ONE DAY, YOUR WORST ENEMY WILL BECOME YOUR GREATEST ALLY
Have you ever heard the haunting ballad Chad Gadya—"One Little Goat”? Its theme is a chain of consumption: cat devours goat, dog kills cat, stick beats dog, fire burns stick, water extinguishes fire, ox drinks water, slaughterer butchers ox; finally the Angel of Death murders the slaughterer. But the song doesn't end there. In the final verse, the Holy One destroys the Angel of Death. This ancient melody, repeated year after year at the conclusion of the Passover seder, encodes a profound prophecy—even death itself will one day be conquered.
The Rambam (in Hilchot Teshuva 9:1) describes in detail the utopian era of Moshiach’s times:
The Torah promises us that if we observe it with joy and goodness of heart, and constantly meditate on its wisdom, He, G-d, will remove from us all the things that prevent us from observing it—such as illness, war, hunger, and the like. And He will bestow upon us all the good things that strengthen our hands to observe the Torah—such as satiety, peace, and abundance of silver and gold—so that we will not be occupied all our days with the things the body needs, but will sit freely to learn wisdom and perform the mitzvot, in order that we may merit the life of the World to Come.
Inner Adversary
What is life’s greatest enemy in the pursuit of all that is meaningful and G-dly? Who is a growing person’s most essential motivator and teacher? Without this impulse, the Talmud teaches, no person would build a house, marry, have children, or engage in business. It is the competitive drive and the desire for recognition, and also the greatest instigator for achievement; this same force that can lead to jealousy, greed, and destruction also serves as the engine of accomplishment and growth. This is the so-called yetzer hara, the evil inclination, and a central paradox of the human condition.
In the age-old philosophical debate about whether people are naturally good or evil, Jewish wisdom offers a more nuanced answer: humanity is both and neither. Every person emerges from the Divine workshop as fundamentally good, endowed with unlimited potential for holiness and connection. Yet they also carry within them a destructive force that pulls them toward selfishness and gratification.
Someone with workaholic tendencies may know that another late night at the office may strain their marriage irrevocably, and that the success of the latter is way more important to their quality of life than the next promotion. Do they stay or go?
Another who likes gossip recognizes that slander is harmful, it “comes back to bite you” and “what goes around, comes around.” Should they resist the urge to share the latest scandal, they will only improve their social status in the long run. Do they yabber or shut it?
A parent who struggles with their temper understands how their meltdowns damage their children. Preemptively working on destressing, or exercises that draw out patience, or, as a last resort, redirecting their anger toward constructive work are the most powerful lessons they can teach the little ones who may inherit their worst habits. Do they lose it or maintain control?
These are but a small representation in the internal tug-of-war, the struggles that afford the greatest value to a fulfilling life. Every moment growth is chosen over comfort, giving over taking, truth over convenience, forges the character and deepens the connection to the Divine. The very existence of the yetzer hara creates the possibility of free choice, and the opportunity for genuine spiritual achievement.
What the Future Holds
But this arrangement is temporary. After millenia of battling its darkest side, humanity will be “redeemed”. The advent of Moshiach will effect the "slaughter of the yetzer hara”, as the Talmud asserts.
This removal of internal obstacles mirrors the Rambam’s assertion that G-d will "remove all the things that prevent us from observing" His will at that time. Illness, war, and poverty, as described by the Rambam, are external obstacles that will be eradicated to facilitate the freedom to pursue G-dly wisdom.
Examining each of these negative forces at their core reveals that each is but a lack of something necessary and good: health, peace, and money, respectively. What about the yetzer hara—will it simply be obliterated? Or is there a flipside to evil that will show itself with its destruction?
The Baal Shem Tov (Keter Shem Tov, Section 265) explains the fate of evil in the times of Moshiach:
A student writes: I heard from my teacher (the Baal Shem Tov), of blessed memory, that the concept of "slaughtering the Angel of Death" in the future, which parallels the slaughter of the yetzer hara mentioned in the Talmud refers to extracting from it its evil component, so that it will remain in existence as a holy angel. It will be transformed from a villain, naval in Hebrew, its letters נ,ב,ל transposed read: to a son, l’ben in Hebrew, or ל,ב,נ and this is what is meant in the verse, "I will cause the spirit of impurity to pass from the earth."
