Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a type of legal deed known as a dayetikei. While this document shares similarities with other legal titles and deeds, it often specifically refers to a will or an estate bequeathal.
A beautiful Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Nach 968) uses the term dayetikei in a parable to explore humanity’s relationship with desires and the Evil Inclination (Yetzer Hara):
There was a man who frequently traveled to an inn for business, accompanied by his servant. Meanwhile, his son remained in Eretz Yisrael, diligently studying Torah. During one such trip, the man realized he was nearing the end of his life. He thought, “What should I do? If I leave all my possessions to my son, the servant might take everything and abscond.”
He summoned a scribe and instructed him to write a dayetikei stating, “My son may choose one item—whatever his heart desires—and the rest shall belong to my servant.” The servant, believing he would inherit everything, blessed his master and delivered the document to the son in Eretz Yisrael.
When the son learned of his father’s passing, he mourned. Afterward, he asked the servant, “Where is my father’s property?” The servant replied, “Everything belongs to me, except for one item of your choosing.” The son proposed, “Let us go to court tomorrow.”
The son approached his teacher, distressed. The teacher comforted him and said, “Your father acted wisely. In court, declare, ‘I choose this servant.’ By doing so, all the possessions will revert to you, as the servant will belong to you along with everything else.” The son followed the advice, and thus it was done.
The nimshal (lesson) of this parable is profound: God, like the father in the story, wants us to succeed in life, yet we cannot thrive without desires and ambition. The Yetzer Hara, though often seen as a negative force, is a “necessary evil.” It fuels creativity, achievement, and ultimately enables us to transcend our physical limitations.
In this analogy, God (the father) leaves the physical world (the inn) and entrusts the dayetikei to the Yetzer Hara (the servant). The Yetzer Hara, thinking it serves its own purposes, unwittingly delivers the tools for spiritual greatness. Our task is to channel these drives—love, mastery, connection, and satisfaction—toward fulfilling our higher purpose.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation 
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