A Peek into the Human Psyche

The Story of Man’s Dual Inclinations

By Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov Jax, Fl.

Destroy man’s desire to sin, our sages tell us, and you would destroy the world.

Not that anyone needs to sin. But one who lacks the desire to sin is not a citizen of this world. And without citizens, who will effect lasting change? (Tzvi Freeman)

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Like it or not, we are each engaged in a battle against our own set of mean genes. They are wily opponents too. Masters of the visceral, they control through satisfaction, pain, and pleasure. (Dr.’s Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan, Mean Genes)

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Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Shpola would plaint to the Almighty in the following manner: “Master of the universe, what do you want from your children? You have, after all, placed them in a benighted world. A world where Satan himself prances amongst them, fanning their evil inclination; where all the things that provoke fleshly desires are ranged before their very eyes, while the warnings of retribution lie hidden between the covers of some moralistic tome. You can be certain that if you had arranged things the other way around – with the place of retribution right in front of their eyes, and all the fleshly desires hidden away in some learned old book, not a single person would ever do anything wrong!”

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It’s hard to imagine how much has occurred since the cheerful narrative of creation, with all its promise and anticipation, was read a mere week ago. The notion that things have so drastically deteriorated since we encountered the world’s origins and Divine architect– the masterwork that found so much favor in the eyes of its master – bends the mind.

Nary has there been enough time to absorb the optimism and elation associated with the narrative of creation and things have already taken a sharp turn south. The vision of a lofty universe, dominated by an intelligent and righteous human species, has somehow given way to a tale of corruption and decadence.

The hope conjured by a world crafted with Divine design and purpose; the prospects of a species created in G-d’s very image and likeness, has not yielded the anticipated results after all. The tour de force had, evidently, not turned out all that glorious.

Our Parsha, Noach, devotes itself to the well-known episode of the flood. It begins with the Divine declaration: “The end of all flesh has come before me, the world is filled with crime, I will therefore destroy the earth.” G-d proceeds to instruct Noach to build himself an ark, for he alone has found favor in G-d’s eyes.

Having almost immediately betrayed their Creator by eating from the forbidden tree of knowledge, the very first humans were expelled from the Garden of Eden and set into motion a rapid decline in morality and order. After their son Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of jealously, as if the universe was not big enough for the both of them, things proceeded in a continual downward spiral.

By the end of Parshas Bereishis, G-d’s paradise-world has become such a morally decrepit place that He regretted having created it. Upon describing, how man’s thoughts were “only for evil,” G-d proclaims His desire to obliterate humanity from the face of the earth – to wipe the slate clean and start all over again.

Our Parsha proceeds to describe the devastating forty day deluge that G-d unleashed. “The waters strengthened and increased greatly upon the earth, all the high mountains which are under the entire heavens were covered. . . And all flesh that moves on earth perished – among the birds, the animals . . . all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life . . . expired. Only Noach survived, and those with him in the ark.” (Genesis 8:21-23).

But how are we to understand all this? How is it that lofty man – the entity created in G-d’s own image and likeness – would, in no time at all, lapse into the depth of depravity? The answer to this deserving question lies well within the human anatomy.

While it is true that man is exponentially superior to all other forms of creation with whom he shares the earthly planet, he is clearly not without fault. While man possess a Divine essence and exalted spiritual potential, a more comprehensive view of his composition and temperament, reveals the existence of a rival spirit with whom he shares his body. Our Parsha actually alludes to this not so glorious human attribute.

After the devastating flood, when Noach returned to the ravaged and desolate land, the Torah relates that “Noach built an altar to G-d. He took a few of all the clean livestock and the clean birds, and sacrificed offerings on the altar. G-d smelled the appeasing fragrance, and G-d said to Himself, ‘Never again will I curse the soil because of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.'” (Genesis 8:20-21)

The above declaration from the mouth of G-d, speaks volumes as regards man’s raw nature. The Creator himself attests to the fact that man – the crown jewel of his handiwork – is desperately lacking in his natural and unrefined state.

