150. Come and see what the Evil Inclination is like. When it comes to join man, it is like iron before it is put into the fire. After it is heated the whole of it again becomes like fire.

151. Rabbi Chiya said, When the Evil Inclination comes to join man, it is like a man who approaches the gate and sees there is no one AT HOME to detain him. It enters the house and becomes a guest, seeing there is no one to prevent it to send it on its way. Once it entered the house and no one prevents it, it is in charge over the house and becomes the landlord, so that the whole house is at its disposal.

152. Whence do I learn that? I learn it from the passage about David. It is written, "and there came a traveler to the rich man" (II Shmuel 12:4). A traveler means he approaches the gate yet does not want to stay there but go on his way. Such is the Evil Inclination AT FIRST, which, like one approaching the house, it approaches man and rouses him to sin a little, only by coincidence. When it sees no one prevents it, it is written, "to prepare it for the wayfaring man (or: 'guest') that was come to him" (Ibid.). Now he becomes a guest who stays at the house, which means it rouses him to sin more for a day or two like a guest that is kept at home for a day or two. When it sees no one prevents it, it is written, "prepared it for the man that was come to him" (Ibid.), because it became the landlord, as it is written, "The man, who is the lord of the land" (Beresheet 42:30), and, "Naomi's husband (lit. 'man')" (Rut 1:3). Such is the Evil Inclination, who has become a man, landlord over that man who was attached to serve it, and THE EVIL INCLINATION does with him as it pleases.

153. One must therefore constantly place upon oneself words of Torah, so that the Evil Inclination will be broken by them, for the Evil Inclination has no greater enemy than words of Torah. Hence it is written, "And these words...shall be in your heart" (Devarim 6:6). "Your heart" means your two inclinations, since the Good Inclination is adorned with them and the Evil Inclination is subdued by them. Rabbi Yehuda said, What does the Good Inclination need words of Torah for? He said to him, The Good Inclination is adorned with them, and the Evil Inclination, when it sees that the man does not repent and does not care to study Torah, it rises up and speaks ill of him. This is the meaning of, "but fools shall get (or: 'raise') shame" (Mishlei 3:35).