Chapter I

הוי כי גדול היום ההוא מאין כמוהו
ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע

"Oh, how great is that day. There is none like it. It is a time of trouble for Yaakov [the Jews], but he shall be delivered through it."1

This "great day" refers to the last stage of exile, when the war of Gog and Magog is waged. It is a time of trouble for Jews, but this period is the cause of our true salvation, which will manifest itself in the complete Geulah. Talmud Yerushalmi,2 discussing the Redemption, cites the views of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua concerning the means by which G‑d will bring it about.

Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that what will end the exile and bring about the Redemption is teshuvah, and that as long as the Jews do not repent, they will remain in exile, as it is written:3 בשובה ונחת תושעון "through repentance... you will be saved."

Rabbi Yehoshua's opinion is that the Redemption will come when the Divinely decreed limit of exile is reached.

Rabbi Yehoshua asked Rabbi Eliezer: "What will happen if, G‑d forbid, the Jews never repent? Will they then never be redeemed?"

Rabbi Eliezer answered: "In that case, G‑d will subject them to the authority of a wicked ruler such as Haman, and they will perforce repent. Then G‑d will redeem them, as it is written: ועת
צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע "It will be a time of trouble for Yaakov, but he shall be delivered through it." For the Redemption, maintained Rabbi Eliezer, can only come about through repentance, so G‑d will bring about the circumstances which will lead Jews to repentance. The Redemption through our righteous Moshiach will then come about.

The Rambam states:4 "All the prophets spoke of the necessity of repentance, and Jews will be redeemed only through repentance."

Indeed, G‑d promises in the Torah that the Jews will repent in the final period of the exile, and that He will then redeem them. This, then, is the meaning of ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע , that the trouble, G‑d forbid, during the end of exile is not only a punishment for the past, but also a cause of ultimate good, the complete Redemption.

This is the meaning of וממנה יושע , that the true salvation and Redemption will come about through(i.e. by means of)the "time of trouble."

In summary: According to R. Eliezer, the complete Redemption with Moshiach will come as a result of repentance; according to R. Yehoshua, it will come about simply because the time of redemption has arrived. The Rambam notes that G‑d assured us in the Torah that during the final period of exile, the Jews will be compelled to repent, and will then be redeemed.

Chapter II

The "time of trouble" affects all Jews, the G‑d-fearing and learned as well as those who are, G‑d forbid, agnostics and irreligious, for every Jew, even the wicked who spitefully violates Torah and mitzvos, possesses a divine soul. Therefore everyone must repent in order to merit the Redemption.

The Baal Shem Tov, of saintly memory, says:5 "The meaning of ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע , is that through and out of the trouble itself, salvation will come. In other words, the צרה (trouble) will become צהר (light)."

In terms of a Jew's personal service to G‑d, this means that the darkness itself is transformed into light. There are various levels of divine service. On one level the light of holiness drives away darkness, in line with the famous saying:6 "A small amount of light dispels much darkness." On a higher level, the darkness itself is transformed into light.

The Zohar states:7 שעת צלותא שעת קרבא "the time of prayer is the time of battle." During prayer, a spiritual battle takes place between the yetzer hora (the darkness in man) and the yetzer tov, which is light. The yetzer hora is called "darkness," because it desires only physical pleasures. For this reason, even the intellect of the yetzer hora is given the name נפש הבהמית the "animal soul." The yetzer hora is characterized essentially by its emotional qualities of love, fear, pride, etc. It also possesses the power of intellect, but this is utilized only for the acquisition and enjoyment of material things.

The animal soul also finds many ways of justifying its actions. Sometimes a person is aware that he is acting badly, but still finds ways to rationalize his behavior. Even when he knows his reasoning is false, he uses it as a basis for fulfilling his desires. Since such conduct is similar to an animal's behavior, the yetzer hora' s intellect is deemed the "animal soul."

