Vayishlach: Chapter 18

"If you faint in the day of adversity"

Synopsis

The rabbis show us that it is incumbent upon man to walk the path of righteousness and to hold tightly to the Torah. This way, we are told, the Evil Inclination becomes our Advocate rather than our Accuser, and rises to vouch for us before God. The sacrifice of the he-goat on Yom Kippur follows this principle. The sacrifice engages the Evil Inclination so that he will ascend and deliver favorable testimony to God. This principle, we learn, is seen in the example of Rachel's death, which was a punishment for Jacob. Because Jacob did not fulfill his vow to God, and because he uttered a "causeless curse" when he said to Laban, "Anyone with whom you find your Elohim," the Evil Inclination accused Rachel during a time of danger, and she perished.

Relevance

Spiritual Light gleams on this page, cleansing us of curses we have uttered in the past. A portion of this Light is given to the Evil Inclination, so that his words of praise replace his condemnation in the supernal courts protecting us from Judgments caused by our own negative deeds.