Daily Dvar Mussar Rabbi Michoel Frank

Derech Hashem Chapter 4 – 01 When we examine an individual person, and his combination of ruchniyos and gashmiyos, of guf and neshamah, of spiritual and physical, we see an interesting thing. A person begins life mostly guf, almost completely a physical being. His mind is hardly developed, and certainly doesn’t determine his actions. His guf calls the shots totally for a while. As he grows older, his mind develops and becomes stronger and more complex, each person according to their growth, but his physical self still rules for the most part and sways most of his choices. But if a person starts to learn wisdom, meaning the Torah, and begins incorporating his learning into action and deeds and character traits, then he can begin to overpower his physical self and he can stop giving free reign to his every desire. He can become a spiritual, thinking person.  But the fact is, that at its core, we are physical people, and our physical self is inordinately powerful. The guf is dark, unenlightened, of a nature