbis learn, at the end of the story?

~ Is what the rabbis did an actual solution for the problem of the Evil Impulse?

An introduction to the parable of the prostitute

... שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכׇל לְבָבְךָ וְגוֹ׳״. ״בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ״ — בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרֶיךָ, בְּיֵצֶר טוֹב וּבְיֵצֶר הָרָע. ...

... as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The mishna explains this verse as follows: “With all your heart” means with your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination, both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. ...

(ח) וְהָא דְּאִתְּמַר בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ, בִּתְרֵין לִיבָּן אִיהוּ, דְּאִינְהוּ תְּרֵין יִצְרִין, חַד יִצְרָא טָבָא, וְחַד יִצְרָא בִּישָׁא, וּתְרֵין אִלֵּין כָּל חַד וְחַד אִקְרֵי לֵב, דָּא

(א) אִקְרֵי לֵב טוֹב, וְדָא אִקְרֵי לֵב רָע. וּבְגִין כַּךְ אִיהוּ לְבָבְךָ, דְּאִינּוּן תְּרֵין, יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב וְיֵצֶר הָרָע.

(ב) וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְנַפְשְׁךָ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ, הַאי בְּכָל אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא לְאַכְלְלָא נפ''ש ורו''ח ונשמ''ה, דָּא אִיהוּ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ, בְּכָל מַה דְּאָחִיד הַאי נֶפֶשׁ. וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ, אוּף הָכִי כַּמָה זִינִין אִינּוּן דְּמָמוֹנָא, כֻּלְּהוּ מְשַׁנְיָין אִלֵּין מֵאִלֵּין, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּכָל. רְחִימוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְמִמְסָר לֵיהּ כָּל דָּא, לְמִרְחַם לֵיהּ בְּכָל חַד וְחַד.

(ג) וְאִי תֵּימָא, בְּיֵצֶר הָרָע הֵיךְ יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְמִרְחַם לֵיהּ, דְּהָא יֵצֶר הָרָע מְקַטְרְגָא אִיהוּ, דְּלָא יִקְרַב בַּר נָשׁ לְפוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהֵיךְ יְרָחִים לֵיהּ בֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא, דָּא אִיהוּ פּוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יַתִּיר, כַּד הַאי יֵצֶר הָרָע אִתְכַּפְיָא לֵיהּ, בְּגִין רְחִימוּ דְּקָא מִרְחַם לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דְּכַד הַאי יֵצֶר הָרָע אִתְכַּפְיָא, וְתָבַר לֵיהּ הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דָּא אִיהוּ רְחִימוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּגִין דִּיְדִיעַ לְקָרְבָא לְהַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, לְפוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.

(ד) הָכָא אִיהוּ רָזָא לְמָארֵי מִדִין. כָּל מַה דַּעֲבַד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, כֹּלָּא אִיהוּ בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה יְקָרָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ לְפוּלְחָנֵיהּ. וְכִי מַאן חָמֵי עַבְדָּא, דְּלֶהוֵי מְקַטְרְגָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וּבְכָל מַה דִּרְעוּתֵיהּ דְּמָארֵיהּ, אִתְעָבִיד אִיהוּ מְקַטְרְגָא, רְעוּתֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּיהוֹן בְּנִי נָשָׁא תָּדִיר בְּפוּלְחָנֵיהּ, וְיֵהָכוּן בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט, בְּגִין לְמִזְכֵּי לוֹן בְּכַמָּה טָבִין, הוֹאִיל וּרְעוּתֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּהַאי, הֵיךְ אַתְיָא עַבְדָּא בִּישָׁא, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח מְקַטְרְגָא מִגּוֹ רְעוּתֵיהּ דְּמָארֵיהּ, וְאַסְטֵי לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא לְאֹרַח בִּישׁ, וְאַדְחֵי לוֹן מֵאֹרַח טָב, וְעָבִיד לוֹן דְּלָא יַעַבְדוּן רְעוּתָא דְּמָארִיהוֹן, וְאַסְטֵי לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא לְאֹרַח בִּישׁ.

