The Creator made it human nature to love oneself. Man is biased towards himself and loves himself more than the whole world and more than anything in the world. “Whatever a man has he would give up for his life!” (Iyov 2:4). But the Evil Inclination wickedly holds fast to the person’s eyelids and makes the person like one who is deranged and drunk, who cannot distinguish between his right and left hands. A person then] does more harm to himself than any enemy in the world would have been able to inflict. This is great folly. The Sages actually said that, “One does not sin unless a spirit of foolishness enteres him” (Sotah 3a), for the insanity of a deranged person can drive him even] to suicide, Heaven forefend. Any intelligent person, therefore, should take to heart that it is proper to love oneself in body and soul. He will then get a greater return for his labor, since not only will his soul delight in abundance but also his body will rest securely.
