Inspirational Moment

“Eizehu gibor hakovesh es yitzro – Who is strong? He who conquers his personal inclination”

The Torah relates that after the Plague of Hail, Pharaoh called to Moshe and Aharon and said, “This time I have sinned; Hashem is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.” (Shemos 9:27) Yet we note that Pharaoh continues to make it difficult for Bnai Yisroel and rescinds his permission to allow Bnai Yisroel to leave Mitzrayim.

Our chachamim explain that Pharaoh only deferred his yetzer hora; he never did teshuvah. Pharaoh held his yetzer hora at abeyance temporarily, and momentarily admitted the truth, but then he once again surrendered to his yetzer hora.

R’ Yitzchok of Vork once entered the home of a miser to ask for a contribution and, as expected, the miser refused.

R’ Yitzchok remained seated. He didn’t get up, nor did he say anything.

“Rebbe,” said the miser, “I told you I will not give you a penny.”

R’ Yitzchok continued to sit in his seat without saying a word.

Annoyed, the miser shouted, “Let me make it clear once and for all. I will not give anything. There is no reason to wait here.”

R’ Yitzchok replied, “There is a reason to wait. As we know man has two inclinations – the yetzer hora and the yetzer tov. The person is born with the yetzer hora; the yetzer hatov comes to the person when he turns thirteen. As the older of the two, your yetzer hora spoke first, as is appropriate. I am now waiting for your yetzer tov to speak.”