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In the second parsha of Shema it says:ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם . The Gemara explains the word ושמתם is made up of two words: סם and תם, remedy and complete. The Torah is compared to סם חיים. Rashi explains it is complete, not missing any hatzala. There is a mashal of a person who hit his son on his arm and injured him. He put a bandage on his wound and said, “My son, as long as this bandage is on your wound you can eat what gives you pleasure and drink what you want, and you can wash in warm or cold waters. You don’t have to be afraid. However, if you remove the bandage, your wound will become blistered.” So too, Hashem says to Yisrael, “My son, I created a yetzer hara and I created the Torah for it as an antidote. If you are oskim b’Torah you won’t be given over to his hands…”

The Maharsha explains as long as one learns Torah, which is the bandage over the yetzer hara, one can enjoy the pleasures of this world, and won’t come to do aveiros. The Torah will protect him, as the bandage protects the wound. However, if one doesn’t learn Torah it is as if his wound is opened, allowing the yetzer hara to bring him to aveiros. It will be impossible for him not to come to do aveiros. This is as Chazal say: לא עם הארץ חסיד.

The Mesilas Yesharim explains this Gemara with a mashal. A sick person goes to the doctor who prescribes him a specific medicine. If he takes it, he will be cured. If the patient will think “I’m interested in taking a different medicine instead” without knowing anything about medicine, this sick person will definitely die. So too, there is no one who recognizes the sickness which the yetzer hara brings a person to, except for Hashem. The medicine Hashem prescribes for us is the Torah. Does anyone think he can leave the Torah and live? The darkness will continuously grow until he’s sicker and sicker from sin, and farther from the truth.

May Hashem help us learn the Torah and acquire the antidote of life to save us from the yetzer hara!