Similarly, regarding our ability to completely “turn away from bad,” even in the recesses of our heart, Hashem says: “I will remove (spiritual) ‘sickness’ from inside of you.”
Meaning: He will remove the spiritual ‘sickness’ which is attached and imbedded inside of a person, i.e., the Yetzer Hara-Evil Inclination.
As our Sages tell us: “There were four righteous people who died only resulting from the ‘poison of the Snake’ (i.e., from the effect of the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge),” (Bava Basra 17a)
For even though they were entirely righteous people, nevertheless there remains a trace of the original ‘filth of the Snake’ that cannot be completely removed, which remains part of every individual, causing death in otherwise perfectly righteous people.
This embedded ‘poison of the Snake’ refers to the essential point of the unholiness of ego, which became part of the nature of mankind, through the sin of eating from the fruit of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.” (See Bereishis 2:17)
This ‘essential point of ego’ means that a person notices and feels himself strongly, he recognizes and feels what he needs, or he perceives things around himself in the context of how they could be beneficial to himself, not in the context of a higher Divine purpose. As it is written: “And the woman (Chavah) saw that (the fruit of) the Tree would be good for her to eat...” (Bereishis 3:6)
When Hashem first made Adam and Chavah they were aware of Hashem and His Light, and they perceived everything in this world, including themselves, in the context of how it reveals Hashem and fulfills Hashem’s plan.
Even though they were aware intellectually of their existence, they had no emotional attachment to their personal needs or what would be beneficial for themselves personally.
This was because they felt that their entire purpose of existence was to fulfill Hashem’s plan and mission for them, and their entire desire was only to connect to Hashem and perceive Him in everything.
However, when the Snake convinced Chavah to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, he introduced a purely selfish way of thinking into her mind, which led her to commit the sin of actually eating the fruit of that Tree.
Through this sin, the selfish way of thinking turned into a selfish emotional feeling that the world revolves around me (at least to some extent), and I am here to fulfill my own personal needs and take pleasure in whatever I am able to.
This selfish feeling is the root of spiritual filth and the source of all lust and sins, since a person selfishly chooses things for his own benefit or loss, regardless if it is good or bad in Hashem’s eyes.
However, prior to the sin they were naked, yet were not embarrassed since they had no material lust whatsoever, as it is written: “(Hashem asked Adam) Who told you that you are naked, [did you eat from the Tree that I commanded you not to?!]”
Rashi explains this verse to mean that Hashem asked Adam, “From where do you know there is something embarrassing about being naked?”
In other words, the verse tells us that only because they ate from ‘the Tree’ did they feel any material lust, and, as a result, they felt embarrassed to be naked.
This is because before the sin, they didn’t feel their personal needs or what would benefit them on an emotional level, since they only perceived and felt the revelation of Hashem.
However, now, after this sin, every person automatically has [at least] a trace of ego and selfishness embedded in him. This trace of ego, which is what makes it possible to sin, cannot be completely removed only through a person’s own efforts. Only Hashem Himself can remove that trace of ego.
This is why the verse says “I (Hashem) will remove ‘sickness’ that is inside of you,” since we need to ask Hashem to remove even the most remote trace of ego embedded inside of us.
Through this we will be a proper vessel, fully receptive to receive the Light of Hashem.
