Derasha 1 on Bereishis 4:7

TT #156 · Parashas Bereishis · Fourth Aliyah · Passuk 7

Complete Passuk

הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשׇׁל־בּֽוֹ׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

TT points to Yoma 52b / Kiddushin 61b area (verified).

E-Daf image (Yoma 52b)

Core Text

Core Textתַּנְיָא, אִיסִי בֶּן יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: זֶה אֶחָד מִן הַמִּקְרָאוֹת שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם הֶכְרֵעַ... אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תַּבְלִין, אִם אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה אֵין אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִים בְּיָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הֲלוֹא אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת.
English of Core Text: It was taught: Isi ben Yehudah says: This is one of the verses that have no definitive resolution... The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: I created the evil inclination and I created for it a remedy (tavlin); if you occupy yourselves with Torah you will not be delivered into its hand, as it is said “If you do well, there is uplift.”
On the daf / in context: The verse is both listed among the ambiguous ones and used as the classic source that Torah is the antidote to the yetzer hara.
Type of Learning: Custom (Torah as antidote to the yetzer)
What Is Learned: God created the evil inclination together with its remedy — Torah study; if one does well (engages in Torah) one is not given over to it.