Mussar: Toil to Overcome Your Yeitzer

From Derech Emet:
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Sefer Pele Yoetz, chapter Copheh, paragraph 3:

This explanation is from a group of early [students of] Arizal:

Tractate Berachot, page 8A teaches:
[Rabbi Chiya bar Ami taught on the name of Ula:]
HE WHO BENEFITS FROM HIS TOIL, HE IS
[EVEN] GREATER THAN ONE WHO FEARS G_D
[literally, fears Heaven].

They want to say this interpretation:

The person who toiled greatly to suppress his temptation
is [spiritually] greater than a person whose nature is to
fear G_d [literally, fear Heaven]. Because he benefitted from his toil [to control his evil side], he is even better in the afterlife [than a person who is naturally good].

Behold, it is appropriate to rejoice over the spirit of
temptation that is within us, because through it we give
[literally, do] satisfaction to G_d [literally, the One Who
formed us]; and through it, we become worthy of the
reward of the righteous, much goodness.

And behold, it is written in Sefer Chasidim [chapter 28
and chapter 173], that for every sin that comes into
your hand and your spirit of temptation urges you
to do it, you should place in your mind that if they
[an evil Gentile government] would decree that you
should change [or abandon] your faith [in the Torah],
you would certainly sacrifice [even] your life to give
honor to the Name of the Blessed One [by sacrificing
your life to avoid abandoning the Torah].

Since you are able to control yourself to sacrifice your life, [then] you should also be able to control your spirit of temptation to give honor to G_d. [literally, to your Owner] [by controlling your
temptation to sin].

CHRONOLOGY 1:
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria [the Arizal] was born in Jerusalem
in 1534 CE to an Ashkenazic father and a Sephardic mother.
He died in 1572 CE.

CHRONOLOGY 2:
Rabbi Eliezer Papo lived from 1785 CE to 1826 CE.
Sefer Pele Yoetz was completed in Bulgaria on April 28, 1824.


Best Regards,
RRW