(ה) אֶלָּא, וַדַּאי רְעוּתֵיהּ דְּמָארֵיהּ עָבִיד. לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ בַּר יְחִידָאִי, וַהֲוָה רָחִים לֵיהּ יַתִּיר, וּפָקִיד עֲלֵיהּ בִּרְחִימוּ, דְּלָא יִקְרַב גַּרְמֵיהּ לְאִתְּתָא בִּישָׁא, בְּגִין דְּכָל מַאן דְּיִקְרַב לְגַבָּהּ, לָאו כְּדַאי אִיהוּ לְאַעֲלָא גּוֹ פְּלַטְרִין דְּמַלְכָּא. אוֹדֵי לֵיהּ הַהוּא בְּרָא, לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ דַּאֲבוֹי בִּרְחִימוּ.

(ו) בְּבֵיתָא דְּמַלְכָּא, לְבַר, הֲוַת חֲדָא זוֹנָה, יָאֶה בְּחֵיזוּ, וּשְׁפִירָא בְּרֵיוָא. לְיוֹמִין אָמַר מַלְכָּא, בְּעֵינָא לְמֵחמֵי רְעוּתֵיהּ דִּבְרִי לְגַבָּאי. קָרָא לָהּ לְהַהִיא זוֹנָה, וְאָמַר לָהּ זִילִי וּתְפַתִּי לִבְרִי, לְמֵחמֵי רְעוּתֵיהּ דִּבְרִי לְגַבָּאי. הַהִיא זוֹנָה מַאִי עַבְדַת, אַזְלַת אֲבַתְרֵיהּ דִּבְרֵיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא שָׁרָאת לְחַבְּקָא לֵיהּ וּלְנַשְּׁקָא לֵיהּ, וּלְפַתֵּי לֵיהּ בְּכַמָּה פִּתּוּיִין. אִי הַהוּא בְּרָא יֵאוֹת, וְאָצִית לְפִקּוּדָא דַּאֲבוֹי, גָּעַר בָּהּ, וְלָא אָצִית לָהּ, וְדָחֵי לָהּ מִנֵּיהּ. כְּדֵין אָבוֹי חַדֵּי בִּבְרֵיהּ, וְאָעִיל לֵיהּ לְגוֹ פַּרְגּוֹדָא דְּהֵיכָלֵיהּ, וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ מַתְּנָן וּנְבִזְבְּזָא וִיקָּר סַגְיָא. מַאן גָּרִים כָּל הַאי יְקָר לְהַאי בְּרָא, הֲוֵי אֵימָא הַהִיא זוֹנָה.

(ז) וְהַהִיא זוֹנָה אִית לָהּ שְׁבָחָא בְּהַאי אוֹ לָאו. וַדַּאי שְׁבָחָא אִית לָהּ מִכָּל סִטְרִין. חַד, דְּעַבְדַּת פִּקּוּדָא דְּמַלְכָּא. וְחַד, דְּגַרְמָת לֵיהּ לְהַהוּא בְּרָא, לְכָל הַהוּא טִיבוּ, לְכָל הַאי רְחִימוּ דְּמַלְכָּא לְגַבֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (בראשית א׳:ל״א) וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד. וְהִנֵּה טוֹב, דָּא מַלְאָךְ חַיִּים. (ס''ח ע''ב) מְאֹד, דָּא מַלְאָךְ הַמָּוֶת, דְּאִיהוּ וַדַּאי טוֹב מְאֹד, לְמַאן דְּאָצִית פִּקּוּדִין דְּמָארֵיהּ. וְתָא חֲזִי, אִי לָא יְהֵא הַאי מְקַטְרְגָא, לָא יַרְתוּן צַדִּיקַיָּא הָנִי גִּנְזְיָא עִלָּאִין, דִּזְמִינִין לְיָרְתָא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

(8) And that which is said "bechol levavecha" (lit. with all your hearts) is that there are two impulses, one is the good impulse and one is the bad impulse, and those two - each is called lev (lit. heart), and this is

(1) called a good heart, and this is called a bad heart. And that is how there (the text says) "hearts", which are two, the good impulse and the evil impulse.

