Our Sages make a surprising statement: the one thing in all of creation which G-d calls "very good" is the yetzer hara, aka our internal distortion factory.
How?
Simple: it's very good because it provides the resistance against which we create ourselves. That is why we're here.
But there's an important caveat. This gift is hard to redeem without Inner Connection.
Why?
Because without inner connection, the nefesh is alone. With no adult in the room, the yetzer hara succeeds in projecting a startlingly compelling fear and shame.
Instead of serving as the backdrop for great choice, it becomes a terrifying lens through which I see myself and the world. The voice within yells, “Run, hide, blame.”
Inner Connection changes that. With the adult in the room, the fear softens just enough to discover that the Creator is extending—through the distress—an invitation to grow.
That's when we have "very good" - the yetzer hara's resistance allowing us to become creators rather than merely creations.
For example: suppose I need to make an uncomfortable phone call, apply for a job, have a difficult conversation, or take a step that matters.
Immediately the distortion factory begins its work.
"You'll fail."
"People will judge you."
"You'll embarrass yourself."
"Better not risk it."
Now I have a choice.
Will I align with the distortion? Or will I turn toward the quiet clarity of my neshama?
Each time I choose truth over distortion, I am doing more than making a better decision.
I am becoming the cause of my life.
I am strengthening my connection to a G-dly way of seeing the world.
I am creating myself.
When the bond between the loving adult and the lovable child is weak, the child naturally reaches for the counterfeit security offered by the yetzer hara.
"Don't try."
"It's hopeless.”
“You won’t succeed. Just grab whatever this moment’s pleasure is, no matter how destructive.”
There is comfort in those messages because they seem so certain.
But certainty is not necessarily reality.
As Inner Connection deepens, the child gradually gains the courage to say:
"Yes, I'm afraid. And I'm still going to make the phone call."
"Yes, I may fail. And I'm still going to put myself out there."
There is fear, but it feels different because he's no longer facing it alone.
Each encounter becomes another opportunity to choose truth over distortion, connection over isolation, courage over exemption.
And in making those choices, we become what we were created to be:
The cause of our own goodness.
How?
Simple: it's very good because it provides the resistance against which we create ourselves. That is why we're here.
But there's an important caveat. This gift is hard to redeem without Inner Connection.
Why?
Because without inner connection, the nefesh is alone. With no adult in the room, the yetzer hara succeeds in projecting a startlingly compelling fear and shame.
Instead of serving as the backdrop for great choice, it becomes a terrifying lens through which I see myself and the world. The voice within yells, “Run, hide, blame.”
Inner Connection changes that. With the adult in the room, the fear softens just enough to discover that the Creator is extending—through the distress—an invitation to grow.
That's when we have "very good" - the yetzer hara's resistance allowing us to become creators rather than merely creations.
For example: suppose I need to make an uncomfortable phone call, apply for a job, have a difficult conversation, or take a step that matters.
Immediately the distortion factory begins its work.
"You'll fail."
"People will judge you."
"You'll embarrass yourself."
"Better not risk it."
Now I have a choice.
Will I align with the distortion? Or will I turn toward the quiet clarity of my neshama?
Each time I choose truth over distortion, I am doing more than making a better decision.
I am becoming the cause of my life.
I am strengthening my connection to a G-dly way of seeing the world.
I am creating myself.
When the bond between the loving adult and the lovable child is weak, the child naturally reaches for the counterfeit security offered by the yetzer hara.
"Don't try."
"It's hopeless.”
“You won’t succeed. Just grab whatever this moment’s pleasure is, no matter how destructive.”
There is comfort in those messages because they seem so certain.
But certainty is not necessarily reality.
As Inner Connection deepens, the child gradually gains the courage to say:
"Yes, I'm afraid. And I'm still going to make the phone call."
"Yes, I may fail. And I'm still going to put myself out there."
There is fear, but it feels different because he's no longer facing it alone.
Each encounter becomes another opportunity to choose truth over distortion, connection over isolation, courage over exemption.
And in making those choices, we become what we were created to be:
The cause of our own goodness.
RSS Feed