580. A Good Neighbor and a Bad Neighbor

A person has an evil inclination and a good inclination. Normally, there is a bad neighbor, meaning the evil inclination. But when a person achieves the degree of “with all your heart, with both your inclinations,” meaning that he can love the Creator also with the evil inclination, he has a good neighbor.

When he can be a servant of the Creator only with the good inclination, he is called “mighty,” as in “Who is mighty? He who conquers his inclination.” But the “mighty among the mighty” is when he can make his enemy his friend, meaning that he will love the Creator with the evil inclination, as well, and then he has a good neighbor.

However, first, he himself must be good, and then it can be said that the good person has a neighbor who is either bad or good. For this reason, first, one must exert that the good inclination will have control, and then there can be the second prayer, that his neighbor, the evil inclination, will be good, as well.