How to Win (against your evil inclination)

A Torah thought this week:

"When you go out to war against your enemies and Hashem your G-d will deliver him into your hands" (Devarim/Deuteronomy 21)

This morning, my Rabbi quoted Rav Mordechai Gifter, the late Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, who interpreted this verse to refer to the war of wills against our yetzer hara, our inclination to misbehave. Rav Gifter went on to extrapolate from this Torah portion various strategies with which to win our battle with this inclination. But I was struck by the wording of the first verse, using Rav Gifter’s interpretation: when we go to war against our desire to do wrong, God will deliver victory into our hands.

I was reminded of the twelve-step slogan, “the actions are up to me, and the results are up to God.” God only delivers when we make the order. But when we make a beginning and take action, God comes through.

Rabbi Shimon Ben Levi says, “A person’s inclination gains strength against him day by day and seeks to kill him...and if God did not help him, man could not prevail.” - Talmud, Tractate Kiddushin 30b

If we really want to succeed against our inner demons, we must realize that we can’t be victorious without significant action on our part. At the same time, we won’t be successful without God’s help. And when we are ultimately successful, who does the credit belong to?

At most, we share the credit. At most.

Without God, I can’t. Without me, God won’t. – (another) AA slogan