The yetzer hara is an incredibly powerful force, especially in the realm of business ethics and the accumulation of wealth. It is very easy for even the most well intentioned individuals to fall prey to the cunning tactics of this inner drive. Yet, we are charged with a mandate to steer away from this clear and present danger, and maintain the type of moral clarity that is all too often lacking in our dog eats dog world.
Let us hope, as we reflect on the just-completed celebration of Chanukah, when our noble ancestors rose above the materialistic and intellectual pitfalls that confronted them in order to combat their mortal enemy, that we too can see past the alluring temptations of the present and achieve the type of lives of which we can truly be proud.
Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is head of school at Torah Day School of Atlanta. He can be reached at [email protected].
