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out, and behold, an army with horses and chariots attain a tremendous capacity to proceed obstinately in order to once they made peace they would feel good emotionally and that
surrounded the city. [Elisha’s] attendant said to him: fulfil their cravings. they would be healed physically, nevertheless the evil trait erases
“Oh, my master, what shall we do?” everything.
Indeed, one of the examples that the above Gemara brings
He said: “Do not be afraid, because those who are with regarding the topic of the power of the will, that “in the way that People get overwrought, their lives are destroyed and they destroy
us are more numerous than those who are with them.” a person wishes to go, he is led,” is from such a negative intention: their children’s lives, all because of evil traits that twist their entire
view of reality. Thus, they ruin their own lives. Therefore, Rabbi
The wicked prophet Balaam was asked by Balak, king of Moab, Natan in Likutei Tefillot prays to Hashem in wondrous phrases
Elisha prayed and said: “Hashem, please open his eyes to curse the nation of Israel. When he sought permission from the
so that he will see.” Hashem opened the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, to do so, Hashem, may He be blessed, such as, “Be filled with compassion for me and in Your compassion
save me from myself, so that I will no longer be cruel to my very
youth and he saw and behold, the mountain was filled did not agree, and told him: “You shall not go with them. You shall unfortunate self” and “I do not know where to flee, because I myself
with horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. not curse the nation, because it is blessed” (Numbers 22:12). The have brought about everything that I am going through because of
Holy One, blessed be He, revealed explicitly that He did not want my many sins, my evil deeds and my contemptible thoughts.”
The attendant did not initially see this great army of Elisha, Balaam to go with the agents of the king of Moab, and that He did
because it was not a material army but a spiritual army of angels not want him to curse Israel. Every craving is its own punishment, including its consequence
who accompanied and shielded the prophet Elisha. Only when in the physical realm, because a person pays “in cash” for every
Elisha prayed did Hashem gave the attendant the spiritual sight to But Balaam very much wanted to. He lusted for the great sum craving. And this is even more true in the spiritual realm. Craving
see the angels. The end of the story is that the “weak” prophet of money that had been promised him and for the honor that is literally death and absolute disconnection from Hashem. Every
Elisha alone took this entire great army into captivity to the city of he would receive. In addition, a natural hatred for the nation of evil trait is a terrible affliction. It is the absolute opposite of the
Shomron. There they were given food and sent away. There was Israel seethed within him. He stubbornly persisted until in the end entire path of faith. One may say that a person does not suffer as
no need to kill them, because they understood that they could not the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “If the men came to a result of anything in the world, but that he only suffers from his
capture this man of God. summon you, arise, go with them” (Numbers 22:20). own evil. The Gemara testifies that there is no way to overcome
this evil inclination without the assistance of the Holy One, blessed
According to the Maharsha, whoever strengthens himself and Is it possible that the Holy One, blessed be He, changed His mind, be He. And the Gemara gives us spiritual principles with whose
increases his power of intent creates many angels of intent that heaven forbid? He does not change, and He does not reassess and help it is possible to change the situation, if we include them in the
surround and accompany him, and with their power he can act and reconsider. Rather, we learn from here that the power of the will wonderful and structured service of the work of the will.
accomplish without fear, because they guard him and guide him. is so strong that it can change the Divine guidance of the world.
That is one of the principles that the Holy One, blessed be He, Therefore, this book will constitute a great deliverance not only
They Sanctify You from Above embedded in His world: “in the way that a person wishes to go, he for a person who wants to attain higher levels in spirituality, but
is led.” The Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, “nullifies Himself” for whoever wants to live a good life in this world, to renounce his
We find a similar explanation offered by the Ritva, one of the to every individual and does his will—“to act in accordance with the addictions and the evil habits that are destroying his life: to lose
rishonim. The Gemara states (Yoma 38b): will of each man” (Esther 11:8)—whether positively or negatively. weight, to attain true family harmony. He must clearly learn all of
May it be Hashem’s will that we succeed in revealing this awesome the spiritual laws that will be discussed below, and set aside time
Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse, power in order to use it only for positive goals: for building and every day for the work of the will.
“If [a person goes] in the direction of scoffing, there will beautifying the world.
be scoffing; [if he goes] to humility, he evokes grace” The evil inclination is stronger than a person, and all of our work
(Proverbs 6:34)? [It means that] if a person comes to defile An Eternal Love in this world is to overcome it. The Gemara states explicitly that if
not for the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, helps a person,
himself, they provide an opening for him. If a person he could not overcome it. Thus, why does Hashem help one person
comes to purify himself, they assist him…. Balaam knew this principle and he used it for evil. That being