וְאַל תַּשְׁלֵט בָּנוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע
כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיוֹ: (כא י)
When you go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your G-d will deliver them into your hands and you take some of them captive...
Going to War
Our sages (זוהר חָדָשׁ פ' כִּי תֵצֵא) famously interpret the "enemy" mentioned in this verse as a reference to our archnemesis, the yetzer hora. In this passage, our inner conflicts and struggles with temptation are likened to a fierce battle, a struggle with uncertain outcomes.
The Chovos Halevavos beautifully illustrates this point. He relates a tale about a pious man who encountered some warriors returning from a battle, carrying spoils from their hard-fought victory. He told them, "You have come back from a small war with spoils, but now get ready for the big war." When they asked what big war he was referring to, he replied, "The war against the yetzer and his legions."
He went on to explain why he saw this struggle as the ultimate battle, pointing out that, unlike a conventional enemy who might retreat after being defeated a few times, the yetzer is relentless. Whether he defeats you or you defeat him, he never gives up. If he wins, he will destroy you, and if you win, he will patiently wait for an opportunity to defeat you in the future. He doesn't consider any aspect of your life too insignificant to use against you in his relentless quest to bring you down. It regards even the most trivial matters as potential means to gain an advantage and ultimately defeat you on a greater scale.
(חובות הַלְּבָבוֹת שַׁעַר יִחוּד הַמַּעֲשֶׂה)
Chazal (קִדּוּשִׁין ל ע"ב) state that humans are indeed unable to entirely overcome their innate inclinations toward wrongdoing. Without Divine assistance in our fight against these inclinations, we would be overwhelmed by them. Thus, extra support from Heaven is crucial in our ongoing effort to resist negative urges and lead an upright life. The question then arises: where can we get that extra help?
The Gemara (שַׁבָּת קנו ע"ב) tells the story of how astrologers once predicted to Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak's mother that her son would become a thief. In an effort to prevent this from happening, she never allowed him to uncover his head. She would constantly remind him, "Cover your head so that the fear of Heaven will be upon you, and pray for Divine mercy." Rashi explains that she instructed him to daven that he would not be ruled over by the yetzer hora.
The Maharsha elaborates on this, noting that although it is said (בְּרָכוֹת לג ע"ב) that הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם - Everything is in Heaven's hands besides for fear of Heaven, implying that a person's fear of Heaven is to be achieved through their own efforts, one should still pray for יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, and help will be extended to enable them to follow the desired path. This aligns with the saying of our sages (מַכּוֹת י ע"ב) that בְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאָדָם רוֹצֶה לֵילֵךְ בָּהּ מוֹלִיכִין אוֹתוֹ - In the way one desires to go, he will be led.
Satan's Suggestion
This story of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak teaches us that תְּפִלָּה is one of the effective tools in shielding ourselves from the influence of our negative natures. In fact, we find that the satan himself revealed this secret to one of our sages! The Gemara tells us (קִדּוּשִׁין פא ע"א) that the sage Peleimu had a daily ritual of mocking the yetzer hora by cursing it, saying, "An arrow in the eye of the satan." Once on the eve of Yom Kippur, the satan appeared at his door in the guise of a pauper seeking alms. Though Peleimu offered him bread, the satan refused, insisting that he shouldn't be left outside while everyone else was feasting indoors. Peleimu, unaware of the satan's true identity, invited him inside and even seated him at the table.
Once at the table, the disguised satan began behaving in a repulsive manner, disregarding Peleimu's requests to stop. His revolting actions, like coughing up phlegm and spitting it into a cup, provoked reactions from those present, upon which the satan feigned collapsing and appeared to die. He then caused them to hear voices of people around them accusing Peleimu of killing a man. Alarmed, Peleimu fled the town, only to have the satan follow and fall dead in front of him again.
After causing Peleimu great distress, the satan finally revealed his true identity and expressed his displeasure at Peleimu's mockery. In response to Peleimu's question of what he should say instead, the satan recommended that he pray, "Let the Merciful One rebuke the satan". This would effectively deter him and keep him away.
