The Evil Inclination?

[rabbiyitz]

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.