Miller's Musings Parshas Bereishis: Awake to the Snake

בס''ד

 

That snake certainly has a lot to answer for!  If it wasn’t for the serpent’s deviousness and guile in convincing the first woman and man to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, they would have achieved their end purpose and the world would have risen to the perfection it was meant to attain.  The Zohar tells us that the snake was in essence the physical manifestation of the Yetzer Horah, the Evil Inclination.  This would then mean that the punishment meted out to this duplicitous creature, that man will “pound its head” and that it will “bite his heel”, was also the fate of the Yetzer Horah.  Accordingly, we must ask what exactly this means in reference to the snake as the embodiment of man’s spiritual foe?

Although we were created with the capacity to equally choose good or bad, the merciful nature of G-d demanded that there always be some leaning towards the side of virtue.  When a person makes the decision to rectify their deeds and to follow the path that was meant for them, the transformation can take place in but a moment.  In an instant a reformation can take place that will create a person anew. From the most ardent follower of immorality, to the most committed adherent of that which is righteous.  This, as explained by Rebbi Itzele Blazer, is man striking the Evil Inclination right upon its head, in a direct attack against its very existence.  In contrast, the Yetzer Horah, possesses no such potent capabilities and can only attack at the lowest point of impact, the heel.  To convert a person from a saint to a sinner requires time and patience on the part of that which would wish us spiritual harm, unfortunately both being attributes that it has much of.  For us to leave our upright ways and become corrupted, requires a drip, drip approach, slowly eroding our divine conscience and gradually enticing us, with a snowball effect of moral degradation.  To tempt us into a betrayal of our values in one fell swoop would be impossible, but to tempt us little by little into more minor negative acts is both achievable and ultimately a more lucrative ploy for the side of evil.

What this means for us is that although we can be reassured by the perpetual possibility of almost instantaneous redemption as long as we are alive and take the necessary steps, the more measured approach of the influences of our sinful desires, may make us almost oblivious as to what extent we are within its clutches.  The imperceptible downward spiral may creep up on us and leave us languishing in a place far below we would have ever believed ourselves possible of descending to, before we our even aware of our deterioration.  Knowing this is its approach at least give us the chance to be ever watchful for our decline so that we can arrest it before it is too late, and not find ourselves, just like the Yetzer Horah’s first victims, so distant from where G-d intended us to be.

*May the holiness of Shabbos keep us far from the Yetzer Horah’s grasp*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם