Before I ask my question I would like to present a couple of teachings from the chabad website which have to do with my question:
Looking at the sefirot there is this general accepted twofold excisting of Sechel (intellectual powers) and Middot (emotive powers).
The initials of the words for "brain" [in Hebrew, "moach"], "heart" [in Hebrew, "lev"], and "liver" [in Hebrew, "kaved"] make up Melech: A person whose consciousness descends from his brain to his heart and then to his liver, i.e., whose intellect rules his emotions, which in turn determine the way he acts, is a "king", i.e., in charge of himself and his body.
The seat of the Neshama is in the head, i.e., the brain; the seat of the Ruach is in the heart; and the seat of the Nefesh is in the liver.
Question:
If one look at the Yetzer (hara) which is in or from the heart, and one takes the heart as the Seat of emotions and thought, it seems that a Yetzer is the force or drive behind these thoughts and emotions... or at least influence these in some way, this is my first thought about it.
I became to wonder if the Yetzer, because it's with the heart could be beaten by intellect. But the Tenach never talks about the brain (Moach; nor the Neshamah) but rather about the body and inner man in terms of soul and heart etc. Still there's this teaching about placing our Moach first.. pure intellect above the emotions (and subjective).. how does the Yetzarim fit into this all, and can we overcome our Yetzer hara by pure intellect (through our mind?)
How do these different teachings complement each other?