Primarily, the yetzer hora possesses the "power of desire." The yetzer hora' s will is exceptionally powerful, as the famous expression of our sages states:8 משביעו רעב "The more one satiates it, the hungrier it becomes." The same applies to the yetzer hora itself. The more one submits to its desires, the more powerful and fiery does its "power of desire" become. Ultimately this can lead a person to rob, steal or murder, G‑d forbid. This is exemplified by the בן סורר ומורה , the rebellious son,9 whose gluttony leads him to his own death, G‑d forbid. Hence, the yetzer hora and the animal soul are called "darkness."

On the other hand, the yetzer tov, together with its intellect, the divine soul, is called "light," because it radiates light into the darkness of the yetzer hora and animal soul.

In summary: The time of trouble encompasses all Jews, and all must repent. It is necessary to transform tzorah, trouble, into tzohar, the illumination of the Redemption. Light may banish darkness, and darkness itself may be transformed into light.

Chapter III

The desire to vanquish and control one's enemy is so great that any means are considered worthwhile to gain victory. In order to win a war, a king will spend precious treasures which have been accumulated and guarded for generations. So fierce is the desire for victory that both sides engage in battle with a firm determination to give their very lives if necessary.

This analogy can also be applied to the spiritual battle between the internal forces of good and evil; each side exerts itself to the utmost in order to win.

Various types of weapons are used in warfare. Certain types can only be used at short-range, while others can only be used at a distance. The yetzer tov and yetzer hora both possess armaments. The revealed or short-range weapons of the yetzer hora are physical and material matters, even those permitted by the Torah. For as the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya,10 food eaten only in order to satisfy one's corporeal desire becomes evil, even if the food is kosher. Food eaten only out of gross corporeal desire transforms the good into evil, and this evil eventually becomes a weapon which destroys a person, or at least makes him spiritually defective. He then receives his vitality from evil. This in turn leads him to indulge in even more corporeal pleasures and desires.

The yetzer hora also possesses weapons that work from afar. Unlike the short-range weapon of wrongful indulgence in permissible matters, the evil inclination can cause a person to transgress unwittingly with forbidden matters, thereby killing him spiritually.

A man once came with his scholarly son-in-law to the Alter Rebbe in Liozna, and complained that the young man, who had always conducted himself properly, had lately been beset with doubts about his faith. The Rebbe replied that the son-in-law must have unwittingly eaten forbidden food. The Rebbe showed him how to repent, and he became spiritually healthy again.

Thus, forbidden foods and the like are vile weapons of the yetzer hora, which can shoot arrows from afar and destroy a person, G‑d forbid. At the very least, it can make one spiritually defective.

In summary: The task of illuminating the darkness of the evil inclination is a mighty battle in which both sides use all their powers in order to win. The revealed weapons of the evil inclination include a lustful indulgence in permitted matters, which causes one to become coarsened. The evil inclination's concealed weapons are those which cause an individual to sin unwittingly.

Chapter IV

The yetzer tov also possesses short- and long-range weapons. These two types are: 1) Kabbalas ol Malchus Shomayim, accepting the yoke of Torah and mitzvos, and 2) Yiras Shomayim fear of the A-mighty.

Kabbalas ol Malchus Shomayim is the yetzer tov's short-range weapon. Kabbalas ol means that one's spiritual service of Torah study and the fulfillment of commandments is not conducted out of a desire to understand the mitzvah involved. On the contrary, one performs simply because it is G‑d's command, without asking "why?" Kabbalas ol protects one from the yetzer hora and its desires, because the person has simply resolved that anything the yetzer hora urges, he will not do. This resolution results from Kabbalas ol and not reason.

There is an essential difference between the service of G‑d based on understanding and service based on Kabbalas ol. When the resolution not to surrender to the desires of the yetzer hora is founded on reason, it is subject to changes in relation to fluctuations of the intellect. This may be observed in the case of a scholar presenting a thesis and expounding on it with deep insight. Every intellectual statement or concept must necessarily result in a practical application. Obviously, the practical result depends on the underlying reason. If another scholar repudiates a part of the thesis, then the practical outcome also changes. Likewise, any service of G‑d founded solely on intellect will be affected by changes in reasoning.

