Escape the Trap – A New Light

In Laws of Life I explained the first three rules of life Rabbi Arush explains in Chapter 4 of A New Light. Now, I will explain the fourth law. 

Law #4 – You only Truly Win with Prayer 

The Gemara in Makkot 10b says that we are led in the direction that we want to go in. 

 
Rabbi Arush explains that the only way for a person to become holy is to truly want to be holy. The way to do this is to set aside time for the work of the will by engaging in prayer for a significant amount of time every day. 
 
If you want to have a university degree, you must spend a number of years learning and training and passing classes. A degree and title requires a long-term investment of time and effort to achieve. Similarly, whoever commits himself to engage in a daily meeting with the Creator of the world and does so steadily every single day will certainly receive the title of “Master of  Will”  and will  succeed in being led until he attains his goal. 
 
In the meantime, do not blame or persecute yourself. You are not guilty of the fact that lusts and desires assault you, because this is a test from Heaven. Hashem is with you in your struggle, whether you succeed or incur a temporary defeat. It’s the process itself that’s dear to Him. When we experience defeats, admit our shortcomings, and call out to Hashem to help us do better, it is very precious to Him. Hashem is happy with you and takes pride in you as you are, and you give the Creator great pleasure when you battle your Evil Inclination. 
 
When it comes to prayer, Moses is our role model. When he saw a Heavenly decree against the nation of Israel, he stood in prayer for 40 consecutive days and nights without eating and drinking. When he truly wanted to enter the land of Israel with all his heart, he prayed again and again, 515 times until Hashem Himself told him to stop. Had Hashem not told him to stop, he would have continued to pray until he would have nullified the decree and entered the land. 
 
If we do not fight with prayer and will, and instead rely on our own prowess and abilities, then even if we succeed and withstand a test, this is not called a victory. On the contrary, it is a defeat that creates an inflated ego that separates us from Hashem. Even though you seem to have won the battle, really, you just moved more into the Evil Inclination’s territory with your arrogance. 

Hence, without the work of the will, it’s impossible for us to succeed. Either we fall into despair and sadness, which is clearly the Evil Inclination, or we appear to succeed but fall prey to false pride, which is also the Evil Inclination! The only solution is praying to succeed – only then do we have hope that we will not fall into either of these traps in our battle to change! 
 
Rabbi Arush emphasizes that via prayer a person can nullify his natural flaws. He cites the example of Joseph whose prayers completely transformed him into a great tzaddik who saved the world. We should strive to emulate Joseph and realize that when we withstand a test, we not only rescue ourselves – we rescue an entire generation and the entire world. When each of us rises in holiness, level by level we uplift all of the world as well. 
 
In conclusion, we must be aware that we have an Evil Inclination that we can overcome only with the help of the Creator, and that the Creator helps a person who prays with emuna and concentration.  Will and prayer are one and the same. The more you pray, the stronger your will and desire will be. 
 

May Hashem help us to embrace these fundamental principles and earn the title of “Master of Will.” By doing so, we will surely be able to transform ourselves and the entire world.