Experience-" יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע "

            For those unfamiliar, the concept of Yetzer Hara is as follows:  “refers to the inclination to do evil, by violating the will of God. The Yetzer Hara is not a demonic force, but rather man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive.”*  I.e. the human need to eat being taken to the extreme of gluttony, when one no longer NEEDS to eat, but simply does it for its own sake.

            I was actually really looking forward to this one.  Not because I am a religious individual, because I am not.  But I enjoy my Hebrew heritage, and actually have a desire to get back more in touch with it.  I even went through the oh-so-tiring burden of searching GOOGLE for a decent Temple near here, and found a really cool Reform Judaism (i.e. liberalist of liberal) Synagogue in town, with a FEMALE RABBI!  I still plan on attending High Hollies at some point there, and maybe even the occasional Friday Night service when I am in the mood.  For me it is far less about some archaic dogma than it is about a sense of community and shared history.  Plus, who knows?  Maybe I’ll find a nice Jewish Doctor to bring home to Mom and Dad, heh!

            The week I was supposed to be doing this the Rabbi was out on vacation, and then things got a … busy.  And I admit, I got a little lazy when I had free time.  Anyway, here is as good a place as a Rabbi’s office to discuss how Yetzer Hara affects my life.

            Well, for starters I can boredom eat.  I am better about it now, but it can still be something of a habit.  I can also turn the need to feel safe and protected into being callous, cold, and distant.  I am much better about this one too, but it can still be a damaging habit, and I have yet to truly break myself of it.

            I guess ultimately the goal of acknowledging Yetzer Hara boils down to the old adage “Everything in moderation.”  Sex, food, protection, they are all required to sustain life—one of the most holy tenants, btw—however, they can all become dangerous and detrimental if overindulged.  It’s all pretty much common sense, but it’d be interesting to sit down and discuss in a theological context.  Maybe I will eventually, we’ll see.