The Battle Within
26/11/2015 03:44:09 PM
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||
 |
Dear [first_name] In Jewish thought Jacob and Esau are compared to the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara (the good inclination and the evil inclination) that reside simultaneously within the bosom of each of us.
Just as it was with Jacob and Esau who fought each other in Rebecca's womb, so too life is a constant battle between the urge to do good and the urge to do evil.
This battle is not an easy one. The difference between good and evil is at times so subtle as to be almost imperceptible. We may think that we are doing good, when in fact we are doing evil.
Furthermore, no one ever "loses" the battle in one swoop. The moral fall to depths we never thought possible is in small incremental steps.
As our Sages have taught us:
"Today he (the Evil Inclination) tells you to do this;
And tomorrow he tells you to do that;
Until he finally says to you, 'Go serve idolatry'"
In life we are constantly confronted by external challenges, attacks or even wars.
These, according to our rabbis, are life's "small" battles. Life's "big" battles - the ones which truly test our mettle - are internal.
The Sages put it very succinctly when they said:
"Who is truly a warrior? One who defeats his Evil Inclination".
Although subtle, this victory is the most significant of all. Achieving it requires constant vigilance.
With best wishes for a Good Shabbos on behalf of the Rebbetzin and all of us at South Head,
Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM
P.S. Save the Date: South Head invites you to 'Latkes & Lager' on Friday Dec. 11, featuring a Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, Communal Menorah Lighting, Shabbat Candle Lighting Ceremony, Local Lager, Latkes, Burgers, Chicken Nuggets, Donuts & more!
Some of the 90 people at the fifth session of JLI's 'Journey of the Soul', called "Contending with Grief, Anger and Guilt"
The Power To Walk
Rabbi Aron Tzvi Sternberg
 RECOMMENDED LIBRARY READING
"THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO LEARNING YIDDISH", by Rabbi Benjamin Blech. This publication is a quick and easy guide for mastering the Yiddish language. Many Yiddish words and expressions have made it into common usage and have become the best way to say certain things. Rabbi Blech also includes a fascinating explanation of how and why Yiddish developed. Shabbat Shalom, COMMUNAL EVENTS
|
|
 |
666 Old South Head Rd Rose Bay, NSW 2029 (02) 9371 7300 |
|
SHMINI
Rose Bay, NSW 2029
(02) 9371 7300