The nature of good and evil in humans -- from a Jewish perspective

[Robert_Sock]

NATURAL IMPULSE
THE good impulse (yetser tov) and the evil impulse (yetser ra) are pictured in Jewish literature as wrestling in perpetual conflict within the heart of man. Satan is usually identified with the yetser ha-ra, the evil impulse. In the book of Job, Satan’s function is described as that of testing the sincerity of men’s characters. In Talmudic literature, Satan’s function is to strengthen man’s moral sense by leading him into temptation. It has been said that every man living shall assuredly meet with an hour of temptation, a certain critical hour, which shall more especially try his mettle.

According to a midrashic statement (Genesis Rabbah 9:9), the existence of the yetser ha-ra in the heart of man and the struggle to overcome it lends high value to the good that emerges from the inner battle. The two conflicting impulses, the good and bad tendencies, are said to be implanted in man as a consequence of his having been formed from the dust and endowed with a soul (Genesis 2:7).

According to rabbinic thinking, the evil impulse is to be found in man at birth; the good impulse begins to develop when he is thirteen years old. The teachings of the Torah are referred to as the antidote to the yetser ha-ra. Similarly, Ben Sira (21:11) states: “The man who keeps the Law controls his natural tendency.”

In commenting on the two yods in the word " ", (Genesis 2:7), the rabbis declare that **God created both the yetser tov and the yetser ra **(Berakhoth 61a). The command to love God “with all your heart” they interpret to mean “with both your impulses” (Berakhoth Ma), since both human elements can be employed in the service of God. “Were it not for the yetser ha-ra, no man would build a home or get married or follow an occupation” (Genesis Rabbah 9:9). The phrase “very good” (Genesis 1:31) is therefore explained, as alluding to the yetser ha-ra, frequently used in the sense of the productive urge.

Taken from the Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

 

[fhansen]

NATURAL IMPULSE
THE good impulse (yetser tov) and the evil impulse (yetser ra) are pictured in Jewish literature as wrestling in perpetual conflict within the heart of man. Satan is usually identified with the yetser ha-ra, the evil impulse. In the book of Job, Satan’s function is described as that of testing the sincerity of men’s characters. In Talmudic literature, Satan’s function is to strengthen man’s moral sense by leading him into temptation. It has been said that every man living shall assuredly meet with an hour of temptation, a certain critical hour, which shall more especially try his mettle.

According to a midrashic statement (Genesis Rabbah 9:9), the existence of the yetser ha-ra in the heart of man and the struggle to overcome it lends high value to the good that emerges from the inner battle. The two conflicting impulses, the good and bad tendencies, are said to be implanted in man as a consequence of his having been formed from the dust and endowed with a soul (Genesis 2:7).

According to rabbinic thinking, the evil impulse is to be found in man at birth; the good impulse begins to develop when he is thirteen years old. The teachings of the Torah are referred to as the antidote to the yetser ha-ra. Similarly, Ben Sira (21:11) states: “The man who keeps the Law controls his natural tendency.”

In commenting on the two yods in the word " ", (Genesis 2:7), the rabbis declare that **God created both the yetser tov and the yetser ra **(Berakhoth 61a). The command to love God “with all your heart” they interpret to mean “with both your impulses” (Berakhoth Ma), since both human elements can be employed in the service of God. “Were it not for the yetser ha-ra, no man would build a home or get married or follow an occupation” (Genesis Rabbah 9:9). The phrase “very good” (Genesis 1:31) is therefore explained, as alluding to the yetser ha-ra, frequently used in the sense of the productive urge.

Taken from the Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

Is there a dualism meant in this-spirit vs flesh/material with matter as evil?

 

[Kaninchen]

This might explain things more clearly.

 

[colmcille1]

I read that the tenth and eleventh fundamental beliefs are a source of some controversy.
That the idea of God’s knowledge of human activity and his apportioning of punishment for evil has been questioned by some radical theologians when discussing the holocaust.
Is this still a hotly-debated issue?
God Bless,
Colmcille1.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I’m not Jewish, nor am I a philosopher. I’m a psychologist and I can tell you that the evil inclination is sublimated, whereby forbidden impulses are repressed. The unconscious psychic energy of these repressed impulses then gets manifested into social acceptable behaviors that are responsible for work and motivation.

It’s profound how societies in the world have evolved over the past 100-200 years! In psychology, this rapid growth is seen as being the product of unconscious sublimation. There is a lot to be mediated on here. The degree our world has grown is mind-boggling! All made possible through the evil inclination! The nature of good and evil in humans is humbling! It makes one wonder what life is going to be like when we receive our glorified bodies!

