The main thing is to set boundaries and gates that distance us from aveiros. In parashas Vayeitzei, Yaakov told Lavan how he worked loyally for him. He said (31:40) חרב אכלני ביום הייתי מעיני שנתי ותדד בלילה וקרח, "This is how I was: By day scorching heat consumed me, and frost by night." Why didn't Yaakov come into Lavan's home to warm up or get some shade? Why did he remain outdoors? Yaakov wanted to distance himself from Lavan, his avodah zarah, and evil ways. This was among the boundaries he set for himself in Lavan's home so that he would remain faithful to Hashem. As Rashi (Bereishis 32:5) writes, "I lived with Lavan the rasha and I kept the 613 mitzvos." He accomplished this because he set boundaries for himself. He wouldn't even enter his house to escape the harsh elements because he didn't want to be exposed to his influence. This is a lesson on how distant we must keep ourselves from tests!
The holy Chashmonaim were a small group fighting a war against a mighty, large army. One wonders, "Was this a war? It appeared to be a suicide mission. They would undoubtedly lose! The answer is that the Chashmonaim understood that they must wage this war to save Klal Yisrael, so they put aside logic and common sense and threw themselves into the battle.
It states in Daniel (7:6), כנמר אחרי וארו, that Balshatzar, the king of Bavel, saw a leopard in his dreams. Rashi writes, "This represents the kingship of Antiochus." A leopard has the attribute of עזות, as it states in Pirkei Avos (5:2), כנמר עז הוי, "Be brazen like a leopard." The Shem MiShmuel ('ד ליל ט"תרע) says that this tells us that the Yevanim had the attribute of עזות. The Chashmonaim adapted and acquired this attitude from the Yevanim. Only, the Chashmonaim used the trait of עזות, brazenness, to be firm in their resolve not to allow anything to get in the way. A large army didn’t frighten them. They went out to war and won.
Let's learn from our enemies and be brazen against the yetzer hara.
