"Can you remember who you were,
before the world told you who
you should be."
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle
וְהוּא שֶׁאֹמַר בֶּן אָדָם רָאוּי לְךָ לָדַעַת כִּי הַשּׂוֹנֵא הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְךָ בָּעוֹלָם הוּא יִצְרְךָ הַנִּמְסָךְ בְּכֹחוֹת נַפְשְׁךָ וְהַמְּעֹרָב בְּמֶזֶג רוּחֲךָ וְהַמִּשְׁתַּתֵּף עִמְּךָ בְּהַנְהָגַת חוּשֶׁיךָ הַגּוּפָנִיִּים וְהָרוּחָנִיִּים הַמּוֹשֵׁל בְּסוֹדוֹת (ס״א במדות) נַפְשְׁךָ וּצְפוּן חֻבְּךָ בַּעַל עֲצָתְךָ בְּכָל תְּנוּעוֹתֶיךָ הַנִּרְאוֹת וְהַנִּסְתָּרוֹת שֶׁתִּהְיֶינָה בִּרְצוֹנְךָ הָאוֹרֵב לְפַתּוֹת פְּסִיעוֹתֶיךָ (ס״א לעיתות פשיעתך) וְאַתָּה יָשֵׁן לוֹ וְהוּא עֵר לְךָ וְאַתָּה מִתְעַלֵּם מִמֶּנּוּ וְהוּא אֵינוֹ מִתְעַלֵּם מִמְּךָ, לָבַשׁ לְךָ בִּגְדֵי הַיְּדִידוּת וְעָדָה עֲדִי הָאַהֲבָה לְךָ וְנִכְנַס בִּכְלַל נֶאֱמָנֶיךָ וְאַנְשֵׁי עֲצָתְךָ וּסְגֻלַּת אֹהֲבֶיךָ, רָץ אֶל רְצוֹנְךָ בַּנִּרְאֶה מֵרְמִיזוֹתָיו וּקְרִיצוֹתָיו וְהוּא מוֹרֶה אוֹתְךָ בְּחִצָּיו הַמְּמִיתִים לְשָׁרֶשְׁךָ מֵאֶרֶץ חַיִּים כמ״ש הַכָּתוּב בְּמִי שֶׁעִנְיָנוֹ כָּךְ (שם כו) כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ הַיֹּרֶה זִקִּים חִצִּים וָמָוֶת כֵּן אִישׁ רִמָּה אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאָמַר הֲלֹא מְשַׂחֵק אָנִי.
O Man! You should know that the great archenemy you have in this world is your own yetzer (evil inclination). He is interwoven in the forces of your soul and intertwined in the order of your spirit. He associates with you in the guidance of your physical and spiritual senses. He rules over the secrets of your soul and of what is hidden in your breast. He is your advisor in all of your movements whether visible or invisible that you wish to do. He lies in wait, watching your steps to lead you astray. You are asleep to him but he is awake to you. You look away from him but he does not look away from you. He masks himself as your friend, and pretends to show love. He enters in your inner circle of close friends and advisors. From his gestures and signs it appears he is running to do your will but in fact he is shooting deadly arrows at you to kill and uproot you from the land of the living, as the verse speaks of one like this "like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death; so is a man who deceives his friend and says, 'Am I not joking?'" (Mishlei 26:18).
"Do not throw away a thing until you know what it is for." -Eastern Proverb
וּמִן הֶחָזָק שֶׁבִּשְׁלוּחָיו אֲשֶׁר יוֹרֶה אוֹתְךָ וְיִלָּחֵם אוֹתְךָ בָּהֶם בְּמַצְפּוּן עִנְיָנְךָ שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּדֵּל לְסַפֵּק עָלֶיךָ אֲמִתָּתְךָ וּלְשַׁבֵּשׁ מָה שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר לְךָ וּלְעַרְבֵּב אֶת נַפְשְׁךָ בְּמַחְשְׁבוֹת כְּזָבִים וְטַעֲנוֹת שְׁקָרִים יַטְרִיד אוֹתְךָ בָּהֶם מִתּוֹעֲלוֹתֶיךָ וִיסַפֵּק עָלֶיךָ מָה שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר לְךָ מֵאֱמוּנָתְךָ וְדָתְךָ.
Among the strongest of his weapons which he will fire at you and wage war with you in your innermost being - is to try to cast doubt on things you deem to be true, and to confuse what is clear to you, and to confuse your mind with false thoughts and erroneous arguments, and to draw you away from what is for your benefit, and to cause you to doubt what is clear to you in your faith and religion.
עַל כֵּן אַל תַּטְרִידְךָ מִלְחֶמֶת זוּלָתוֹ מִמִּלְחַמְתּוֹ וּקְרָב בִּלְתִּי קְרָבוֹ וְהַחֶרֶב עִם מִי שֶׁהוּא רָחוֹק מִמְּךָ מִן הַחֶרֶב עִם מִי שֶׁלֹּא יִפָּרֵד מִמְּךָ וּדְחוֹת מִי שֶׁלֹּא יַגִּיעַ אֵלֶיךָ כִּי אִם בִּרְשׁוּת מִדְּחוֹת מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ שׁוֹאֵל רְשׁוּת בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ עִמְּךָ.
