Bereishes
The passuk states that Hashem cursed the snake, הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב. Rashi explains he (the person) will crush you (the snake) at the head, and you (the snake) will not have stature against him. Rather you will bite him on his heel and even from there you will kill him by injecting poison which will spread through the entire body. The Sifsei Chachomim adds that Rashi explains “and you will not have stature” since ואתה תשופנו עקב is part of the curse to the snake; it will not be able to stand up against a person to battle head on head. Rashi explains the curse as a physical battle between the snake and the person.
The Nefesh HaGer asks: Hashem cursed Adam with death and toiling, Chavah with child rearing and labor, and the snake with going on its stomach and eating dirt. How does this passuk fit as part of the curse? Also, what does it matter where a person will kill the snake or where the snake will kill the person; either way they will die? Also, all wild animals who meet a person will harm or kill him, what is unique about the snake?
The Nefesh HaGer answers that הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב is a mashal which Onkelos translates with the nimshal. “He (the person) will remember that which you (the snake) did to him at an earlier time, and you (the snake) will guard him (the person) in the end.” ראש means a head, which reflects an earlier time, just as the head is the beginning of the body. עקב means a heel, which reflects the end, just as the heel is the end of the body. With this we can understand as follows: A person should continuously remember the snake, who is the yetzer hara, and what it caused Adam at an earlier time (the head). The snake convinced Adam to eat from the eitz hada’as and caused him to transgress the mitzvah of Hashem which brought death to Adam and his descendants, along with the need to toil. Just as we have to try to stay away from the snake, the snake will pursue the person and not allow him to rest, by presenting challenges until the end (the heel) of one’s life. A person should learn from this passuk to stand firm and strong to win over the challenges that confront him. Onkelos translates this passuk not as a curse but as mussar about a spiritual battle between a person’s yetzer hara and yetzer tov.
In Tehillim it states צופה רשע לצדיק ומבקש להמיתו the rasha looks for the tzaddik and seeks to kill him. The Gemara explains this refers to a person’s yetzer which continuously seeks to overpower him and convince him to sin. The following passuk states אלוקים לא יעזבנו בידו G-d will not leave him in his hand. The Gemara explains if not for Hashem helping a person, he would be lured by the bad inclination. The Maharsha adds that although everything is בידי שמים besides for yiras Shamayim, if a person wants and tries to do good, Hashem will help him be successful to withstand any challenge.
May Hashem help us remember what the snake’s persuasion caused, and be aware of the yetzer hara constantly challenging us, and be firm to follow the yetzer tov.
