Parshas Re'eh 5786 - Strength and Temptation

In this week's parsha, the Torah presents the prohibition against eating blood:

"Only be strong not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat." (Devarim 12:23)

This verse is puzzling. Most people naturally find the consumption of blood repulsive. Why, then, does the Torah prohibit something that people would ordinarily avoid anyway?

Rashi offers two explanations. In his second, he cites Shimon ben Azzai:

"The Torah comes only to admonish you and teach you how great your resolve must be in fulfilling the commandments. If regarding blood, from which it is easy to refrain because people have no desire for it, the Torah nevertheless urges you to be strong, then how much more so must one be strong regarding commandments that involve genuine temptation."

Rashi derives a kal v'chomer. If the Torah emphasizes strength regarding blood, a prohibition that is relatively easy to observe, then certainly we must summon even greater strength when confronting prohibitions that are difficult to resist.

Yet Rashi's explanation itself seems to raise a question. If people have no desire to consume blood, why does the Torah specifically command, "Only be strong" (רק חזק)? What special strength is required?

The Sifsei Chachamim offers a profound insight. The yetzer hara constantly seeks to entice us to violate Hashem's commandments. Thus, even though a person would naturally avoid eating blood, once Hashem commands us not to do so, the yetzer hara encourages us to rebel simply because we have been commanded.

The Torah therefore tells us, "Only be strong." We need strength not because blood itself is enticing, but because the yetzer hara seeks to undermine our willingness to submit to Hashem's will. Rashi's kal v'chomer now becomes clear. If we need strength even to observe a mitzvah that is naturally easy, how much more strength is required when facing commandments that involve powerful temptations.

The same dynamic appears in the story of Adam and Chava. Because Hashem forbade them from eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the yetzer hara, represented by the serpent, persuaded Chava that Hashem must have had an ulterior motive for the prohibition. Instead of viewing the commandment as an expression of Hashem's love and wisdom, she came to see it as a restriction imposed upon her. (See Bereishis 3:4-6.)

The Sifsei Chachamim thus reveals a fundamental aspect of human nature. People naturally resist being told what to do. Even when a command directs us toward something we would otherwise choose ourselves, the mere fact that someone else has imposed it can awaken a desire to resist. The yetzer hara exploits this tendency by encouraging us to assert our independence rather than accept legitimate authority.

This insight has many practical applications. Consider a teacher who asks a student to sit down. The student may actually prefer to sit, yet the yetzer hara tempts him to remain standing simply because he was told to do otherwise. Recognizing this, an effective teacher first develops a caring relationship with the student. When the student senses that the teacher genuinely cares about him and seeks his success, he becomes far more willing to accept guidance and overcome his instinct to resist.

The same principle applies in many relationships—with parents, employers, teachers, and other authority figures. Above all, it applies to our relationship with Hashem. When we truly internalize that Hashem's commandments are expressions of His love and concern for our well-being, obedience no longer feels like submission to an arbitrary authority. Instead, it becomes a willing response to the One Who always seeks our good.

The Torah therefore tells us, "Only be strong." True strength is not merely resisting temptation. It is overcoming the natural impulse to rebel and instead joyfully accepting Hashem's guidance. When we develop that inner strength, we merit to experience the blessing, fulfillment, and joy that come from living according to His Torah.

-Rabbi Avraham Garber, 24 Av, 5786