The Alshich, quoting this Gemara, points out that tefilla must surely be one of the great fundamentals in combating the yetzer hora, as its effectiveness was revealed by the satan himself. He says that one who is struggling to overcome evil tendencies must pour out his heart and plead that Hashem should save him from the clutches of the yetzer hora.
The Duty to Seek Protection
The truth is that it's not only a suggestion but an obligation. Given that we cannot completely avoid sin on our own, and that we are obligated to do everything in our power to steer clear of transgressions, it is evident that we must invest in prayer and supplication as this is the only means of protection from sin.
The obligation to daven for deliverance from the yetzer hora is emphasized in numerous sources. Rabbi Elazar Azkari stresses that it is incumbent upon every individual to follow the example set by our venerable sages and beseech Hashem for protection from the yetzer hora.
(סֵפֶר חֲרֵדִים פֶּרֶק ה מִמִּצְוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה ד"ה כָּל אָדָם)
Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid writes that one should be accustomed to praying as follows: "May it be Your will that we should not sin to You or your creations, and that your creations should not sin to You, and that my children should not transgress".
(סֵפֶר חֲסִידִים תקנ)
A Tefillah a Day...
Rabeinu Tam, in describing the ways appropriate for a G-d-fearing man, tells us of the importance of prayer in our battle against the yetzer hora. without prayer, he says, one may fall victim to his inclination despite years of valiant resistance. In his own words: "...One should seek mercy from Hashem in his prayer that He may save him from the evil inclination and rescue him from sinning before Him, and not cause him to stray from His path, and let not his labour be in vain, and let not his hope turn to despair."
"Let him (-the worshipper) remember that there are people who exerted themselves in the worship of Hashem for a long time, but at the end of their days the adversary (-the yetzer hora) stood at their right hand, and their evil inclination was too strong for them and they destroyed all their good deeds. Some of them went forth to practice idolatry. Some of them returned to their previous evil state and died in their wickedness, and their labour was in vain and they went to their destruction. Therefore, every man should be fearful concerning his soul, and he should pray every day to Hashem to save him from the might of the evil inclination."
(סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר לר"ת שַׁעַר י"ג)
In essence, we can't depend on our skills, knowledge, or past achievements to resist the temptations of the yetzer hora. We can never predict when and how our powerful adversary will strike next. That's why it is crucial to make a conscious effort to pray daily for the strength to overcome its influence.
Climbing Yaakov's Ladder
The same idea is expressed by the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh, who shows that it is alluded to in the story of Yaakov's ladder. He says that, although the verses speak about Yaakov Aavinu, we can understand the whole paragraph as an allusion to man in general. This interpretation can already be found in the Zohar (ח"א קמז) where the words וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב are explained as describing the soul when it first departs from the higher world and takes up residence within a body. This body is called יַעֲקֹב on account of the yetzer hora, which constantly tags along like a snake at our עָקֵב, our heels, so to speak.
The Torah describes how the Neshama departs מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע - from the well of the oath. This is a reference to the source the souls come from, which is known as "the well of living waters." The word שָׁבַע refers to the oath which, according to Chazal (נִדָּה ל ע"ב), Hashem makes every soul swear when it departs from heaven. The neshama swears that it will not violate Torah laws while inside a human being.
The words וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה are an allusion to the statement of our sages (סַנְהֶדְרִין צא ע"ב) that the evil temptation enters man from the moment he leaves his mother's womb, as it is stated (בְּרֵאשִׁית ד ז) that "sin crouches at the entrance".
As a human being, we are made up of a divine soul that is committed to not sinning, and a physical body that is constantly influenced by its negative inclination. This inner battle begins from the moment we are born and accompanies us throughout our lives. In light of this constant struggle, the words וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם teach us that one has to invoke the help of Hashem - the מְקוֹמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם - through prayer, that he should not be left to the influence of the yetzer hora.
