Although Our Strong Urges Need to Be Broken, Sometimes They Can Be Channeled Positively

Bitachon Weekly | August 19, 2026

People who work on their Middos and break their Retzonos can be Zoche to great Nissim, and just like they break their Tevah, Midda K'neged Midda Hashem will break the rules of Tevah for them. But not always is a person meant to go against his nature. Sometimes, it's appropriate to channel your Yetzer Hara and use it for good, like for example Dovid HaMelech, who used his 'lust for killing' for killing the Pelishtim.

When a person has a Yetzer Hara for an: אֵשֶׁת יְפַת תֹּאַר he is permitted to marry her, but he must wait; first she has to cry in front of him, and try to look ugly. The same with fighting our own bad Retzonos. Sometimes you need to keep hesitating and trying to understand the stupidity of your anxiety, or your Kin'ah, Ta'ava, Kavod, and Ka'as (anger) issue, and hopefully it will disappear.

In the next section of our Parsha, we have a: שְׂנוּאָה less loved wife, whose son is older than the beloved אֲהוּבָה and we have to go against our Ratzon and give the: בֶּן הַשְׂנוּאָה son of the less loved wife a double: יְרוּשָׁה inheritance, since he is the Bechor.

Then in the next section we have a: בֶּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרָה (wayward son), in which you have to cause your own child to die! A Yid has all kinds of daily Retzonos. Sometimes you need to give in at least momentarily, since it's too difficult to fight. Some people may need to learn Torah with one hand, and a Pepsi Cola in the other hand!

And sometimes you had better give in, since your Shalom Bayis or job may be at stake if you don't...

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