It's easy to feel smug when you measure yourself up against someone who seems to fail miserably. But let's look at things beyond the superficial level, by a deeper set of criteria. The person who sins repeatedly doesn't fight to overcome his burning desires. To do so would require a valiant struggle. We may not face his formidable tests just to "turn away from evil." But we face our own tests in the realm of "doing good." Do we fight as fiercely as we expect him to fight?  At the core of it, it all boils down to the one issue: the will of the King.

Our Sages instructed us to be truly humble before every other human being. And that means having humility even towards someone who is on the lowest spiritual level. Can a great person be truly humble before an evildoer? Yes: By taking the Sages' advice not to judge another until you have come to his place. A person must consider the physical place of the evildoer, as well as his spiritual "place," his incessant, burning passions. And while you can not judge the sinful person, in no way does this justify his behavior. He should have used his mind to control his passions for fear of Hashem. And here's another thing to consider: If you look deeply, you will come to realize that you have a lot in common with the careless person.

Our Sages instructed us to be truly humble before every other human being. And that means having humility even towards someone who is on the lowest spiritual level. Can a great person be truly humble before an evildoer? Yes: By taking the Sages' advice not to judge another until you have come to his place. A person must consider the physical place of the evildoer, as well as his spiritual "place," his incessant, burning passions. And while you can not judge the sinful person, in no way does this justify his behavior. He should have used his mind to control his passions for fear of Hashem. And here's another thing to consider: If you look deeply, you will come to realize that you have a lot in common with the careless person.

Breaking out of the illusion created by our dark side is simply about crushing it. Amazing! Is humility all it takes to fight this complex illusion? Yes. After all, the sitra achra, the "other side," is essentially substanceless -- like darkness, which is simply the absence of light. Light appears, and darkness vanishes. This idea is played out in the Biblical story of the spies. The Jewish people made a leap from no faith to total faith, without any sign or wonder. This was accomplished by humbling their hearts and allowing their essence to shine. Essentially, every Jew is a believer.

Breaking out of the illusion created by our dark side is simply about crushing it. Amazing! Is humility all it takes to fight this complex illusion? Yes. After all, the sitra achra, the "other side," is essentially substanceless -- like darkness, which is simply the absence of light. Light appears, and darkness vanishes. This idea is played out in the Biblical story of the spies. The Jewish people made a leap from no faith to total faith, without any sign or wonder. This was accomplished by humbling their hearts and allowing their essence to shine. Essentially, every Jew is a believer.

Doesn't everyone ask themselves this question? It is an important part of growing up. Get in touch with your truest, deepest essence. Your soul is calling and it won't be satisfied with anything but the real thing.

Doesn't everyone ask themselves this question? It is an important part of growing up. Get in touch with your truest, deepest essence. Your soul is calling and it won't be satisfied with anything but the real thing.

To access our deepest, truest space, the superficial self must be broken. That was position one -- the place from where we identify with our external self. Now, moving further into the chapter, we go into second person position. Now is the time to take the standpoint of the Divine soul and from that place, to rage against the animal soul. How dare it obscure the truth of Hashem's oneness! This is something that is plainly visible to the eye, and yet the evil inclination dares to cover the eyes of the Divine soul, brazenly hiding this truth! 

To access our deepest, truest space, the superficial self must be broken. That was position one -- the place from where we identify with our external self. Now, moving further into the chapter, we go into second person position. Now is the time to take the standpoint of the Divine soul and from that place, to rage against the animal soul. How dare it obscure the truth of Hashem's oneness! This is something that is plainly visible to the eye, and yet the evil inclination dares to cover the eyes of the Divine soul, brazenly hiding this truth! 

Walking down the path to humility, we are enjoined to examine our thoughts, utterances and deeds. Were all of them an expression of holiness, allowing us to be a vehicle of the holy chambers? Or did some of our behaviors cause us to act as a chariot for the chambers of impurity? This is a most humbling thought. And further, let us consider our dreams: Did we experience mundane dreams, or even tormenting ones? This would point to the fact that those originating from the evil side come and attach themselves to the person. These humbling thoughts shatter the darkness that numbs our heart and obscures the Divine light from affecting our heart.