For me Osama is history. To learn from! Osama chose to build his residence outside a quiet sleeping community, this I knew all along!

 I'm not here to share the news of Osama's death, nor am I here to discuss whether he should have been captured alive. There is not a news outlet to be found that the American raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound is not the central feature of the broadcast.

For me Osama is history. His body is buried at sea and I really have no need to see his gruesome post-death mug shot photo.

I do however reflect upon the words of the Baal Shem Tov. Whatever someone comes across in life, whether by sight or other interaction is to assist him or her in their service of G-d.

 So I ask if there is a message I can take from this bit of current events by which the world is so taken?

Though I was glad to hear of the success of the mission, I was not surprised. I have the highest respect for the capabilities of our forces.

I did find interesting however, the location of the compound. As a Chossid and a student of Chassidus that too should not have surprised me. I may not have known the actual location, but I should have been able to advise the CIA of the scenario to look for.

A location sitting just outside a quiet sleeping community. That is where evil resides. That is where Osama chose to build his residence.

Let us for the moment borrow the Osama metaphor for the battle of good and bad within us. The holy soul within us is directed by G-d to hold guard against the inclination within us whose mission it is to encourage us to sin.

Each angling to control the action of man. It is the battle of the Inclinations to control the territory of man's life; his thought, his speech and his actions.

The greatest win is to conquer the control room itself; our mind, yet the attack may come from where you expect it the least, the peripheral of a small sleepy village, an area where our defenses of our religious consciousness are low.

Would a Chassidic fellow be encouraged to eat a bacon and egg sandwich? Would a fine good natured individual be encouraged to hit his neighbor over the head with a bat? The evil nature within us knows better than to even encourage it. It chooses a weapon that attracts little attention. It chooses an area of life where our guard is low.

Let us learn this from the raid. If you're looking for the evil inclination he may very well be residing and doing spiritual harm in an area of your life you thought to be safe.

Consider these scenarios: Visiting mom is a Mitzvah - but using the time there to speak gossip is not. Spending time in a Synagogue is righteous - but internal Shul politics is not part of the Service nor Mitzvah. Giving charity is a Mitzvah - but waiving ethical standards rationalizing it with the additional charity to be distributed is an incorrect twist of the law.

While each initial activity is G-dly, let's assure that evil did not plant itself at its doorstep and slowly weasel its way in to become the acceptable within whom it has been implanted.