 

[colmcille1]

I’m not Jewish, nor am I a philosopher. I’m a psychologist and I can tell you that the evil inclination is sublimated, whereby forbidden impulses are repressed. The unconscious psychic energy of these repressed impulses then gets manifested into social acceptable behaviors that are responsible for work and motivation.

It’s profound how societies in the world have evolved over the past 100-200 years! In psychology, this rapid growth is seen as being the product of unconscious sublimation. There is a lot to be mediated on here. The degree our world has grown is mind-boggling! All made possible through the evil inclination! The nature of good and evil in humans is humbling! It makes one wonder what life is going to be like when we receive our glorified bodies!

Your post is an excellent encapsulation of our human condition via the lens of your field of expertise. As you say, there sure is “a lot to be mediated on here”. Rich food for thought.
May I ask: could you recommend works by psychologists who deal in this area as outlined in the OP?
God Bless,
Colmcille1.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Your post is an excellent encapsulation of our human condition via the lens of your field of expertise. As you say, there sure is “a lot to be mediated on here”. Rich food for thought.
May I ask: could you recommend works by psychologists who deal in this area as outlined in the OP?
God Bless,
Colmcille1.

Sorry I don’t have a single source for you other than begin to read literature related to the psychoanalytic or psycho-dynamic paradigms. So much of psychology is geared toward the individual and you often have to struggle through “pounds” of jargon to gain an “ounce” of wisdom. Also, I have found that psychologists are great at making observations, but lousy are their formation of theories. I’m semi-retired and have relied on religion for answers to psychology. A good encyclopedia of religion, either Catholic (the CCC is indispensable) or Jewish, is the most fruitful path to wisdom. For example, I find the above quote to be priceless in understanding the story of creation simply because it explains psychological phenomenological knowledge that I’m familiar with. The Jewish Torah scholars are the experts in the understanding creation.

One recommendation for furthering your religious growth is reading the Tanya from the following web site.

chabad.org/dailystudy/default_cdo/jewish/Daily-Study.htm.

The daily Tanya is also filled with jargon that you must grapple with to gain wisdom, but it’s interesting to see how it is similar and different from our Catholic teaching. I find that combining Catholicism and the Tanya to be a rich path to wisdom.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[colmcille1]

Sorry I don’t have a single source for you other than begin to read literature related to the psychoanalytic or psycho-dynamic paradigms. So much of psychology is geared toward the individual and you often have to struggle through “pounds” of jargon to gain an “ounce” of wisdom. Also, I have found that psychologists are great at making observations, but lousy are their formation of theories. I’m semi-retired and have relied on religion for answers to psychology. A good encyclopedia of religion, either Catholic (the CCC is indispensable) or Jewish, is the most fruitful path to wisdom. For example, I find the above quote to be priceless in understanding the story of creation simply because it explains psychological phenomenological knowledge that I’m familiar with. The Jewish Torah scholars are the experts in the understanding creation.

One recommendation for furthering your religious growth is reading the Tanya from the following web site.

chabad.org/dailystudy/default_cdo/jewish/Daily-Study.htm.

The daily Tanya is also filled with jargon that you must grapple with to gain wisdom, but it’s interesting to see how it is similar and different from our Catholic teaching. I find that combining Catholicism and the Tanya to be a rich path to wisdom.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Thank you, sir, for your very helpful reply. I am looking forward to researching the areas you mentioned. The Judaeo-Christian tradition of scholarship is such an enlightening path.
I believe that is in our understanding and respect for said tradition that we will find great love.
Thank you again.
God Bless,
Colmcille1.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Another quote about the evil inclination as it applies to psychology and the World-to-Come.

*There are a number of passages about the `evil inclination’ in which there appears to be some anticipation of Freudian psychology. It is tempting, for instance, to read the notion of the Id and the unconscious mind into the Talmudic passage (Sukkak 52a) that the ‘evil inclination’ is called the ‘hidden one’ because it is hidden within the heart of man. This whole passage contains acute psychological observations on the ‘evil inclination’. In the world of the future God will bring the ‘evil inclination’ and slay it in the presence of the righteous and the wicked. To the righteous it will have the appearance of a towering hill; and to the wicked it will have the appearance of a mere thread of hair. Both the righteous and the wicked will weep; the righteous will say: ‘How were we able to overcome such a towering hill?’, and the wicked will say: ‘How is it that we were unable to conquer such a thin thread?’ . . .

Taken from The Jewish Religion: A Companion

 

[PJM]

=Robert Sock;6988873]NATURAL IMPULSE
THE good impulse (yetser tov) and the evil impulse (yetser ra) are pictured in Jewish literature as wrestling in perpetual conflict within the heart of man. Satan is usually identified with the yetser ha-ra, the evil impulse. In the book of Job, Satan’s function is described as that of testing the sincerity of men’s characters. In Talmudic literature, Satan’s function is to strengthen man’s moral sense by leading him into temptation. It has been said that every man living shall assuredly meet with an hour of temptation, a certain critical hour, which shall more especially try his mettle.

