The Battle Within

Shabbat Vayishlach - Kislev 14

In Jewish thought Jacob and Esau are compared to the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara (the good inclination and the evil inclination) that reside simultaneously within the bosom of each of us.

Just as it was with Jacob and Esau who fought each other in Rebecca's womb, so too life is a constant battle between the urge to do good and the urge to do evil.

This battle is not an easy one. The difference between good and evil is at times so subtle as to be almost imperceptible. We may think that we are doing good, when in fact we are doing evil.

Furthermore, no one ever "loses" the battle in one swoop. The moral fall to depths we never thought possible is in small incremental steps.

As our Sages have taught us:
"Today he (the Evil Inclination) tells you to do this;
And tomorrow he tells you to do that;
Until he finally says to you, 'Go serve idolatry'"

In life we are constantly confronted by external challenges, attacks or even wars. These, according to our rabbis, are life's "small" battles. Life's "big" battles - the ones which truly test our mettle - are internal.

The Sages put it very succinctly when they said:
"Who is truly a warrior? One who defeats his Evil Inclination".

Although subtle, this victory is the most significant of all. Achieving it requires constant vigilance.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM
November 23, 2007