Torah And Arayot

The Rambam at the end of the Laws of Issuray Biah says גְּדוֹלָה מִכָּל זֹאת אָמְרוּ יַפְנֶה עַצְמוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ לְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְיַרְחִיב דַּעְתּוֹ בַּחָכְמָה שֶׁאֵין מַחְשֶׁבֶת עֲרָיוֹת מִתְגַּבֶּרֶת אֶלָּא בְּלֵב פָּנוּי מִן הַחָכְמָה. וּבַחָכְמָה הוּא אוֹמֵר (משלי ה יט) "אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְיַעֲלַת חֵן דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֵּךָ בְכָל עֵת בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד":  What is the connection between learning Torah to separate one's thoughts from עריות, how does an obsession with Torah protect one?  The חבצלת השרון cites from Rav Moshe Shapiro that the Zohar Nealam (Toldot 138a) says רבי יצחק ברבי יוסי הוה אתי מקפוטקיא ללוד, פגע ביה רבי יהודה, אמר ליה רבי יצחק, תאמר דחבירנא חכימי מתניתא, אתערו להאי עניינא, דיצר הרע יתנשי מן עלמא, בר ההיא שעתא לזיווגא, אמר ליה חייך הכי אצטריך יצר הרע לעולם כמטרא לעולם, דאלמלא יצר הרע חדוותא דשמעתא לא ליהוי,.  The yetzer for עריות  is necessary to have a gishmak in Torah.  It stems from the same source and therefore when one uses up that yetzer for Torah the desire for ערוה is mitigated. With this idea he explains the Gemorah in Bava Metzia (84a) that Rav Yochanan told Resh Lakish that his great strength should be used for Torah.  What did he see in Resh Lakish that brought out this comment?  And why did Resh Lakish jump into the water after Rav Yochanan?  He suggests that the Gemorah says Rebbe Yochanan was very handsome and perhaps Resh Lakish thought he was a woman (and hence jumped after him.)  When Rav Yochanan saw this super human effort that Resh Lakish had to run after him he said that such power could be used for Torah.  What is this connection between the yetzer of עריות and the desire for Torah?  Why do the two go hand in hand? 

The Gemorah in Chagigah (11a) says עריות נפשו מחמדתן ומתאוה להם.  Why is there such a strong desire for עריות?  The Zohar says (see Zohar Ha'azinu 296a and Yebamot 62b) that a person without a woman is half a person.  A person only becomes complete with a woman.  The tremendous desire to עריות is the desire for a person to become whole ,to become complete.  The same shoresh is the desire for Torah.  As discussed previously, a person is only completed with Torah.  Without Torah, man is not much more than a advanced chimpanzee (we share about 98-99% of the same DNA.)  It is Torah that makes man an elevated being.  It is the same desire for completion that spurs man toward Torah or עריות.  By learning Torah one finds that drive satiated and does not need to be left searching for עריות.