According to a midrashic statement (Genesis Rabbah 9:9), the existence of the yetser ha-ra in the heart of man and the struggle to overcome it lends high value to the good that emerges from the inner battle. The two conflicting impulses, the good and bad tendencies, are said to be implanted in man as a consequence of his having been formed from the dust and endowed with a soul (Genesis 2:7).

According to rabbinic thinking, the evil impulse is to be found in man at birth; the good impulse begins to develop when he is thirteen years old. The teachings of the Torah are referred to as the antidote to the yetser ha-ra. Similarly, Ben Sira (21:11) states: “The man who keeps the Law controls his natural tendency.”

In commenting on the two yods in the word " ", (Genesis 2:7), the rabbis declare that **God created both the yetser tov and the yetser ra **(Berakhoth 61a). The command to love God “with all your heart” they interpret to mean “with both your impulses” (Berakhoth Ma), since both human elements can be employed in the service of God. “Were it not for the yetser ha-ra, no man would build a home or get married or follow an occupation” (Genesis Rabbah 9:9). The phrase “very good” (Genesis 1:31) is therefore explained, as alluding to the yetser ha-ra, frequently used in the sense of the productive urge.

Taken from the Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

This remarkably close to Catholic teaching, which comes as no big surprise. THANKS for sharring it.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Is there a dualism meant in this-spirit vs flesh/material with matter as evil?

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I would view dualism as good vs evil (as in Zoroastrianism which pits the good spirit against the evils of material things). However, I would not view the good inclination and evil inclination as a dualism. In the sense of good and evil, fighting against the evil inclination can elevate the good spirit. In the Hereafter, the evil inclination will simply cease to exist. But here on this world it’s impossible to purify the evil inclination completely. Correct me if I’m wrong, but dualism implies two gods, one good and the other evil, whereas in Judaism and Christianity there is but one God.

Hope this addresses your question. I’m not a philosopher per se, but a psychologist.

 

[antroji]

For both your considerations, here is a short treatment of Zoroastrian dualism from a BBC segment on religion. Sounds a lot to me like the cosmic dualism mentioned there is a force similar to entropy, as it is opposed to God’s Creative energy. Neither of these sound as if they are personified, as I have commonly understood from other treatments. The referenced take would then appear to have God distinct from the manifestation wherin the dualism operates. And the moral dualism described there sounds very much like what Mr. Sock posted about the Judaic take on it. See for yourselves; I’m curious as to your thoughts on this and the Jewish take relative to Catholicism and other systems.

 

[fhansen]

For both your considerations, here is a short treatment of Zoroastrian dualism from a BBC segment on religion. Sounds a lot to me like the cosmic dualism mentioned there is a force similar to entropy, as it is opposed to God’s Creative energy. Neither of these sound as if they are personified, as I have commonly understood from other treatments. The referenced take would then appear to have God distinct from the manifestation wherin the dualism operates. And the moral dualism described there sounds very much like what Mr. Sock posted about the Judaic take on it. See for yourselves; I’m curious as to your thoughts on this and the Jewish take relative to Catholicism and other systems.

The Zoroastrian beliefs on this matter seem quite similar to Catholicism.

As for Robert’s explanation of the Jewish understanding, the yetser tov and the yetser ra seem to parallel the *spirit/reason *and the flesh in Catholic thought. There, the two are in conflict but were not so before the fall. It’s said that prior to that event reason prevailed and natural impulses were kept in check, in harmony. On his own, exiled from God, man had the freedom to decide right and wrong for himself but not the wisdom to do so or the power to always do right-he needed God for that purpose but he was in rebellion against God-and therefore against himself.

However, natural impulses are not considered evil in themselves because they’re created by God and therefore good but the misuse of them is considered evil by being outside His will. So concupiscence-or excessive or disordered desire or impulses-can result in sin or moral evil.

The difference between the Old Covenant and the New is that, in the old, God tells man how he must be if he’s to live a holy life, i.e. true to his own nature, but still under his own steam and free from God’s control, while in the new, God finally helps man to be who he must be, grace given and grace accepted and cooperated with, the prodigal returning home after coming to see for himself the wretchedness of life without God-and the need for His direct intervention in order to find the way back and then have life and have it more abundantly.

That’s my take on it anyway.

 

[Robert_Sock]

One thing I’m certain of is that the first few chapters of Genesis contains deep philosophical and psychological meaning that goes far deeper than most Christians realize. Moreover, I admit that I’m ignorant here, especially when it comes to philosophy. All I have done was to copy and paste from a few Jewish encyclopedias to show the depth of wisdom that must exist.

