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The Antidote for the Evil Inclination, Kiddushin 30b

Sept. 18th, 2024 / 16th of Elul, 5784

The Antidote that HaShem made for the Evil Inclination (Yetzer HaRa)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״וְשַׂמְתֶּם״ – סַם תָּם, נִמְשְׁלָה תּוֹרָה כְּסַם חַיִּים. מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁהִכָּה אֶת בְּנוֹ מַכָּה גְּדוֹלָה וְהִנִּיחַ לוֹ רְטִיָּה עַל מַכָּתוֹ, וְאָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁהָרְטִיָּה זוֹ עַל מַכָּתְךָ אֱכוֹל מַה שֶּׁהֲנָאָתֶךָ, וּשְׁתֵה מַה שֶּׁהֲנָאָתֶךָ, וּרְחוֹץ בֵּין בְּחַמִּין בֵּין בְּצוֹנֵן וְאֵין אַתָּה מִתְיָירֵא. וְאִם אַתָּה מַעֲבִירָהּ הֲרֵי הִיא מַעֲלָה נוֹמֵי.

The Sages taught [Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:18], ‘And you shall place [(“vesamtem”) these words of Mine in your hearts.’ Sam tam is a perfect elixir. The Torah is compared to an Elixir of Life. A parable: a man 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, eat what you enjoy and drink what you enjoy, and bathe in hot water or cold water, and you do not need to be afraid. But if you take it off, [the wound] will become gangrenous.’

כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: בָּנַי, בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין. וְאִם אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה – אֵין אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִים בְּיָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲלוֹא אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת״,

Similarly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Yisrael, ‘My children, I created an Evil Inclination, and I created Torah as its antidote. If you are engaged in Torah, you will not be given over into the power of the Evil Inclination, as it is stated [Bereishis / Genesis 4:7], ‘If you do well, will it not be lifted up?’

וְאִם אֵין אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה – אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִים בְּיָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ״, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁכׇּל מַשָּׂאוֹ וּמַתָּנוֹ בְּךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ״. וְאִם אַתָּה רוֹצֶה אַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאַתָּה תִּמְשׇׁל בּוֹ״.

And if you do not engage in Torah, you are given over to its power, as it is stated, ‘Sin crouches at the door.’ Moreover, all deliberations [of the Evil Inclination will be] concerning you, as it is stated [in the same verse], ‘And its desire is for you.’ And if you want to, you will rule over it, as it is stated [in the conclusion of the verse], ‘But you may rule over it.’

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: קָשֶׁה יֵצֶר הָרָע, שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ יוֹצְרוֹ קְרָאוֹ רַע, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו״. אָמַר רַב יִצְחָק: יִצְרוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מִתְחַדֵּשׁ עָלָיו בְּכׇל יוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״רַק רַע כׇּל הַיּוֹם״.

The Sages taught, [So] difficult is the Evil Inclination that even its Creator calls it evil, as it is stated [Bereishis / Genesis 8:21], ‘For the inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.’ Rav Yitzchak says, ‘A person’s [Evil] Inclination renews itself to him every day, as it is stated [Bereishis / Genesis 6:5], ‘[And that every inclination of the thoughts in his heart was] only evil all day [“kol hayyom”].’

וְאָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לֵוִי: יִצְרוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו בְּכׇל יוֹם וּמְבַקֵּשׁ הֲמִיתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״צוֹפֶה רָשָׁע לַצַּדִּיק וּמְבַקֵּשׁ לַהֲמִיתוֹ״, וְאִלְמָלֵא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹזְרוֹ אֵין יָכוֹל לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אֱלֹהִים לֹא יַעַזְבֶנּוּ בְיָדוֹ״.

And Rabbi Shimon ben Levi says, ‘A person’s inclination overpowers him every day, and seeks to kill him, as it is stated [Tehillim / Psalms 37:3], ‘The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him.’ Without the assistance of the Holy One, Blessed be He, he would be unable to [overcome] it, as it is stated [Tehillim 37:33], ‘G-d will not leave him in his hand.’

תָּנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: בְּנִי אִם פָּגַע בְּךָ מְנֻוּוֹל זֶה – מׇשְׁכֵהוּ לְבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ. אִם אֶבֶן הוּא – נִימּוֹחַ, וְאִם בַּרְזֶל הוּא – מִתְפּוֹצֵץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲלוֹא כֹה דְבָרִי כָּאֵשׁ נְאֻם ה׳ וּכְפַטִּישׁ יְפֹצֵץ סָלַע״. אִם אֶבֶן הוּא – נִימּוֹחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הוֹי כׇּל צָמֵא לְכוּ לַמַּיִם״ וְאוֹמֵר: ״אֲבָנִים שָׁחֲקוּ מַיִם״.

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught, ‘My son, if this wretched one, [the Evil Inclination,] encounters you, pull it into the study hall, [i.e., go and study Torah]. If it is a stone [it will] melt, and if it is iron [it will] break, as it is stated [Yirmeyahu / Jeremiah 23:29], ‘Is My Word not like fire, says HaShem, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’ [Regarding the second part of the statement], if it is a stone [it will] melt, as it is stated [Yeshayahu / Isaiah 55:1], ‘Hoy, everyone who thirsts, come for water,’ and it states [Iyov / Job 14:19], ‘The water wears the stones.’

The English text of the Gemara above is based on the translation provided in The William Davidson Talmud (Koren – Steinsaltz), made available by Sefaria.

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