The upshot is that man is comprised of two rival forces, hence the Talmudic statement: “The Holy One, blessed be He, created two impulses, one good and the other evil.” (Talmud Berochos 61a)

The two forces are diametrical in every sense of the imagination. The animal spirit is passionate and hedonistic, it continuously gravitates towards physical pleasure and gratification. Indeed, its very essence and temperament is one of wanting, desiring and coveting. It can be compared to a machine that constantly craves. This life force epitomizes the ultimate of selfishness.

The Divine soul, on the other hand, is of a G-d-like quality. It is the inexplicable conscience within man that distinguishes him from beast. This spirit impels man towards goodness and sanctity. It is the epitome of selflessness and virtue.

Much the way the human mind is perpetually engaged in thought, human existence is invariably expressed through one of these two souls. Man thus has the capacity and choice to live, at any given time, on either the spiritual or the animal plane.

“Two nations are in your womb, two governments will separate from inside you, and the upper hand will go from one government to the other,” (Genesis 25:23). This was G-d’s reply to our matriarch, Rivka’s, strange maternity sensations. The Rabbis, homiletically, interpret this as a reference to the two rivaling forces within man.

But there is an even more fundamental difference between the animal and Divine souls, which is of paramount importance. In contrast to the Divine spirit, which clearly requires stimulation in order to function as a viable force within the human arena, the animal spirit needs no such prelude or introduction.

Being intellective by nature, the Divine spirit is inevitably stimulated and nurtured through a meticulous process of development and cultivation. This however, is not the case with regards to the animal spirit.
Unlike its counterpart the impulse and ambition of the animal spirit is spontaneous and automatic – its aggressive and emotional temperament is felt naturally, regardless of whether or not one makes any overtures towards it.

To use a crude analogy: The flowers and vegetation of a beautiful garden are the result of careful effort in cultivating and maintaining a piece of land. Remarkably though, the weeds that grow on the same piece of land require no effort whatsoever – they need no cultivation or care; no water or pruning.
These organisms appear whether they are planted or not; whether they are wanted or not. In fact, if one desires a weed-free garden, one must take deliberate measures to rid the garden of the infiltration of such undesirables.

The same is true with regards to the Divine and animal souls. The Divine spirit, like the rose, requires meticulous care and cultivation. The animal soul, on the other hand, needs no cultivation. The impulse and ambition of this wild spirit is entirely spontaneous. Its aggressive and emotional temperament is felt regardless of whether or not one makes any overtures towards it.

The process of cultivating the Divine spirit is clearly a diligent one. It requires effort and exertion. In addition to the aforementioned discrepancy regarding the modus operandi of Divine and animal souls -one is automatic, while the other requires cultivation – there is yet another distinction. The two do not even enter the person at the same time.

The Midrash states that only on the day of Bar/Bat Mitzvah (age 12 for a female, and age 13 for a male) does the G-dly soul completely unite with the person. It is hence only from this point on that a person is truly able to wage war with his animal soul and set out to conquer the small city – the body. Accordingly, it is the animal spirit that actually has first claim over the body, as it enters the body first. The latter only makes the process of becoming attuned with the Divine spirit that much more complex.

The Rebbe Rashab (Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneerson of Lubavitch) discusses this idea in his acclaimed work, Kuntres Uma’ayon: (Kehot Publishing Society 13:2 ) The animal and Divine souls are antagonistic entities, but the animal soul inhabits the body at birth while the Divine soul inhabits the body at thirteen. Hence, the claims of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) precede those of the yetzer tov (good inclination). In fact, the evil inclination takes control of the person before the Divine soul even has an opportunity to settle-in.

Adding to this, says the Rebbe, is the fact that our bodies are naturally aligned with the animal soul as opposed to the Divine spirit. Bodily gratification’s, like food, drink etc., are immediate to the body. These habits are deeply ingrained within the human. It is thus a small wonder that the animal soul is more conspicuous than her Divine counterpart. Her claims are earlier, she dominates in all the body’s affairs, and is a veteran in persuading man to pursue base physical matters.

The Divine soul is a mere stripling compared to her opponent, posits the Rebbe. Her purpose is spiritual, while the body is attracted and accustomed to physical and worldly coarseness. In fact, the body regards spiritual substance rather contemptuously.

