The evil inclination deceives people and distorts their proper thought process. One example is the way a person magnifies his own talents and accomplishments, and will ignore his shortcomings, all in order to bolster his false pride. Other people will get the opposite treatment, their shortcomings will be blown out of proportion, and their accomplishments will be belittled. Torah and mitzvas get the same unfair attitude, their significance depreciated so that even when performed, they will be lacking enthusiasm, whereas the pleasure from doing evil will be blown up to encourage more of the same. And sometimes it will use a different ruse and will show a person how grave his sins are to despair him from ever correcting his ways. The distorted lenses are many, and one must not be fooled by these deceptions.

The way to avoid these pitfalls is through Torah learning, because of the Torah it states, ‘Hashem’s mitzvas are clear, they light up a person’s vision’. Through the light a person acquires by learning Torah he will distinguish between truth and falsehood, and the evil inclination will not be able to fool him. A person must be diligent about learning regularly every day so the light of Torah will light his way. Such a person is ultimately fortunate.