What to do with burglars in the night

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Noah.

In this week's Torah section we see that the Sages compare Noah to our Patriarch Abraham. They discuss how Noah would have conducted himself if he had lived in Abraham's generation and how our Patriarch Abraham would have conducted himself if he had lived in Noah's generation. Noah is always compared to Abraham. So let us try to clarify and explain the difference between Noah’s outlook and way of life and our Patriarch Abraham’s outlook and way of life. We will learn from this a great fundamental of life.

The Sages tell us (Avot 4:1) “Who is a hero? One who conquers his evil inclination.” When one’s evil inclination comes upon him and attacks him, a person has two ways to subdue it. One way is to conquer the evil inclination - not to kill the evil inclination or drive it away, but to grasp hold of it and control it, to leave it within us and use it for the good. This is called “conquering” just like one country conquers another and annexes it.

According to this meaning, the mishna tells us that the true hero is the one who took the evil inclination and conquered it and uses it for the good. For instance, if a person easily becomes angry, so instead of flaring up and getting angry for egoistical reasons, he uses his hot-headedness and indignation to do what God wants. If one’s evil inclination pushes him to be happy committing transgressions, then the person utilizes joy to do a mitzvah. This is one way to conquer the evil inclination and turn it from bad to good.

A second way of coping when the evil inclination attacks a person, is to run away and avoid a confrontation with the evil inclination. He won’t even enter into war with the evil inclination. 

The Baal Shem Tov gives a parable about this that has a great lesson for life. In one city, the thieves would come and break into the shops and steal the goods. The people of the city dealt with the thieves in two ways. Some people would hide inside the shops and when the thieves would come, they would shout and make a big noise until the thieves would run away. Others would hide inside the store and let the thieves come in. Once they were in the shop, they would overcome the thieves and take them to the prison or beat them up. They would also force them to work for them because they came in and tried to steal.

The Baal Shem Tov explains the difference between the two kind of approaches. The people who frightened the thieves away got rid of them temporarily but in a few weeks they will be back. Those who beat them, forced them to work or delivered them to the prison, are assured that they will not come back. 

It is the same with the evil inclination. If the evil inclination comes to a person and the person makes noise and drives it away, it will go away now but it will return in a week or a few more days. But if a person takes the evil inclination and conquers it and directs it in a good way, then he is in control of the evil inclination within him and uses it as needed. So, the real hero is the one who conquered his evil inclination without killing it or driving it away, and now uses it for good and positive things.

This was the difference between Abraham and Noah. "Noah walked with God" - Noah served God, and when he saw that his evil inclination was mounting an attack, he would distance himself. He didn’t want to fight, so he moved to the side and sat quietly without reacting. Our Patriarch Avraham in contrast, was ready to fight it head-on. He went and fought with all his might against the evil inclination. He would gather large numbers of people around him and convince them about God. Our Patriarch Abraham's way was to take the evil inclination and conquer it. Abraham would fight his evil inclination, conquer it and hold on to it with his hands in contrast to Noah who fled from it and did not want strife and battles with it.

Abraham’s way conferred on him that status of being the first patriarch of the Jewish people. Noah's way of fleeing from everything may be good for a person who wants to live quietly without achieving anything in life, but he is not the hero who conquers his evil inclination. The paragon of this was our Patriarch Abraham who conquered his evil inclination and utilized it for the good, which is the best thing to do.

In these difficult days, many are looking for things to do to give themselves merit. Our holy books state "And Noah found favor in the eyes of God" due to the fact that he kept the holy Shabbat. The Ohr haChaim brings other sources as well as the holy Zohar which state that Noah was called by this name because he rested [nah, rested = נח, which has the same letters as his name] on the Shabbat and observed the Shabbat. By Noah keeping the Shabbat, he found favor in God’s eyes and therefore was saved from the Flood.

Everyone should try to observe the Shabbat and try to encourage other Jews to keep the Shabbat. Every Jew whom we convince and influence to keep the Shabbat, gives us greater merit due to the fact that we are partners in his Shabbat. This partnership gives a person merit in the Ark to be saved from all the developments and difficulties of the week and get out of all of them safely.

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel