Episode
Way 23: The Engine of All Virtues – Cultivating a Good Heart
- Published
- Apr 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 581
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- https://share.transistor.fm/s/92ef4e34
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Summary
In episode twenty-three of the 48 Ways series during the Omer, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe teaches Tov Lev — “with a good heart.” This quality is the engine that drives all other positive traits and actions. The Shema’s command to love God “with all your heart” (b’chol levavcha) refers to the two inclinations battling within us: the yetzer tov (good inclination) and the yetzer hara (evil inclination). We must consciously choose the good heart every day. Rabbi Wolbe explains that a good heart brings clarity and virtue to everything else we do. Before every decision, we should ask: What does my soul want versus what does my body want? The yetzer hara pushes for immediate comfort or pleasure (chocolate cake, procrastination, TV), while the soul yearns for growth, wisdom, and connection to God. In Pirkei Avot, when the students were asked for the best way a person should conduct himself, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach answered “a good heart,” and that was deemed the correct response because a good heart energizes and perfects all other traits. Key teachings include: do not get caught up in the facade of the world (beautiful cars or walls hide twisted metal and wires underneath); resist the “I” generation’s self-centered culture that cannot tolerate differing opinions; learn to appreciate small steps forward and differences in others; let children experience healthy failure so they learn to push themselves; be proactive about filling life with good deeds and emulating God; and constantly evaluate priorities — money versus happiness, comfort versus growth. Rabbi Wolbe reminds us that the heart inspires action while the body performs it. A good heart keeps us aligned with our true mission, helps us discern real from fake, and ensures that even when we fall (the righteous fall seven times and r…