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The Evil Inclination?
#1
Hello Smile
I was wondering, does anyone know if the "Satan" is the
"Evil Inclination"? Also does the "E.I." know what we are thinking,
or does it know our weaknesses by watching how we act?
Another thought: if the Satan isnt the E.I., is the E.I. an entity
like the Satan, or is it just our own thoughts that try and tempt us to sin?
Thank you for helping! ^_^
Ara
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#2
The Satan is the tempter, and he works through a person's evil inclination. This angel's job is to test us to see if we will remain faithful to G-d. The author of the Tanya writes that the Satan and the evil inclination (the yetzer harah) believe in G-d and are loyal to G-d, but they have the job to tempt us away from the proper path. It is our job to use our willpower to resist these temptations, or to sincerely repent if we err. The Satan is given the tools to do his job, which include finding the weaknesses of each person through his or her unique evil inclination. If we go off the path as a result of the "yetzer hara" then we are on a lower level than it is. If we overcome the "yetzer hara" then we rise to higher level.

The evil inclination is rooted in a person's power of imagination. The person imagines how good it will be if he gives in to his temptation.

The Jewish confessional prayer on Yom Kippur contains this confession: "For the sin which we committed before You with the evil inclination." This refers to a person who deliberately arouses within himself a desire for a sin which the Satan was not assigned to tempt the person with.
Rabbi Yitz
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#3
Is this Satan (angel) a single entity? If so I would think that the odd's of actually encountering this entity would be small.
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#4
Randy Wrote:Is this Satan (angel) a single entity? If so I would think that the odd's of actually encountering this entity would be small.

As a spiritual being, an angel is not limited in space unless it is sent on a particular temporary mission which requires it to assume a physical body.

As a similar example, consider Elijah the Prophet (who was taken to Heaven alive, in a fiery chariot). He attends every Jewish Passover "seder" meal. There are probably millions of these seder meals going on simultaneously all over the world on the first night of Passover, and he visits every one of them. But if he is on a temporary mission that requires his physical body, then he can only be in one physical place at one time.
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#5
Ok, so as a 'spiritual being' this Satan entity, while not omnipotent, is ominpresent? Meaning he can and does effect multiple people on the planet at the same time?

I'm asking this to understnd Satan from the Torah perspective, as "Satan" is intergral in some religions and very missunderstood.

Rabbiyitz said, "The Jewish confessional prayer on Yom Kippur contains this confession: 'For the sin which we committed before You with the evil inclination.' This refers to a person who deliberately arouses within himself a desire for a sin which the Satan was not assigned to tempt the person with."

I assume that doing a sin this way is worse than if you were tempted? Can Satan tempt you in your dreams? Some people have cognitive action in their dreams, and I have heard that you can't get in trouble for what you do in your dreams. Only I have cognitive action, and while I have yet to do anything 'wrong' technically I have been toying around with the idea as it is virtual reality. In all of my dreams, when it comes to the 'sin' point... I stop the dream... It's called "lucid dreaming." Yet that virtual reality will lead to what, and why should I do it? Only because I feel like it? (this is another topic).
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#6
Randy Wrote:Ok, so as a 'spiritual being' this Satan entity, while not omnipotent, is ominpresent? Meaning he can and does effect multiple people on the planet at the same time?

Correct.

Randy Wrote:I'm asking this to understnd Satan from the Torah perspective, as "Satan" is intergral in some religions and very missunderstood.

Rabbiyitz said, "The Jewish confessional prayer on Yom Kippur contains this confession: 'For the sin which we committed before You with the evil inclination.' This refers to a person who deliberately arouses within himself a desire for a sin which the Satan was not assigned to tempt the person with."

I assume that doing a sin this way is worse than if you were tempted?

Correct.

Randy Wrote:Can Satan tempt you in your dreams?

Yes, it's possible. But the goal would be to lead the person to be tempted during the time that he's awake, to do a sinful action, or to harbor thoughts of sinful things (which can lead to actual sin if those thoughts are not rejected).

Randy Wrote:Some people have cognitive action in their dreams, and I have heard that you can't get in trouble for what you do in your dreams.

A person can't be punished just for something he dreamed about, if that is what you mean.

Randy Wrote:Only I have cognitive action, and while I have yet to do anything 'wrong' technically I have been toying around with the idea as it is virtual reality. In all of my dreams, when it comes to the 'sin' point... I stop the dream... It's called "lucid dreaming." Yet that virtual reality will lead to what, and why should I do it? Only because I feel like it? (this is another topic).

A person should not willfully invite dreams of sinful things (including dreams of sinning), because that can lead to fantasizing about sin while awake, which can lead to temptation to sin, and possibly even actual sins, G-d forbid. As it says, the eye sees [even just the mind's eye], then the heart desires, and then the evil inclination tells the person to go and do the sin.
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