Consistency – the key to real victory

Does Judaism ever seem repetitive to you?

The same tefillin every morning. The same Shemoneh Esrei three times a day. The same Torah portions repeated every year. Why such monotony?

In the Mesillas Yesharim’s introduction, the Ramchal gives an important instruction for how to read his sefer. If you want to benefit from this work, he cautions, don’t just read it once. Only through “chazarah” (review) and “hasmada” (diligence) will you profit from its wisdom.

Review and repetition, maintains the Ramchal, are crucial to our personal growth. Why?

Two weeks ago, we characterized the yetzer hara as a “fool.” This week, Chazal bring us another analogy, comparing him to a “zakein,” or elder. Which is slightly confusing, because in Jewish lore, a zakein is usually a very complimentary title.

What about the yetzer hara makes him an elder?

By virtue of how long they’ve been around, elders are creatures of habit – and often, prisoners of habit. Doing things a certain way for so long makes it very hard to change, or even to consider other ways of behaving.

That’s the yetzer hara – stuck in his ways. Unwilling to change his behavior, or even his thinking. That’s why, even after we make avodas Hashem look reasonable, and simplify our language, and explain how choosing good serves his interests, our yetzer hara might still prove immovable.

How do we move the immovable?

Remember Rabi Akiva’s rock? Rocks are very difficult to alter. With enough time and consistency, however, gentle erosion can change their shapes completely. The first drop to fall on Rabi Akiva’s rock didn’t make a visible difference. Neither did the one-thousandth. But over time, all those invisible impressions added up. Each drop made it possible for the next one to leave a deeper mark – until the rock’s shape was dramatically changed.

When we repeat mitzvos, we aren’t just doing the same thing over again. We’re enabling the mitzvah to make a deeper impression on us. We’re bringing our yetzer hara more and more fully onto our side.

Penetrating through the yetzer hara’s thick head takes time and persistence – but every repetition makes a difference.

That’s our fourth and final negotiation tip: just keep repeating yourself. Our first three techniques might not penetrate on the first try. Keep engaging with the yetzer hara. Though you might not feel it, every repeated try brings you closer to change.

And one day, you’ll find that you’ve transformed.