We must never cease to pray, as the Torah goes on to say: וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ - and he lodged there because the sun had set. This implies that one should continue in this manner "until his sun sets", namely, until he leaves the world. We should not rely on ourselves to win this battle, as our sages said (אָבוֹת ב ד): "Do not be certain of your righteousness until the day you die."
(אוֹר הַחַיִּים בְּרֵאשִׁית כח יד)
Avertible by Design
As a general rule, תְּפִלּוֹת on spiritual matters are always accepted in Heaven, regardless of the petitioner or their actions. Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid writes in his Sefer Chasidim that if a person asks for things that ultimately bring glory to their Creator, such as the study of Torah or other heavenly matters, and earnestly pours out their soul for it, Hakadosh Baruch Hu listens to their prayer, even if the person lacks good deeds.
(סֵפֶר חֲסִידִים קלא)
The yetzer hora was created as a test for humanity, to examine if we are true servants of Hashem. However, the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh says, it was designed in such a way that through prayer it is prevented from gaining dominion over us. Therefore, the Ohr Hachayim concludes that it is essential for us to daven to Hashem every day, asking for deliverance from the wiles of the yetzer hora, as this is our primary means of protection.
(אוֹר הַחַיִּים דְּבָרִים כו ה)
Applying our Hearts
In fact, our sages established that we should daven this crucial tefilla numerous times daily. Each day we ask in the morning after birkas hashachar that we should not reach any state of sin or nisayon, we beseech Hashem וְאַל תַּשְׁלֵט בָּנוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע - let not the yetzer hora rule over us. Similarly, at the end of the day, before we go to sleep, we implore in the tefilla of הַמַּפִּיל, רַבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם that we should not transgress again and never return to any previous misdeeds. So too, throughout the day at the end of each shmone esrei there is a special tefilla for success in all our spiritual struggles and endeavours.
We do not need to seek special tefillos or come up with appropriate wording for this supplication, as it is already there, in the many tefillos that we anyway daven. All we need to do is put our minds and hearts to the words we utter.
Auspicious Times
In our lifelong journey, we have a constant obligation to seek help from Hashem in our battle against the yetzer hora. However, during the month of Elul, when we strive for spiritual purity and endeavour to rectify our actions, this becomes even more crucial. Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschutz emphasized in his teachings for this month that while those who dedicate themselves to Torah study for its intrinsic value are shielded from numerous transgressions, it is impossible to entirely avoid sin without prayer. He stressed the significance of fervent prayer during these days, urging individuals to pour out their heartfelt supplications to Hashem with tears and a sense of contrition, beseeching for protection from the yetzer hora and the temptations of the material world.
(יַעֲרוֹת דְּבַשׁ לַחֹדֶשׁ אֱלוּל ח"ב דְּרוּשׁ א)
Indeed, at the peak of the Yom Kippur prayers, Chazal established that we beseech Hashem for assistance in our spiritual struggle, acknowledging the profound vulnerability of mankind. Following the Viduy, we recite the prayer of Rava, a poignant supplication that eloquently illustrates human frailty and our continuous dependence on Divine support to fulfil our purpose in this world.
Rava used to say the following every day after completing his prayers: "My G-d, before I was created I was worthless, and now that I have been created it is as if I had not been created, I am no more significant. I am dust in life, all the more so in my death. I am before You as a vessel filled with shame and humiliation. May it be Your will, Hashem, my G-d, that I will sin no more, and those transgressions that I have committed, cleanse in Your abundant mercy; but may this cleansing not be by means of suffering and serious illness, but rather in a manner I will be able to easily endure."
(בְּרָכוֹת יז ע"א)
The heartfelt plea "May it be Your will that I will sin no more" is set at the pinnacle of the prayers of the Yomim Nora'im, serving as a year-round reminder of our absolute dependence on God's mercy, even in our spiritual pursuits. Let us always remember to consistently turn to Him for assistance, as He is always close to us and attentive to our prayers, especially in matters of this nature. May we all merit to be included in the book of צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים for a כְּתִיבָה וַחֲתִימָה טוֹבָה, and may we still merit this year to hear the sound of the שׁוֹפָר שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ, אָמֵן.
גוט שַׁבָּת