On the other hand, service inspired by Kabbalas ol transcends reason, so there are no changes.

The resolution of Kabbalas ol that whatever the yetzer hora desires will not be done is the weapon which overpowers the yetzer hora. Physical objects are to be used for life's necessities, not for the purpose of gratifying a desire for pleasure.

The second weapon of the yetzer tov is Yiras Shomayim, the fear of G‑d. One fears to do that which G‑d has forbidden. This overpowers the hidden evil of the yetzer hora, for Yiras Shomayim is characterized by scrupulousness in all that one does. This protects a person in all his ways.

In summary: The good inclination also possesses two forms of weaponry, revealed and hidden. The revealed weapons are Torah study, the performance of mitzvos and behavior characterized by good character traits; all this being done through acceptance of the Divine Yoke. Accepting the Divine Yoke precludes the changes that occur when something is done according to the mind's dictates.

The good inclination's long-range weapon is fear of G‑d, which leads to a scrupulous observance of mitzvos.

Chapter V

When a person is praying, both the divine and animal soul strengthen themselves to the utmost, each trying to overcome the other.11 This is similar to that which is written about Yaakov and Esav:12 "And one nation will try to prevail over the other."

In a Jew's spiritual service, Yaakov and Esav represent the spiritual and the mundane, respectively. Esav, Yitzchok's son, is called "a man of the field,"13 for his interest lay only in worldly affairs, and he desired only physical pleasures. His actions were false and deceitful.14 He had the greatest respect for his father, Yitzchok, and when he served him food, etc., he dressed in his best clothes, thus fulfilling the commandment of kibbud av15 honoring one's father. Nevertheless, he even deceived him, [his own father].

Yaakov, on the other hand, represents the spiritual, and is called איש תם "a simple man,"16 one who is neither able nor desirous of fooling others. Yaakov's only interest was in spiritual matters, all his thoughts centering on how to elevate himself, for as stated17 a person should be kind to others and devoted to G‑d. Yaakov's whole pleasure was the study of Torah, and he is described18 as יושב אהלים a student in the Yeshivos of Shem and Ever.

In terms of a Jew's spiritual service, Yaakov and Esav correspond to the two souls within every Jew, namely, the divine soul and the animal soul. Both seek to dominate a person. This is the meaning of "and each nation will try to conquer the other." When two people fight, the actual fighting gives each one a certain amount of courage and strength. The same applies to the spiritual battle between the divine soul and the animal soul which takes place during prayer. We therefore find that during prayer two opposite emotions are revealed within a person, one stemming from the divine soul, and the other from the animal soul.

We observe that during prayer, alien thoughts enter a person's mind. While speaking or listening to idle talk (devarim betalim), the person momentarily forgets his financial worries, but during the time of prayer strange thoughts enter his mind. We also find, however, that during prayer, even though one is not mindful of the meaning of the words, there are certain passages or verses which are recited with inner warmth, a vitality permeating the supplicant's whole being.

These opposite tendencies emanate from the divine and animal souls. The animal soul gives rise to all sorts of strange and improper thoughts, distracting one from prayer, while the divine soul invigorates him. This expresses itself in a sudden heartrending cry of repentance. This outburst stems from simple faith and complete trust that "he will be saved from it."

Through the individual redemption of every Jew achieved as the good vanquishes the evil within each person will come the complete Redemption of all our people. Then we will witness the fulfillment of the prophecy "How great is that day, there is none like it...." with the destruction of Gog and Magog, and the complete redemption of all the Jews through our righteous Moshiach.

In summary: The time and place of the spiritual battle is during prayer. Within man, "Esav" and "Yaakov" allude to our divine and animal souls, which fight with each other and seek to gain dominance over us. The animal soul causes stray thoughts to enter one's mind, while the divine soul vivifies one's prayers, causing him to cry out to G‑d in repentance. Such action brings the complete Redemption.