(2)uvechol nafshecha - with all the levels of the soul...

(3) And if you ask - how can a human being love Him with the evil impulse, behold, the evil impulse incites people to anger, to prevent the person to come close to the service of the Holy One of Blessing, and how can one love Him with it? (here's the answer) Rather, this is the greatest form of service to the Holy One of Blessing: when a person turns away/upends the evil impulse, in this way that person shows definitely their love for the Holy One of Blessing. When the evil impulse is upended and the person breaks it, in this way that person shows definitely their love for the Holy One, since the person is able to bring that evil impulse to the service of the Holy One of Blessing.

(4) And here is a secret of those who are masters of personal characteristics. Everything that the Holy One of Blessing made, on high and below, all is to show the Holy One's glory and for the Holy One's service. Is it possible to find a servant that rebels against the master, that on everything the servant does the servant is going against the master's will? [No,] the will of the Holy One of Blessing is that people would always be doing the service of the Holy One, and that they should walk in the paths of truth and merit many goodnesses, and this is the will of the Holy One of Blessing! And how would there be an evil servant going against the will of the Master, pushing people to evil paths?

(5) Rather, it is obvious that [the evil inclination] is doing the will of the Master! [This is similar to] a king who had an only son, whom he loved deeply, and to whom he warned lovingly that he should never get close to an evil woman, since anyone who came close to her could not come to the king's inner hall anymore. And the son promised his father that he would do his will with love.

(6) In the palace of the king, outside, there lived a certain prostitute, comely and beautiful. After a few days the king said: I want to see the will of my son regarding me. He called that prostitute and said to her: go and seduce my son, so I can see his will regarding me. What did the prostitute do? She went after the son, and began to hug and kiss him, and to seduce him with all manners of seductions. If that son is decent, and obeys the will of his father, he tells her off, and does not listen to her, and pushes her away from him. And then the father is happy with his son, and makes him enter into the center of the inner hall, and gives him gifts and great honor. Who brought all this about? You have to say, the prostitute.

(7) And that prostitute, does she receive praise for this or not? Of course she receives praise from all sides. One, that she did the command of the king. One, that she brought about all that good to the son, all that love from the king towards him. And that's why it is written "and behold it was very good." (...)

~ What is the function of the prostitute, in this example?

~ Who is "the servant" that is doing God's will wholeheartedly?

~ What can we learn about the evil impulse in this piece of the Zohar?

Practical Advice ~ Talmud
ת"ר (דברים יא, יח) ושמתם סם תם נמשלה תורה כסם חיים משל לאדם שהכה את בנו מכה גדולה והניח לו רטיה על מכתו ואמר לו בני כל זמן שהרטיה זו על מכתך אכול מה שהנאתך ושתה מה שהנאתך ורחוץ בין בחמין בין בצונן ואין אתה מתיירא ואם אתה מעבירה הרי היא מעלה נומי כך הקב"ה אמר להם לישראל בני בראתי יצר הרע ובראתי לו תורה תבלין ואם אתם עוסקים בתורה אין אתם נמסרים בידו שנאמר (בראשית ד, ז) הלא אם תטיב שאת ואם אין אתם עוסקין בתורה אתם נמסרים בידו שנא' לפתח חטאת רובץ ולא עוד אלא שכל משאו ומתנו בך שנאמר ואליך תשוקתו ואם אתה רוצה אתה מושל בו שנאמר ואתה תמשל בו ת"ר קשה יצר הרע שאפילו יוצרו קראו רע שנאמר (בראשית ח, כא) כי יצר לב האדם רע מנעוריו אמר רב יצחק יצרו של אדם מתחדש עליו בכל יום שנאמר (בראשית ו, ה) רק רע כל היום ואמר ר"ש בן לוי יצרו של אדם מתגבר עליו בכל יום ומבקש המיתו שנאמר (תהלים לז, לב) צופה רשע לצדיק ומבקש להמיתו ואלמלא הקב"ה עוזרו אין יכול לו שנאמר אלקים לא יעזבנו בידו תנא דבי ר' ישמעאל בני אם פגע בך מנוול זה משכהו לבית המדרש אם אבן הוא נימוח ואם ברזל הוא מתפוצץ שנאמר (ירמיהו כג, כט) הלא כה דברי כאש נאם ה' וכפטיש יפוצץ סלע אם אבן הוא נימוח שנאמר (ישעיהו נה, א) הוי כל צמא לכו למים ואומר (איוב יד, יט) אבנים שחקו מים