It is rather clear from above discussion that the Divine soul is considerably disadvantaged in her battle with the animal soul.

This should sufficiently explain our earlier quandary – how the loftiest of creatures is able to fall into the depth of depravity and immorality. Since the animal soul is the default human operating system, it is only natural that in absence of higher spiritual definition and purpose, man finds himself in the grasp of the animal order.

A skillful fiddler caused a large crowd of pedestrians to clap and dance as he played lively tunes in the town’s square. Unable to hear the music, a deaf passerby stopped to observe the strange spectacle. As he watched the people wave their hands, bounce up and down and twirl in the middle of the street, he was bemused: “What in the world is causing everyone to go insane,” he wondered.

Given the reality of the incorporeal human anatomy, and the benighted state of the world, man must engage in higher existence and purpose in order to connect with his higher core. When deaf to higher spiritual affiliation the default animal-self will no doubt reign supreme.

It is for this very reason that the Divine soul is in need of support in her endeavor to become the dominant force and master over the human entity. This is accomplished through adherence to a Divine set of rules and way of life. Only through a higher Divine discipline that imbues the mind and body with a higher sense of purpose and value, can one stimulate and empower the G-dly dimension within himself to successfully take control of the human entity.

But why, after all, has the Almighty created us with an animal soul? Why should we have to contend with a dark and evil side? And why should that be the natural default state? Is this a blessing or a curse? Chassidic philosophy maintains that it is indeed a great blessing.

In response to the question: “How can G-d call the sixth day of creation ‘Very Good,’ after all, isn’t it the day that Adam and Eve sinned and were expelled from the Garden of Eden?” The Lubavitcher Rebbe asserts that this too had to have been a good thing; otherwise G-d would not refer to that whole day as “very good.” But how could a sin be good?

Chassidus explains that our sins – when properly repented for – enable us to reach levels of spirituality and self-refinement that could never be achieved otherwise. Our evil inclination and even our sins can essentially be turned into virtues.

In fact, as explained by the following story, without an animal instinct, there is not much novelty and value in man’s ability to live a wholesome and G-dly life:
The Maggid of Jerusalem, once noticed that a student at the Yeshiva was absent for a few days. Upon the boy’s return, the Rabbi inquired as to the reason of his absence. The boy, as it were, was extremely evasive. After a good amount of prodding the youngster finally relented – though resigned to the fact that the Rebbe would really never understand.

“You see,” said the boy, “I missed Yeshiva so I could attend the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer finals. I will probably not be in Yeshiva tomorrow either, since it’s the final day of the championship.”

Rav Schwadron was not fazed. “Tell me,” said Reb Shalom, furrowing his brow, “How does this game of soccer work? “Well,” began the student, a bit surprised, “there are 11 players; their aim is to kick the ball into a large netted goal. . .”

“What’s the big deal?” asked the Rebbe, “That seems rather easy.” The boy laughed, “Rebbe, there is an opposing team whose job is to stop them from getting the ball into goal!” “Oh, now I understand,” whispered the Rebbe.
“I’m curious, though,” continued the Rabbi, “do the teams sleep there at night?” “Of course not” said the pupil, “why do you ask?” “You see, I’m wondering what’s to stop your team from going there at night, when the other team is at home, and kicking the ball into the goal.”

“Oy Rebbe! You really don’t get it! Anyone can kick a ball into an empty net. You can’t score points unless the other team is there to try and stop you!”
“Ah!” cried Reb Shalom, “listen to what you’re saying. It is no big deal to do the right thing when the Yetzer Hara is not trying to stop you. It is only when there is strong resistance from the Yetzer Hara that you can score points.”
This in a nutshell, is the story of the lofty human entity; created in the image and likeness of G-d. It is the reason for his dual inclinations and ongoing struggle. It is likewise the story of the nearly 6,000 year battle between good and evil.

The knowledge and awareness of this G-dly designed reality will certainly help us prevail and grow from life’s obstacles, adversity and challenges, much as the true appreciation of light is increased when contrasted by darkness, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach BBA.
Gut Shabbos.