Therefore, let no other war distract you from his war, no battlefield from his battlefield, no sword of a distant enemy from the sword of the enemy which is at close quarters and inseparable from you. Let not the effort to repel the enemy who will not approach you without permission (of G-d) prevent you from repelling the enemy who approaches you without [needing] permission, since he exists within you.
"Be careful, lest in casting out your demon you exorcise the best thing in you."-nietzsch
אֲבָל הַיֵּצֶר אֵין מַסְפִּיק לוֹ מִמְּךָ נִצּוּחַ פַּעַם וּמֵאָה פְּעָמִים בֵּין שֶׁנִּצַּח אוֹתְךָ בֵּין שֶׁנִּצַּחְתּוֹ כִּי אִם יְנַצַּח אוֹתְךָ יְמִיתְךָ וְאִם תְּנַצְּחֵהוּ פַּעַם אַחַת יֶאֱרֹב לְךָ כָּל יָמֶיךָ לְנַצֵּחַ אוֹתְךָ כְּמוֹ שארז״ל אַל תַּאֲמֵן בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאֵינוֹ מֵקֵל בַּקְּטַנָּה שֶׁבִּקְטַנּוֹת עִנְיָנְךָ לְנַצֵּחַ אוֹתְךָ בָּהּ כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ מַדְרֵגָה לְנַצֵּחַ אוֹתְךָ בְּמָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה.
But the yetzer, is not satisfied with one battle or even a hundred battles, whether he has defeated you or you have defeated him. Because if he defeats you, he will slay you, and if you defeat him, he will lie in wait all of your days to defeat you, as our Sages said "do not believe in yourself until the day of your death" (Avot 2:4). He does not consider the smallest of the smallest of your matters as too insignificant a means of defeating you, in order that he will gain a step to defeat you on a higher matter.
וְעַל כֵּן רָאוּי לְךָ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה נִזְהָר מִמֶּנּוּ. וְאַל תְּמַלֵּא מִמִּשְׁאֲלוֹתָיו בְּךָ מְאוּמָה רַק יִגְדַּל בְּעֵינֶיךָ הַמְּעַט שֶׁבַּמְּעָט מִנִּצּוּחוֹ וְהַמִּצְעָר מֵהִתְגַּבְּרוּתוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לְךָ מַדְרֵגָה אֶל מָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי בִּמְהֵרָה תִּהְיֶה תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ אֵלֶיךָ, וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶיךָ בְּעָמְדְּךָ כְּנֶגְדּוֹ כמ״ש (בראשית ד׳:ז׳) וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל בּוֹ,
Therefore, it is proper for you to be on your guard against him. Do not fulfill the slightest of his requests. Rather, let it be big in your eyes the smallest of the smallest victory over him, or the least increase of your power over him, so that you will gain a step for defeating him on higher ground. For his lust [to destroy] you will soon return, but he will not be capable of standing up to you when you stand firm against him as written: "he will desire in you, but you will rule over him" (Gen.4:7).
עַל כֵּן אַל יַבְהִילְךָ דְּבָרוֹ וְאִם עָצְמוּ חֲיָלָיו. וְאַל יַפְחִידְךָ עִנְיָנוֹ וְאִם רַבּוּ עוֹזְרָיו. כִּי עִקַּר כַּוָּנָתוֹ לְאַמֵּת הַשֶּׁקֶר וּמְגַמַּת חֶפְצוֹ לְהַעֲמִיד הַכָּזָב וְכַמָּה הִיא קְרוֹבָה מַפַּלְתּוֹ וְאִבּוּדוֹ מַהֵר אִם תַּרְגִּישׁ לְחֻלְשָׁתוֹ. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁסִּפֵּר עָלָיו הֶחָכָם בְּאָמְרוֹ (קהלת ט׳:י״ד-ט״ו) עִיר קְטַנָּה וַאֲנָשִׁים בָּהּ מְעָט וּבָא אֵלֶיהָ מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל וְסָבַב אֹתָהּ וּבָנָה עָלֶיהָ מְצוֹדִים גְּדֹלִים. וּמָצָא בָהּ אִישׁ מִסְכֵּן חָכָם,
Therefore do not panic at his word despite his mighty armies, and do not fear him on account of his many helpers, because his primary intent is to make the false appear true, and his goal is to establish lies (as truth). How near is his downfall, how swift is his destruction, if you will realize his weakness! And as the wise man describes him: "there was a small city with few inhabitants, and a great king came and surrounded it, he built high towers (to conquer it), but a poor wise man from the city defeated him with his wisdom but no one remembered that poor man" (Koheles 9:14).