Getting in Touch with the Inner Ewe
Taming Your Wild Side

By Shais Taub

There is a war going on. Neither side will settle for less than complete domination of our very lives.

The two camps are two forces within us, two souls that keep us alive.

The G-dly soul is selfless, peaceful and unwaveringly dedicated to the service of the Divine. This soul is enthralled by spiritual matters only and finds mundane pleasures repellent.

Then there's the animal soul. Ego-driven, unsettled, given over to the pursuit of pleasure. He thrives on stimuli and seeks out all things physical. All notions of any "higher purpose" leave him terrifically bored. If we are to approach the Infinite, to cling to G-d, we must see to it that the G-dly soul forever dominates its animalistic counterpart.

This is the war. But after the smoke is clear, how shall we deal with the vanquished beast? To set him free would be dangerous. To eliminate him entirely may be imprudent. (After all, who'll remind us to eat lunch the next day?) Chasidic thought offers us an ideal game plan for dealing with the animal soul - an age-old dynamic mastered by zookeepers and farmers long ago. The animal soul left unchecked will disrupt, even oppose the attainment of spiritual goals. Could we expect any different?

But if we master the animal, put him under the yoke, train him - at once his intensity and might become our own. We teach him to take pleasure in the Divine. Redirect his focus. Now he pulls the wagon and we ride.

This week's Torah portion, Vayikra, describes the Jew and his offering that he brings to G-d upon the altar of the Temple. The Torah tells us that the offering shall be from him, the Jew. The Chasidic masters teach that this is the animal each one of us must bring to G-d, the animal inside us whose sublimation is a most unique and pleasant offering to G-d.

Everyone's animal is different. Some of us have a rowdy ox. Others exhibit the distinct qualities of a stubborn goat. And some people have an indulgent, little sheep inside. But these traits, all of the animal's special quirks, can become assets in serving G-d. When pointed in the right direction, our animals become the most energetic, staunch, and persistent workers in reaching spiritual goals.

And who knows? Once the animal gets going, he might even teach the mellow G-dly soul a thing or two.