Editing Yetzer Harah (section)

== The War Against the Inclination ==
A person must conquer their inclination; and it is said in the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot: "Who is mighty? One who conquers his inclination." Within every person dwell two inclinations: the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination. Our Sages interpret the verse: "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who no longer knows to be warned," as referring to the two inclinations; the Evil Inclination is called "an old and foolish king" because it enters a person at birth, whereas the Good Inclination is called "a poor and wise child," as it fully enters a person only thirteen years after birth - at the time of Bar Mitzvah.

In Tractate Shabbat it is written: "This is the craft of the evil inclination: Today it tells him, 'Do this,' and tomorrow it tells him, 'Do that,' until it tells him, 'Worship idols,' and he goes and does so." A similar approach can be found in Tractate Sukkah: "Rabbi Assi said: The evil inclination at first resembles a thread of a spider web, but ultimately it resembles the ropes of a wagon."

One of the ways to deal with the Yetzer Hara is: "Rabbi Yishmael says: If this despicable one encounters you - drag him to the study hall."