In Judaism, there is a book called the Zohar that gets at the depth that exists here. The problem is that the Zohar that exists today is a watered-down version of the real Zohar. (e.g., what really happened on the second day of creation?)

If we view knowledge as a body of water as deep as that of all the oceans, humans, with our limited awareness and memory, are able to grasp one cupful at a time. Moreover, integration of one cupful with another cupful of knowledge is most laborious. God is aware of it all at once, with each cupful perfectly integrated with all the rest. If we as humans are limited to one cupful of knowledge in this world, it would be most wise to fill our cup with that of faith, hope, and LOVE! Venture out as much as one can, but always be humble and come back to the virtues found in faith, hope, and LOVE!

 

[Robert_Sock]

"In Judaism we do not see it as there being a conflict between good and evil. Some ancient religions believed that there are two forces in the universe, one good and one evil, and that they are constantly warring with each other. This was common to Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and later to Manichaeism. Christianity, however, made the devil less powerful than G-d, but still made him a rebel against G-d.

"Judaism sees it differently, and we have always seen it differently. Satan is not a rebellious angel. G-d created both good and evil. The Bible says so, in Isaiah 45:7.* [Isaiah 45:7: I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord that do all these things.]*…

“So, there is no ultimate struggle of good versus evil. There is only the struggle within each of us. The Evil Inclination, also known as Satan, is doing what G-d has commanded him to do. He is giving us temptations, because by fighting against our wrong desires we are working to gain the ultimate goodness, and that is what G-d wants us to do. [see Job]”

Taken from: beingjewish.com/faqs/conflict.html

 

[Tuno]

This has a resonance with something a friend said about Divinity: “It’s not that God doesn’t care, He doesn’t care either way.” And that statement carries several assumptions that are often left out of many considerations both from atheists and from theists. First is the standard take that God is a person, as indicated by the pronoun “He.” The second is that there is a “battle” going on for “souls.”

We can say that both caring and indifference are attributable to human psychology, which given the Alleness Nature of God may not distribute over Divinity per se except as an anthropomorphization. Nevertheless, in mysticism there is a state described as “The Great Indifference” which is monumentally and substantially different from human carelessness. It may be equated, perhaps, with the Eastern idea of “Suchness.” This idea is in great distinction from attribution of good and evil, particularly in Nature. It simply advocates that things are what they are, no more, no less, and that we may not know what any of these things in our awareness are in their fullness. That ignorance, coupled with a personal standpoint and the idea of a desired outcome give rise to the judgments of “this is good;” “this is bad.” A humorous example of this is the long story of things that happen to someone and at each instance the listener says either “Oh, that’s good!” or "Oh, that’s bad. The narrator immediately comes back with “Well, no, because…” and supplies a further turn in the story. The point being that each “good” and “bad” were from the temporary perspective of the listener.

As for being a *person *in any sense that we as humans understand that, such must surely be impossible of God, along with any gender specification. First, gender specifications tend to do with traits, as inclusive Nature based religions tended to worship the Mother, whereas patristic adversarial religions tend to worship a male Figure. In totality, God cannot be either. Yet in some patristic religions the worship of the Mother of the God/Man supplies the feminine facet of Divinity while not admitting of Her as an aspect of God as such.

Further, if we are talking about an agent of Creation who acts in time, we also cannot be talking about a Supreme Being, but someone lesser, Who nonetheless from this human perspective must be worthy of worship. Or, otherwise, we must admit of some of the philosophies which advocate non-dualism, pantheism. or solipsism.

As for the battle for souls, it makes far more sense in the educational scheme of things to see Heaven, purgatory, and hell as consequences of states of awareness regarding relationship with God, ranging from Union through teleology to separation. In this sense Earthly life itself is a purgatory. We have little sense of actual Union save in Mystical experiences or the higher forms of human connectivity or creativity. We also are barraged with situations that are entropic and separatist. And the Soul being Eternal, a word btw, which has no temporal element or referent, a Final hell is unlikely, especially in the face of the probable likelihood of higher, or lower, octaves of experience than what our very limited senses perceive. After all, we have come in a few short years from living in an obvious and yet mysterious world where the invisible was either the wind, spirits, or God, to even utilizing vast spectra of energetic phenomenon as integral to our daily life and speculations regarding a Universe infinitely larger than even conceived of by our forbears of just not too long ago. This must especially be so in the “New Covenant” of Love.

Does any of that contradict Catholicism? I think, overtly, perhaps. For some of the staunch, most certainly. But, I hazard, not in depth of examination, despite what is commonly understood from the Magesterium. I’ll probably get fried for saying that, but after what I learned from my rather radical experience, I just don’t see it any other way, save perhaps in minutiae.