Editing Aveirah (section)

== The Aveirah ==
Chazal said, "A person does not commit an aveirah unless a spirit of folly enters him."

It is explained in Chassidus that since every Jew has a G-dly soul that is literally a part of Hashem above, it should seemingly be impossible for a person to commit an aveirah. After all, the G-dly soul in every Jew, which is a part of Hashem, does not allow one to commit an aveirah, because when one commits an aveirah, one becomes separated from Hashem. The mitzvos are compared to a thick rope of 613 strands connecting a person with Hashem, and when one transgresses a mitzvah or commits an aveirah, one strand is severed, and with each aveirah committed, one becomes more separated.

Rather, the person who commits an aveirah does so because a type of spirit called a "spirit of folly" enters him, causing the person confusion and concealing from him the severity of the aveirah and its effect, which causes separation between the person and holiness and Hashem. But if he had known this, he would not have done it.

As the Rambam writes, every Jew by his nature does not want and cannot commit an aveirah, but the yetzer hara (evil inclination) within a person entices and causes him to stumble.