In the second portion of the Krias Shema, we find the instruction to constantly contemplate and internalize the Torah and its precepts. The Talmud interprets the word “vesamtem” – “you shall place” as “vesam tam” – “a perfect elixir”; the Torah is the ideal cure for the “yetzer hara” – “evil inclination”. The following analogy is offered by the Talmud: A father educating his child finds it necessary to strike him. The father then instructs his child to place a compress on the inflicted wound, saying to his son “As long as the compress is in place, you may eat and drink what you desire, you may bathe with hot or cold water, and you need not fear that your wounds will become infected. However, if you remove the compress, your health is at risk.” Similarly, Hashem says “My son, I created the evil inclination and I created the Torah as its ‘tavlin’ – ‘antidote'”
We generally understand that Hashem created the Torah for man to follow, with the yetzer hara as the obstacle which man must overcome in his pursuit of Torah study and adherence. However, from the aforementioned passage in the Talmud, we see that this perception is not entirely correct. The Sages of the Talmud describe the Torah as a “tavlin” – literally, “condiment” or “spice” used to enhance the flavor of the main course. It would appear that the primary creation is the yetzer hara, with the Torah being the necessary but secondary creation. This notion is substantiated by the parable given in the Talmud; the child’s punishment, which is analogous to the yetzer hara, is a necessary facet of his education, while the compress serves as the counterbalance or antidote which prevents the beating from having a negative consequence.
How do we understand the idea that the Torah is merely the spice that enhances the yetzer hara’s natural flavors? The Talmud states that the yetzer hara threatens to overpower a person every day and kill him. What function of the yetzer hara makes its existence necessary?
Hashem created man with an enormous potential for accomplishment. Man’s overwhelming awareness of his capabilities, coupled with the fear that he may not be able to live up to his potential, leads him on a path of self-destruction. Man indulges in behaviors which either block out the awareness of his capabilities, or demean him to the extent that he can rationalize that the expectations of him are unfounded.
The part within us which makes us aware of our potential is the yetzer hara. Left unharnessed, this awareness develops into man’s most destructive force, the destruction he wreaks upon himself. The Torah is the tool through which we can actualize and develop our potential. Without the yetzer hara making us aware of our potential, the Torah’s capacity to actualize and develop that potential would not be utilized. Our Sages therefore confer upon the yetzer hara the significance of being Hashem’s primary creation, for without the aspirations of what he can become man’s potential would be wasted.
The Spice of Life Rabbi Yochanan Zweig
