In this week's parsha, Yaakov fights with Esav's angel and beats him. The Gemara in Chullin (91a) brings two opinions how the angel of Eisav (saro shel Esav) appeared: One holds that he looked (understandably) like an idol worshipper, while the other says k'talmid chacham nidma lo, like a Torah scholar. What?! (And even according to the other opinion that he appeared like an idol worshiper, Rebbi Chaim Vital z"l brings down with regard to all agadita gemaras how eilu v'eilu divrei Elokim chaim, "these and these are words of the Living G-d," meaning that both explanations are "true," and are rather simply describing different aspects of the matter). So what does this mean, that the angel of Esav contains a talmid chacham aspect to him?
Now first of all, let's take a closer look at the language of the gemara: k'talmid chacham nidma lo, meaning that he appeared like a talmid chacham, to the koach hadimyon ("imagination") of Yaakov Avinu...but not that he "actually was" a talmid chacham (rather just the angel of Esav!). And this, my friends, is in fact the entire power of the yeitzer hara (evil inclination): to make illusions, and make evil appear as good, and good appear as evil. So how do we beat him? With his own weapon! Says the Gemara in Berachos (5a): L'olam yargiz adam yeitzer tov al yeitzer hara, "One shall always 'upset' his good inclination upon his evil inclination." In other words, take out the loudspeakers, and start blasting yiddishe music! (See Madreigas ha'Adam: Yirah v'Ahava).
