4504 —התגברות על תחבולות היצר הרע ושמירה על שמחה בעבודה

B"H, 3rd of Tammuz, 5716. Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the 28th of Sivan, and the one before it.

I have already written to you several times that all your debates and deliberations regarding your situation are tricks of the yetzer hara, who wants to confuse you from serving Hashem with joy and a good heart.

It is already known and explained in Chassidus that one of the tricks of the yetzer is to cause discouragement in a person serving the Creator by convincing him he is not succeeding in this service, etc., etc. And even though the yetzer is called an old fool—still, he is cunning and skilled in his craft of incitement; therefore, it is possible that for a time he weakens those who listen to him.

Sometimes the yetzer hara disguises itself in other garments so as not to be recognized; all these things also apply to you.

The recommended advice, as explained in Tanya, is not to enter into debate or arguments—whether he is right or not—but rather to continue serving your Creator through Torah study and mitzvah observance. Since the yetzer is like a wicked uncircumcised one, the advice is not to respond at all—neither good nor bad—and instead plead with Him (Hashem), etc.

We are assured that Hashem will act on his behalf, for a true portion of Hashem is with him. See there in Tanya at the end of chapter 28. The sooner one adopts this conduct, the sooner success will come as well.

Blessings,

In the name of the Lubavitcher Rebbe shlita,
Secretary

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that discouraging thoughts are tactics of the yetzer hara meant to disrupt joyful service of Hashem. The solution is not to argue with these thoughts but to persist in Torah and mitzvos with trust that Hashem will grant success.