The Sages taught: “And you shall place [vesamtem] these words of Mine in your hearts” (Deuteronomy 11:18). Read this as though it stated sam tam, a perfect elixir. The Torah is compared to an elixir of life. There is a parable that illustrates this: A person hit his son with a strong blow and placed a bandage on his wound. And he said to him: My son, as long as this bandage is on your wound and is healing you, eat what you enjoy and drink what you enjoy, and bathe in either hot water or cold water, and you do not need to be afraid, as it will heal your wound. But if you take it off, the wound will become gangrenous. So too the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, I created an evil inclination, which is the wound, and I created Torah as its antidote. If you are engaged in Torah study you will not be given over into the hand of the evil inclination, as it is stated: “If you do well, shall it not be lifted up?” (Genesis 4:7). And if you do not engage in Torah study, you are given over to its power, as it is stated: “Sin crouches at the door” (Genesis 4:7). Moreover, all of its deliberations will be concerning you, as it is stated in the same verse: “And to you is its desire.” And if you wish you shall rule over it, as it is stated in the conclusion of the verse: “But you may rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). The Sages taught: So difficult is the evil inclination that even its Creator calls it evil, as it is stated: “For the inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Rav Yitzḥak says: A person’s evil inclination renews itself to him every day, as it is stated: “And that every inclination of the thoughts in his heart was only evil all day [kol hayyom]” (Genesis 6:5). “Kol hayyom” can also be understood as: Every day. And Rabbi Shimon ben Levi says: A person’s inclination overpowers him every day, and seeks to kill him, as it is stated: “The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him” (Psalms 37:32). And if not for the fact that the Holy One of Blessing assists each person in battling his evil inclination, he could not overcome it, as it is stated: “The Lord will not leave him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). A Sage from the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: My son, if this wretched one, the evil inclination, encounters you, pull it into the study hall! If it is a stone it will melt, and if it is iron it will break, as it is stated with regard to the Torah: “Is not My word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). With regard to the second part of the statement: If it is a stone it will melt, this is as it is stated with regard to the Torah: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water” (Isaiah 55:1), and it states: “The water wears the stones” (Job 14:19), indicating that water is stronger than stone.

~ What is this source's attitude to the Evil Impulse?

~ What is a person supposed to do with his/her Evil Impulse, and how should they go about it?

Practical Advice from the Rebbe of Piaczeczna

All Israel believes in the Holy One of Blessing, and through this belief they make the holiness of the Blessed One continue to flow down, as it is known in the holy books that "belief" is also an expression for "continuous flow." And the Blessed One believes in Israel - in their will, in their service and in their holiness - and because God believes in us and in our service God continues to raise us and to connect us with God's holiness. And when does the Blessed One believe in a person? As the midrash [Tanchuma, Bamidbar 26 on Bamidbar 1:50] says "everyone who is checked and is found to believe in the Holy One of Blessing, He believes in that person forever."

And this is the service of a person: that they will fix themselves in body and in internal attributes, and not just in a few of those. Because this is the importance of the evil impulse: it is impossible to separate from it, as we find in the holy books: when we push it away one hundred times, it still returns and still seduces.

... The belief of Hashem in a person is dependent on the difficulty of the task... but we are not talking here about going through a great test, or acting heroically... in every small moment there is (the possibility of) connection and belief that Hashem will believe in the person.

... And therefore all the self-strengthening that a person does is Hashem believing in that person, and joining the person in that one thing, in that one service... because being a complete tzaddik in everything, in which case a person has no evil impulse at all - this is very hard. But to be a tzaddik in one thing, ... that, every person can achieve.

[Reb Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, Derech Hamelech, drasha for Shabbat Chazon, Derech Hamelech pp. 237-240, ed. Feldheim]

(א) מודֶה [מודָה] אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:

(1) I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.

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