Yoma 69b: (apart from the correlation of this to the end of nevuah) – Why does the yetzer hara of avodah zara resemble the fire of a lion? Why does it comes out of the kodesh hakodoshim? Why does a hair falls out and why the cry? What is the deeper meaning of its containment in lead?
Thanks.
Answer:
This is of course a very esoteric passage, and one in which the hidden is far greater than the revealed.
The Yaaros Devash (1:6) explains that the reason why it is a fire coming from the Kodesh Ha-Kodashim is that this represents the haughtiness of man, which emanates from the heart.
The primordial evil inclination is specifically haughtiness, which leads a person to idolize himself — an in turn, other idols that a person serves for his own benefit. Thus, the fire of pride burns in a person’s heart, and this is the representation of the yetzer hara.
Perhaps this is also the reason for the lion, which represents the “king” over the animal kingdom. It is not a true kingdom, for they are only animals – but the lion is king nonetheless. So, too, man sees himself as king of the world.
The hair falling out can represent the subtlety of sin, as a “hairsbreadth” and perhaps the containment in lead represents the kevius ittim – only be having something fixed, like lead, is it possible to counter the yetzer.
There are other, more kabbalistic interpretations of the passage, but I hope this will suffice for now, at least as a springboard for further thought and contemplation.
Best wishes.
