Parshas V'yaira

The T'az gives two reasons for the minhag to say Parshas H'akeidah every morning. Firstly, to invoke the memory of the akeidah and z'chus avos. Secondly, to help us in our fight against the yetzer horah. Just as Yitzchak was moser nefesh for Hashem's will, so too can we fight the yetzer horah in own selves.

The Tanya goes to great lengths to explain that every Jew - even the simplest Jew - is ready and willing to die for Hashem's sake. There is an emunah p'shuta inherint in every Jew that is above anything in this world. It doesn't have to be proven; it can't be proven. No logic can explain a Jew's inner belief that Hashem is one and the creator of all. It's factual and facts need no logic. (The seforim explain that while it is good to learn inyanim that deal with proving Hashem and his existence, your belief in Him should be only with pure emunah. For any proof or logic you have can be disproven by someone smarter or more logical than you. However, emunah cannot be discussed and is not in danger of being disproven. The Baal Shem Tov used to say of himself: "After all the levels I have reached, my emunah in Hashem is like that of a little kid - I just believe.")

If a Jew is faced with the choice to worship avodah zarah or die, even if all his senses tell him to bow down, if logic dictates that he bow down. It is his inner emunah that screams, "How can you? How can you deny Hashem's existence for even a second? How can you not give up your life for Hashem?" This voice is louder and will defy any common sense.

The Tanya goes on and brings this into the everyday life of a Jew. When faced with an inclination to do something against the will of Hashem, remind yourself of this. You would be willing to die for Hashem's will. How big is your taivah to do wrong? Can it be bigger than dying? If you're willing to die for not being separated from Hashem for even a second, you should be able to overcome any desire you have and not go against His will.

Yitzchak is the av that taught us mesiras nefesh. He went to the akeidah on the basis of pure emunah. (Hashem didn't speak to him, only Avraham heard directly from Hashem). He was ready to give up his life for Hashem. It didn't make sense for him to go, yet he listened to his father - for he knew that it was what he must do. It is from him that we learn to overcome our everyday yetzer horah.