Sin death and beyond

the entire creation, as far as is in his power.3
SIN, DEATH AND BEYOND: M.M.NINAN
Here are several interesting aspects to the Yetzer Tov and Yetzer Hara:
• The Yetzer Hara is not solely associated to what we would "normally" consider as sin.
Anything that we do for ourselves ("self preservation," as opposed to Godly service) is
"driven" by our Yetzer Hara. This includes "normal" activities such as working for a
living, building a shelter, seeking a mate, procreation, etc. These functions are all part of
this present life, and as by their nature are not directly serving God. They are
considered "necessary evils" associated with our physical bodies. There is an axiom
that, "sleep is one-sixtieth of death," which is based on this premise.
• The purpose of the Yetzer Hara is to serve God – Both inclinations give us "energy,"
and even the energy from the Yetzer Hara can be channeled for Godly use. A modern
analogy would be an athlete who channels his negative emotional energy toward his
sport, thus improving his performance. A person with a strong Yetzer Hara has a
greater potential to do remarkable things for God over someone with a "lesser" Yetzer
Hara.
• Many of the "great people" of the Bible had a "strong" Yetzer Hara. One of the best
examples is King David, who was a man who enjoyed earthly pleasures. In Hebraic
literature, David is compared to Esau. Part of this comparison is that each man was said
to have been born with a "ruddy" complexion. (Ruddy having to do with red -- the color
of the "physical" earth.) Whereas Esau was not able to channel the energy from his
Yetzer Hara to serve God – David was – so much so that he is referred to as being "a
man after God's own heart." (1 Samuel 13:14. Note also Paul's comments about himself
in Romans chapter 7 -- see below.)
• The "energy" of the Yetzer Tov can be misdirected as well. For instance, a person may
have a great love and respect for the treatment of animals. Because of this, they may
read of the animal sacrifices in the Tenakh and view them as being a "bad" thing.
Biblical examples of the "misuse" of the Yetzer Tov would be David regarding his son
Absalom, and Eli regarding his sons. Both men "leaned too far to the right," and failed to
properly deal with situations that needed correcting.
• Thus, we find instruction in God's Torah about not "turning to the left" (Yetzer Hara), or
"to the right" (Yetzer Tov), but to seek out the proper balance in our lives (i.e.,
Deuteronomy 5:32; 17:11,20; 28:14) in order to move forward toward the "image of
God." This is by being a "hearer and doer" of the Torah, praying without ceasing, and
performing acts of kindness.
1.3.2 – The dynamic between the soul and the body –The soul and body are in a, "constant
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