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they are terribly guilty. These two errors originate from the same no difference where he is—when he receives the title of “wanting,” Dealing with the Internal Factor
source: they do not understand that overcoming the evil inclination heaven will guide him from above, and there is no doubt that he
is not within their power. will progress and progress until he emerges from darkness to light When we make our way in accordance with the laws of life, we
and from exile to redemption. are certain to succeed. And there is an added significant benefit as
The central test of every individual is to overcome the powers of well. When we do the work of the will, engaging in a great deal of
evil within himself—i.e., his evil inclination. The central powers of Rise to Help Me prayer day after day, seeking the true solution, the very first thing
evil are the cravings and evil traits that rule over a person and dictate we must pray for is the ability to know the principal factor that
how to act. In most cases, the person knows that this behavior is Let me summarize the laws that we have learned, because they caused us to fall prey to the craving for food. Then we pray to be
very wrong, that it harms and damages him and his family, and that are the foundation of the entire path of the work of the will. healed of these internal causes. In this way, we solve the problem
it is forbidden by the Torah. But at the moment that the craving at its root.
overcomes him, that doesn’t interest him at all. And so against 1.The evil inclination has the power and permission to crush a
his will and against his better judgment, he is dragged after his evil person. For example, many times a person’s craving for food results from
cravings as though he is their captive. The Gemara here testifies dejection and depression. Seeking happiness, he finds it in food,
that this is a spiritual law of nature. Understand this: alone, you which calms him and makes him feel happy for a few minutes.
cannot succeed. In order to overcome the evil inclination, we need the help of the However, afterwards he grows upset that he fell prey to overeating.
Holy One, blessed be He. A person who does not seek Hashem’s Also, as a result of that eating, he harms himself. This damage
Cravings Kill help is in very great danger of losing his life. undermines his happiness for an extended period of time. And
even after he satisfies his cravings, his dejection does not fade away.
2.Prayer changes nature.
The central cravings are the craving for sensuality and everything On the contrary, it returns even more vigorously and intensely, and
connected to the evil inclination for forbidden relations, the craving he suffers in ways that cannot be described or imagined.
for money, the craving for eating, and the craving for honor. When Therefore, by engaging in prayer we can bring about all change in
a craving rules over a person, it entirely destroys his judgment, the physical and spiritual realms. If this person proceeds with the attitude of “my power and the
all of his basic humanity and his unimpeded intellect, and he falls might of my hand,” even if he successfully loses weight for some
into very grave behavior that damages him directly and all those 3.When a person prays at length, his prayer does not return period of time, that does not solve his problem at its root, which
around him, placing him in physical and spiritual peril. Yet that empty. is his inner dejection and depression. Until now, it expressed itself
does not interest him at all, because he is a captive, imprisoned in in relation to food, and now it will seek another way to attain
the shackles of craving. satisfaction. I have heard about people who underwent weight loss
Every word of prayer is a vessel with which a person receives surgery who indeed lost weight. But afterwards, they discovered
That is because craving nullifies all of a person’s proper perceptions, abundance. Therefore, every lack is a lack of prayer. that they had developed new problems that had not previously
so that he does not understand and discern anything. Not only does existed, such as outbursts of anger. Many required psychological
he not appreciate his spiritual danger, but when the craving burns in 4.A person is led in the way that he wants to go. help following the operation, because the personal problems that
him he does not apprehend and appreciate anything. had caused them to overeat remained completely unabated, and
Therefore, when you have a strong will, you can attain everything, tormented them in other ways.
The Gemara says that the evil inclination “seeks to kill him.” without limit.
The purpose of every craving and every evil inclination is to kill a On the other hand, when a person does the work of the will and
person. The craving of eating kills! How many times have I heard The practical summation of these laws is that you must be aware prays a great deal to attain true joy and realize that he will never
about someone with diabetes whom the doctors told that eating that you have an evil inclination that you can overcome only with find true happiness in eating, not only does he stop overeating but
sweets poses a deadly danger for him: he risks blindness, necrosis, the help of the Creator, and the Creator helps a person who has he also solves the root of the problem, and he succeeds in living a
renal failure, and more. But at the moment that he sees cake and intention and who prays. Intent and prayer are one. The more you truly happy life.