Rabbi Zamir Cohen - Why We Struggle Between Body and Soul

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

Good evening and welcome. Today we're going to discuss a subject that troubles every normal person. Anyone who lives in this world feels from time to time an inner struggle. On the one hand, the body pulls us in one direction, our natural desires, our impulses. On the other hand, the soul, the spiritual side of us pulls in a completely different direction. and a person feels confused. How do I overcome my natural urges? How How do I overcome my natural urges? How do I deal with the evil inclination that uses the body to drag us downward? King Solomon in the verse before us gives us a way of thinking through a parable and its deeper meaning as is his style that helps us look at this struggle correctly and draw strength to walk the right and good path that every person truly wants to walk. Solomon says, "Good understanding grants favor, but the path of the treacherous is harsh." of the treacherous is harsh." Let's first understand the parable and then the deeper meaning. Good understanding refers to the mind of a good person. In the parable, Solomon speaks about people. In the deeper meaning, he is speaking about the good inclination and the evil inclination. In the parable he says that when a good person, someone with good judgment gives you advice and you listen to him, it grants favor. What does that mean favor? grants favor. What does that mean favor? Like the verse says about Noah, Noah found favor in the eyes of God. You find favor in people's eyes. Your spouse is happy with you. People enjoy being around you. Socially, things go smoothly. When you ask for something, people respond positively because you are pleasant. Because you carry favor. You are someone others like. And we see this clearly in real life. Sometimes a person's appearance isn't especially

Jump to a moment

1. 0:00Good evening and welcome. Today we're going to discuss a subject that troubles every normal person.…
2. 4:43experience. And we also know the opposite. There are people whose inner intentions don't match their…
3. 9:52"Now you have a body. This body has desires. deal with them. It is difficult. The…
4. 15:06are all obligated to support them because their Torah protects the Jewish people and they become…
5. 20:20them because their Torah protects the Jewish people and they become the ones who guide us,…
6. 25:26with slides and graphics about the dangers of smoking. He showed how lungs become blackened and…
7. 30:04behavior, in outlook, in life decisions. One needs guidance from scholars who themselves were built gradually…
8. 35:15commandment, not God forbid, because Judaism seeks the harm of other nations. On the contrary, the…
9. 40:22how the evil inclination operates. When it approaches a person, it tempts him and says, "Listen…
10. 45:27side. That is why the verse says, "Your evil will correct you." A person's mistakes eventually…

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