The Duality of our Heartfelt Inclinations

Moshe reminds the people that God will Continue to Assist them in their battles with the Canaanites.

In one of R. David Silverberg’s 2016 Divrei Tora for Parashat Eikev, he cites several verses that Moshe directs to the Jewish people regarding their possible insecurities with regard to the impending battles with the indigenous peoples of Canaan:

Devarim 7:17-24

17 If thou shalt say “BiLevavcha” (in thy heart:) These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?

18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God Did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt: 19 The great Trials which thine eyes saw, and the Signs, and the Wonders, and the Mighty Hand, and the Outstretched Arm, whereby the LORD thy God Brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God Do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD thy God will Send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God Is in the midst of thee, a God Great and Awful. 22 And the LORD thy God will Cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou mayest not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy God shall Deliver them up before thee, and shall Discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed. 24 And He shall Deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them.

Gaining insight into the origins of the peoples’ fears by parsing a particular odd form of a word.

R. Silverberg quotes ChiDA’s comment in his Sefer, Penai David, applying a classical commentary on another verse in the Tora in order to better understand the connotation of a word in Devarim 7:17. Since the term “Levavecha” (pl.) should have been replaced with “Libecha” (sing.), ChiDA accesses RaShI’s interpretation of Ibid. 6:5:

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all “Levavecha,” and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

RaShI s.v. BeChol Levavecha

With both of your “inclinations” (the Yetzer HaTov and the Yetzer HaRa) …

(Loving God with one’s Yetzer HaTov appears to be more straightforward than using the Yetzer HaRa to similar affect. I have always understood the latter dimension as a matter of “sublimation,” i.e., redirecting the energy that ordinarily would inform negative activities in order to do good.

Another interpretation that I came across suggests that a person’s charisma should not be used for self-aggrandizement, but rather for the purposes of propagating Tora and Mitzvot.)

Applying an idea that is associated with “love,” and reflecting how it could also impact on “fear.”

R. Silverberg notes that according to ChiDA, loving God with both Yeter’s would suggest the following:

whereas “Libecha” (sing.) refers to a state of unequivocal commitment and exclusive focus, “LeVavecha” (pl.) denotes conflict, tension and struggle between different inclinations and drives.

(It seems to me that describing how the average human being is beset by tensions between positive and negative forces, is typical in the literature not only of Judaism, but also of different cultures. The dualism inherent in the human being with respect to body and soul, is reflected in the struggle of the Yetzers, attempting to gain the “upper hand” over a particular individual. Consequently, “Levavecha” is closer to the reality that is typically encountered, while “Libecha” is perhaps what a person strives towards, whereby he can assume that his Yetzer HaTov will always be in ascendency.)

How might “fear” manifest itself both in terms of the Yetzer HaTov and the Yetzer HaRa? The ChiDA proposes:

On the one hand, this fear could have resulted from a deficiency in faith (brought about by the Yetzer HaRa), as occurred at the time of the sin of the spies (see BeMidbar 13-4.)

On the other hand, the people may have understandably feared that the wrongs they committed during their travels through the wilderness (the guilt regarding which is precipitated by the Yetzer HaTov) may have rendered them unworthy of defeating the nations of Canaan.  Such a concern may have thus reflected not a lack of faith, but an honest and keen recognition of the gravity and consequences of sin, and genuine fear of Heaven.

Conclusion.

R. Silverberg writes at the end of his short essay:

… The ChiDA’s insightful remarks remind us of the need to carefully examine the origin and source of our hesitations and fears.  Sometimes, they are the product of the Yetzer HaTov, of a mature and responsible recognition of our own limits and of pragmatic constraints.  On other occasions, however, our reluctance to take on ambitious goals originates from our Yetzer HaRa, from vices such as laziness or selfishness.  We must carefully analyze our “Levav,” the conflicting aspects of our personalities, our positive and negative tendencies and inclinations, to determine whether our reluctance is justified or something we ought to try to overcome.

Discussion.

R. Silverberg seems to feel that reservations that we may have about embarking upon some new endeavor should only be attempted if the trepidations are functions of our Yetzer HaRa rather than our Yetzer HaTov. While I agree that “vices such as laziness and selfishness” are things to seriously try to overcome, it is possible that what we attribute to our Yetzer HaTov, i.e., our own limits and pragmatic constraints, perhaps should be battled against as well. If we consistently reference ChiDA’s analogy, the fears in the wilderness that were driven by the Yetzer HaTov, i.e., guilt over wrongs committed in the desert, could be addressed by Teshuva (repentance) and Mechila (forgiveness.) Moshe after all reassures the people that all of their fears, even those stemming from the Yetzer HaTov will be rendered moot due to God’s Promise of Assistance. Don’t we all receive Hashgacha Pratit (personal Divine Intervention) and Siyata D’Shmaya (the assistance of Heaven), at least to some extent? While to attempt something that objectively is beyond our capacities—I always used the example that as much as I would like, I would never measure up to play center for the Los Angeles Lakers—would be foolhardy, moral and ethical blunders of the past should be able to be remedied.