A Crafty Fox
The Yetzer Hara – Evil Inclination - is a crafty fox. He tempts people with something enticing, tempting or extraordinary, then lures them closer to have a look. That’s the trap…
Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody
The Tale of the Lost Princess Part 30 from The Garden of Yearning
On the last day, he would go there, and saw a spring flowing, with a reddish hue and a wine-scented fragrance. He asked the servant, “Did you see that spring, which should have water in it, but its color is red, and its scent is of wine?” And he went and sipped from the spring. And he immediately fell into a sleep that lasted several years – seventy, to be exact…
The Yetzer Hara is a crafty fox; when he sees that a person is pursuing the path of holiness and avoiding even the slightest of transgressions, he gives that person an enticing or tempting thought of something extraordinary, calling him or her to come closer and have a look. Once the unsuspecting individual draws closer, he or she falls into the Yetzer’s trap.Rebbe Nachman warns (see Sefer HaMidot, Adultery, 10): Don’t negotiate with a temptation, for the lingering thought of a temptation – even refuting it – arouses the desire for that temptation.
Again, we see that the viceroy has not yet attained the level of emuna. What’s he looking at the spring for? What does he care if water or wine flows in the spring? Indeed, even if it is wine, the princess commanded him not to drink wine, so why think twice? It turns out that the viceroy’s main mistake was his failure to compose himself and clarify the truth in his mind. Without a strong stance on the truth, he fell.
The viceroy’s second fall is much more serious than his first, for this fall led to a seventy-year slumber. Interestingly, the Hebrew gematria, or numerical value for wine, yayin, is seventy! Wine and light drugs are enough to sever a person completely from the seventy faces of Torah.
Also, alcohol and drug addiction – functional addiction included – occupies the addicted person 24 hours a day, not leaving a single minute for self composure and introspection.
Drinkers and ‘light’ drug-users fail to function properly for several reasons: since their acts are against the law and unacceptable in greater society, they must hide what they do. Also, since their actions aren’t acceptable in wholesome circles, users befriend fringe elements of society that act like they do, and are even more negatively influenced by them. In a nasty downward spiral, their incomes suffer, their families suffer, and they walk a path of eventual self-destruction.
From Above
More than once, the viceroy almost rescued the princess. He reached the gate of salvation, and fell. Each time, he fell at the very last minute. His failure comes from above, for Rebbe Nachman writes (Likutei Moharan I: 261): “When a person falls from his spiritual level, he should know that the fall comes from above.” In other words, the lack of success in passing a test means a lack of assistance from above. Without Hashem’s help, a person falls.
No one is capable of withstanding any trial or tribulation without help from above. Our sages teach that a person’s Evil Inclination overcomes him every day, and without Hashem’s help, the person would be subdued. When a person makes what he thinks to be his best effort to get close to Hashem, to make teshuva, and to overcome his bodily appetites and bad habits – yet he still falls from time to time – he should know that he’s not being helped from above, for his own good.
Why didn’t Hashem give a helping hand to the viceroy as he fell once more on his way to rescuing the princess? Why doesn’t Hashem help us once and for all to overcome the Yetzer Hara and to rescue our own princess?
The main reason is that we are not yet ready to redeem our personal princess. If Hashem would give us unlimited success at this time, instantly, with no setbacks or delays, we’d probably become arrogant. Instant success gives a person the illusion that he’s a tzaddik, or deserving, or Heaven’s gift to mankind – he may even begin believing that he’s the Mashiach! Instant success destroys yearning, for one who succeeds effortlessly doesn’t have to pray and yearn to succeed. Instant success is liable to sink a person into spiritual slumber, thinking that he’s already reached the pinnacle of righteousness. One who’s smugly happy with himself doesn’t strive for more.
Clearly, Hashem doesn’t want us to fall into these kinds of traps. He wants to give us the gift of real success, not artificial silver-plated success. Artificial and instant success would be spiritually dangerous for us, for we might sleep or flounder at a low spiritual level thinking that we’ve already reached the peak of Mount Sinai. It turns out that all the obstacles and delays along our spiritual way are all for the best, to strengthen us until we reach the level where we really are worthy.
A person must wait patiently until he sees the fruit of his labors. Our sages say that one who wants to be purified is told to wait. What does a person do during the waiting period? Sleep? Eat ice-cream? No! He works hard at prayer! He learns Torah! He perfects his character! He yearns for Hashem and seeks His proximity!
One must therefore be strong and not discouraged no matter what happens to him – falls, setbacks, trials, tribulations, difficulties – anything! Life on this lowly earth is one continuous battle, and there’s no choice but to fight. We must cling to our desires, yearn for Hashem, and try our very best to realize our dreams by praying constantly until we’re really worthy of getting close to Hashem. We should always remember that our successes are from Hashem, and not credit ourselves for anything. That way, our hearts remain free of arrogance and we avoid spiritual slumber. One who desires more and more spirituality is one who really lives.
As soon as Hashem sees that a person is worthy, He sends help from above in completing the mission of rescuing the princess, as we see at the end of our tale.
To be continued.
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