When Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang abruptly resigned this week, following his admitted immoral conduct and a relationship reportedly tied to Chinese intelligence, the news sent shock waves around the world. The man who built one of the most valuable companies on earth, and who stood at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution, was suddenly gone.
The market reacted at once. Nvidia shares fell sharply at the opening bell, erasing billions of dollars from Huang's personal fortune.
That raises an obvious question: how could someone so accomplished, and so careful in business, act so recklessly in his personal life?
The Greater the Person
The Talmud (Sukkah 52a) offers a surprising teaching: "Whoever is greater than his fellow, his evil inclination is greater as well." As a person rises, the forces pulling them down grow along with them. Success doesn't protect anyone from temptation. If anything, it strips away the outside guardrails, like accountability and the fear of being caught, that hold most people back. However high someone climbs, mastering their own impulses remains the hardest work there is, and the most important.
This isn't only Jensen Huang's story. It is the story of each of our lives, if on a smaller and quieter scale. How often do we follow our lower instincts instead of our minds and moral compass, and do things that hurt our souls, our families and our values? That struggle is part of everyday life.
Two Souls, One Person
Kabbalah explains this inner conflict through the two souls that live within every person: the animal soul and the G-dly soul.
The animal soul is driven by self-interest and survival. It powers our physical desires and pushes us to meet our physical needs and duties: eating, sleeping, working and exercising.
The G-dly soul is selfless. It urges us to help others, observe mitzvot, do good deeds, study Torah and make the world around us better.
When we fail to use our innate capacity for self-control, the two souls clash. Each vies for control, and we are left feeling torn and frustrated. So how do we live a balanced, purposeful life when two opposing forces share a single heart?
Twins in the Womb
This week's Torah portion, Toldot, opens with a striking episode. After years of childlessness, Isaac and Rebecca's prayers are answered, and Rebecca becomes pregnant. Yet the pregnancy troubles her. She feels a fierce struggle within her, not yet knowing that she is carrying twins.
"And the children struggled within her, and she said, 'If it be so, why am I like this?' And she went to inquire of the Lord" (Genesis 25:22).
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, Troyes, France, 1040–1105) describes the struggle: whenever Rebecca passed the doors of Torah study, the academy of Shem and Eber, Jacob pushed to come out. Whenever she passed a pagan temple, Esau pushed to come out.
G-d answers her: "Two nations are in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from your innards, and one kingdom will become mightier than the other, and the elder will serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23).
The Jacob and Esau Within Us
Every story in the Torah carries a literal meaning along with deeper, timeless lessons for each of us, wherever we find ourselves.
Jacob and Esau represent the two opposing drives within every person. Each of us has an inner Jacob, the Divine soul with its G-dly drives, and an inner Esau, the animal soul with its selfish ones.
The Divine soul prevails the way light prevails over darkness. Light doesn't have to fight the darkness; it simply shines, and the darkness disappears. In the same way, when we let the holiness and goodness of our Divine soul shine through Torah study and mitzvot, the selfishness of the animal soul fades, and its energy becomes a powerful force for good.
The animal soul isn't evil. It is simply self-centered. Left unchecked and untrained, it can lead to destructive behavior and addiction. But when we direct its drive toward worthy goals and use our talents and resources for a meaningful purpose, the two souls work in harmony, and we find inner peace.
This is "the elder will serve the younger" in practice. Ambition and the drive to succeed can fund more generous charity. A love of music can bring joy to others. A passion for cooking can fill a Shabbat or holiday table with family and friends. The energy stays the same; only its direction changes.
Refining the World
The struggle between Jacob and Esau also mirrors the long divide between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. As the world draws closer to the Redemption, that rivalry is giving way to partnership, with each people working in its own way to make the world a better place.
Even as we continue to face hatred and evil in Israel and around the world, we are not alone. Millions of people of goodwill across the globe have chosen the side of good. We are witnessing remarkable unity among the Jewish people and genuine support from many of our non-Jewish neighbors. Many Americans and their leaders continue to stand firmly with Israel and the Jewish people.
Jacob's refinement of Esau is the task of our time. We have a special responsibility to spread goodness, righteousness and justice in the world, including by teaching the Seven Noahide Laws, the universal moral code G-d gave to Noah and all his descendants. This prepares the world for the era the prophet describes: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4).
