FROM THE UPCOMING ‘REBBE NACHMAN’S SOUL’, ADAPTED FROM HIS AUDIO SHIUR ON SICHOS HARAN 10

The paradox of the sinner

In Parshas Vayishlach, when Yaakov wrestles the angel and earns the name Yisrael, this was not just his victory – it was the moment every Jew received the eternal power to overcome the yetzer hara and win their own inner battles. Rabbeinu zal says that the resha’im, serious sinners, are always filled with regrets; they are always sorry for what they did. Yet the Gemara says, very paradoxically, that resha’im are never sorry, they never do teshuvah. They continue their evil ways even when they are right at the door of Gehennom and the fire is burning in their face – even then, they refuse to repent (Eiruvin 19a).

How do we reconcile these two statements? Rabbeinu zal explains that although they are always filled with regrets, the resha’im don’t know the meaning of regret, of remorse, of repentance, of penitence. What is penitence by them? Becoming even more evil.

Again, this sounds like a paradox: the more evil they do, the more they are full of regret and thoughts of teshuvah. Rabbeinu zal says that if two people are battling and one starts to attack with more power, the second one will likewise fight that much harder. So, when a person begins to show sorrow and regret for his actions, the yetzer hara, the satan, becomes that much stronger, and comes back with twice as much force to defeat this good intention.

As soon as he begins to have regrets, the yetzer hara comes back twice as strong and says, “Be careful, don’t have regrets, because then you will lose out on all the pleasures you have here in Olam HaZeh.” So he begins to sin again and falls even deeper. As more regrets begin to enter his mind, the yetzer hara becomes even stronger. This is a constant cycle, beginning with the slightest awakening on the part of this person. The complete opposite reaction follows, bringing him down that much more.

The fact is that with all their regrets, the resha’im keep falling further and further down. But the lesson here is that there is a battle. Just as the yetzer hara comes back stronger, you too can come back stronger. The worst rasha can come back stronger. If he strengthens himself in his teshuvah, he can overpower the yetzer hara, no matter how strong it is. If he truly wants to, he can overrule and overpower the yetzer hara, literally confining the ta’avah, the evil desire, to the point that he can defeat it.

Everyone has the strength for the ultimate battle

This is a battle to the finish. In life, there is no such thing as a compromise with the yetzer hara. You cannot say that each side will give in partway. One of the two must win. When the yetzer hara, chas veshalom, wins, the person gives in completely, allowing himself to be led away from kedushah.

HaShem has given every Jew enough strength to win this battle. This means that even the weakest person in the world can defeat the yetzer hara. This person may not be able to lift a ten-pound bag, yet spiritually, he can have the heart of a lion and do battle with the mightiest angel, the satan himself. He can defeat this angel in battle, because every Jew is called ben Yisrael, he is a Yisraeli.

Why was Yaakov named Yisrael? Yisra-El. The word “Kel” stands for a malakh. Yaakov wrestled with an angel and defeated him. That angel was the satan, the yetzer hara himself. Every single Jew inherited this strength from Yaakov Avinu, so that to this day, any Jew can go into battle—actual, mortal struggle—with this angel and fight to the finish. By simply being a ben Yisrael, you can defeat this angel, you can defeat the yetzer hara.

No matter how many times a Jew is knocked down and succumbs, giving in to his ta’avos, he can always rise again and defeat the yetzer hara.

Rabbeinu zal’s wake-up call

There is a special song that Rabbeinu zal wrote (Likutey Moharan, Shir Na’im). He pointed to every Jew and said, “You, Jew, wake up, remind yourself. Remind yourself about a strength that you possess. You are so powerful and so strong, and yet you think you’re so weak. You’re just like an elephant who is afraid of a mouse. Why does an elephant fear a mouse? Because he does not know his own strength. If he knew his strength, he would crush that mouse in a second.“

You’re afraid of the Malakh HaMaves, the satan, the yetzer hara, because you don’t know your own strength. If you knew that you are a Jew, with the strength and power of Yaakov Avinu, you’d be able to fight this yetzer hara and defeat him, no matter what stage of battle it is. Rise up, know your strength, and win this battle.”

Lamenatzei’ach, Ashrei, to the one who defeats, who is menatzei’ach, who wins this battle, because this is the battle for life, for eternity. With enough perseverance, enough faith, enough emunah, enough da’as, every Jew can be a menatzei’ach. Especially with the Torah to guide him, every Jew can come out victorious in this battle