How to tell if an idea that you have, is good, bad, or the devil within, trying to divert you away from doing good.

Jewish mysticism teaches, that within us we have two drives, one holy one unholy, one selfless, good, caring, sharing, compassionate, loving; the other, vengeful, prone to judgmentalism, ego, hence, strife and anger.

At the same time, within us, is a little devil called the Yetzer Hara that is an expert on convincing us not to do goods things on the premise that the bad thing is the good thing.

For example, once a man donated to a Tzaddik/Rebbe $30,000.00 and the next man who came to see the Tzaddik/Rebbe was someone in the need of money for his daughter’s wedding; “How much is the wedding expenses” asked the Tzaddik? “$30,000.00,” he replied.

Seeing the uncanny God-cidence (as my fine find Harold Price coined the term,) he thought, “Why, I, should give him all the money.”

But then another thought crept into his head. “Is it right to give one person so much money? Perhaps I should divide it among six people including my own charitable needs?” Whereupon he immeaditly gave him the money.

Later he explained, “the first thought was from the loving-kindnesses in me, the second was from the Yetzer Hara diverting me from the good I was doing.”

It is said about a great Rebbe that when he was five, he was able to tell which thought came from his Yetzer Tov (good) and which thought came from his Yetzer Hara (little devil within.)

In my own life it has taken me at least a decade to have this awareness – mainly through constantly watching my thoughts, hence getting bit by bit more wise as to the truth behind the motives of each idea.

But to paraphrase a fool proof system advised by Chassidus / Jewish mysticism on how to determine the source of an idea, Ask yourself, “does this thought lead to greater or less, unity, with the person in front of me.”