A Minor Point
Mazel tov to all those who finished Bava Basra! It was especially monumental considering that Bava Basra is the longest mesechta in Shas, by the number of pages.
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Middos and Mussar
Yetzer Hara
The evil inclination and how to overcome it.
Moral Of The Story
There are well-known stories found in the Gemara that made it to the storybooks. Yet there are stories that are equally important but haven’t been publicized simply because they are not suitable for all audiences.
The Spinmeisters
The Gemara relates (Yoma 66b) that a wise woman asked Rebbe Eliezer: Since all the people that worshipped the Golden Calf committed a serious sin, why do we find that they received different punishments?
Gemara stories on Yetzer Hara
Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi Flees a Noblewoman
To escape a noblewoman's advances, Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi hides all night in a dangerous building and emerges unharmed, protected by a miracle.
Rabbi Tzadok Climbs Into the Oven
When a powerful noblewoman tries to entice him, Rabbi Tzadok climbs into her lit oven, teaching her how severe the sin is, and she leaves him alone.
Rav Kahana Leaps From the Roof
Selling baskets, Rav Kahana is enticed by a noblewoman and throws himself off a roof to escape. Eliyahu HaNavi travels 400 parsos to catch him.
Rav Amram Chasida Cries Fire
Overcome by desire for a captive woman in his attic, Rav Amram Chasida climbs a heavy ladder, then stops halfway and shouts "Fire!" to bring the rabbis running.
Rav Henoch Leibowitz: I'm a Good-for-Nothing
When young Rav Henoch Leibowitz called himself a good-for-nothing, his father asked one question that showed such thoughts are the yetzer hara's tool.