Alchemy of Transformation
What happens when the yetzer hara disappears? There is no call to wonder; the sages of the Talmud actually did so (temporarily, as it happened) and recorded the aftermath. They “captured” this evil force when their pain at the wandering ways of their people who lusted after idol worship became too hard to bear. The result? Nary a freshly laid egg could be found in all of Israel. It literally stopped the world.
The death of the yetzer hara in the future, however, will not be its annihilation but a transformation. Rather than losing half their personality, people will discover that their most powerful drives have been purified and redirected. The fierce determination that once ran after material success will pursue spiritual excellence. The competitive edge that sought to outdo others will strive to surpass one's own previous levels of Divine service. The creative energy that once devised elaborate schemes for personal gain will innovate new ways to serve G-d and benefit others. The world needs humans’ passionate intensity, as the Sages’ failed experiment shows.
Jewish philosophy compares the process of transformative service to haute cuisine—the complexity and intensity of a flavor profile built of sweet, sour or bitter, salty and umami can be enjoyed on a level that pure sweetness cannot match. Like the commitment and understanding afforded someone who has overcome adversity or addiction, their depth comes only through having wrestled with and conquered their demons.
This pattern reflects the fundamental principles of Divine creativity. Pure goodness flows naturally from G-d’s beneficence (when unobstructed), but the ability to flip a destructive force to a constructive one requires a higher level of Divine intervention and investment. This is the secret of the power of the revelation of the time of the Moshiach that will commence at the end of a long period of exile and concealment over the direct G-dly light that shone unimpeded in the early history of Israel.
Evil’s End
At present the yetzer hara's power comes from deception—it convinces the struggling human that temporary pleasures are worth permanent consequences, that material success trumps spiritual fulfillment, that people are separate from G-d and each other. When Moshiach reveals the truth of reality, the underlying unity and purpose of all existence, these tricks will lose their leverage, as darkness dissipates when light enters. And that light, the recognition of what truly matters will shine on the passion and the fervor of the ego, whose allegiance will turn toward the good and G-dly.
This process can begin now in preparation for the big reveal. Every selfish impulse channeled toward a holy purpose, each moment of anger transposed into passion for justice, or jealousy and competitive streak becomes self-motivation for growth, they participate in the future of transformation. The "mini knockouts," of the yetzer hara accumulate ever so gradually into its ultimate conversion from adversary to ally.
In the Messianic era, the yetzer hara will not be destroyed but transformed, with its passionate energy redirected from evil to holiness, from an enemy to a powerful ally for spiritual growth.
Rather than losing half their personality, people will discover that their most powerful drives have been purified and redirected.
A Weekly Study Short
This week, identify one area where your strongest drives currently pull you away from your value system—whether that's the urge to gossip, the need to win arguments, or the desire for instant gratification. Practice redirecting that same energy toward something constructive: channel competitive instincts into goals for personal growth, transform the urge to criticize into motivation to help others improve, or redirect the hunger for pleasure toward appreciation of G-d's gifts.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
- Talmud Bavli, Masechet Sukkah 52a
- Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 12:5
- Sefer Hammamorim 5662, Maamar Kimei Tzeischa
- Toras Menachem 5713 - Sicha Yom Beis DeShavuos
Get this lesson in downloadable format and access to the archive by signing up at TheAlef.co
This paper contains words of Torah and should therefore be treated with respect after use.
The Baal Shem Tov
(Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, 1698-1760) founded the Chassidic movement, revolutionizing Jewish spiritual life through his emphasis on joy, sincere devotion, and finding G-dliness in everyday experiences. Born in the Ukraine, he became known as a master of practical Kabbalah and a teacher who made profound mystical concepts accessible to ordinary people. His teachings, preserved in works like the Keter Shem Tov, emphasize that every soul contains a Divine spark and that even our struggles with the yetzer hara can become pathways to greater holiness and connection with G-d.
