The Antidote to Evil

Moshe Ben-Chaim

Reader: Please elaborate on, "Torah as an antidote to the evil inclination".

Mesora: The rabbis stated, "(He) created the instincts - the yetzer hara - He created the Torah as an antidote."

The Torah addresses man's instinctual makeup. Man has pride, ego, greed and many other emotions and drives. The Torah desires that man use these emotions and drives appropriately and in a positive way to benefit himself. Without Divine instruction in the form of the Torah, man in general will not be able to arrive at the precise formula for directing his emotions, for subduing them, and for outletting them in a healthy manner. Torah is God's direction for the precise manner in which to guide our actions, and emotions, all as backdrop to render ourselves suited for a life of study, unhampered by the turbulent tides of emotions.