Judaism: Good and Evil - Describe what followers of the religion you are studying may believe about the power of good and the power of evil.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Aneeta Kaneshanathan 10G 10/05/03

Judaism: Good and Evil

Describe what followers of the religion you are studying may believe about the power of good and the power of evil.

Jews believe that the world is G-d's creation and for this reason everything in it is essentially good. Each person has two impulses. The impulse to do good (the Yetzer Tov) and the impulse to do evil (the Yetzer Ra). The Yetzer Tov could be called the conscience. It is what guides them to decide whether to keep a mitzvah or to break it. The Yetzer Ra is not so much the desire to commit evil; it is the impulse to satisfy personal needs without the thought of wider consequences. Jews feel that these impulses are within us. They believe it is not the result of some external power, such as the Devil acting on us. We each have a free will to act in ways that we choose. One can either follow G-d's law or rebel and be influenced by Satan, who caused

G-d's creation to go astray.

Jews believe that G-d created the universe because he wanted to do good. So there had to be people to receive that good. But G-d does not want to just give away good as a present. G-d wants people to appreciate it. He wants them to work and deserve it. Something you get for free you do not appreciate. G-d decided that people would have to work for it, and receive the ultimate goodness as a reward for work. But what is the work? G-d created the Evil Inclination; the angel called Satan, whose job it was to tempt us into doing evil. By ignoring the Evil Inclination Jews get one step closer to G-d, and become more holy. By doing this, they deserve the reward of ultimate goodness.

They hold the faith that G-d gave the Ten Commandments so that the Israelites could live according to his will. The Tempting Angel (Satan) tempts us to find reasons not to keep to those Commandments. As a result of ignoring these temptations completely, and fulfilling G-d's Commandments, they become more spiritual, and their souls gain more power. They see their lives in this world as an opportunity. They feel that they have been granted the glorious opportunity to attain holiness and ultimate goodness. In the future they feel there will come a time when the universe as we know it today will come to an end and a New World will begin. This is when they will earn their eternal reward. Jews consider this world as just a place to do things in, and the Next World as the reward. In the New World they will grow in holiness.

Within each and every single Jew there is a struggle to do the right thing but they often desire to do the wrong. People have the free choice to choose. They can do the right thing or the wrong thing. It is completely up to them to decide. When we let our Good Inclination prevail about one thing, we become stronger in that thing. The more we continue to let the good prevail, the easier it becomes to do the right thing in that area. For example they could have the option to lie about something. If they hold back from lying and continue to do so, it will become easier and easier to stop lying. However, the more they lie, the harder it becomes to cease. This rule applies to every characteristic trait. From this we can view that there is no extreme conflict between

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good and evil. There is only the struggle within each of us. The essence of Jewish belief is that the struggle between good and evil is a moral struggle. It takes place in the heart, not in the outside world. Jews believe that the battle is between man's conscience and man's urges. According to Jewish perspective evil ensures that we obtain equal chances to have free will choices. The appeal of good is rightness and purity, qualities that everyone acknowledges as wonderful, but evil also attracts many people. There is a war over the soul of man between the pure and the right on one hand, and the appealing but wrong on the other. The Torah states that G-d formed human beings in His own image. (Genesis, Chapter 1.) This means that G-d invested Jews with something resembling his own immense power, making them have free will.

Jews recite the following verse twice daily:

'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your hearts, with all your soul,

and with all your resources.'

(Deut. 6:5)

The Talmud interprets this phrase as ' with all your hearts' as a reference to the good and evil impulse within man. Jews are commanded to serve God with their inclination towards evil as well as good. Jews feel that evil is when one does not fulfil G-d's will. The Evil Inclination (Satan) is doing what G-d commanded him to do. He is giving us temptations, because by fighting against our wrong desires we are working to gain our reward, and that's what G-d wants us to do.

The Hebrew word 'Satan' means 'Hinderer.' G-d created Satan to give us work to do in this world. According to Judaism Satan is here to make things difficult for us, so we can overcome our evil temptations, and pass the test. Satan is an angel whose purpose has been chosen by G-d. G-d wants us to decide the right thing to do. He wants us to have the ability to look at evil and refuse to do it. By presenting us with the opportunity to do evil it gives us the chance to choose between good and evil.

Jews believe that everyday each of us fights with Satan and against our temptations. But as Jews they feel they have the power to overcome even angels, if they work at it. For this reason the Talmud says that men are greater than angels are, for we can fight with an angel (Satan) and win. Jews believe that Satan is just an angel with an unpleasant job. They feel Satan is not in competition with G-d, and Satan does not want followers or worshippers. He is not happy when people obey him and sin. Satan has a job to do, just like all other angels. Angels have no free will so they do as G-d commands them. Satan is not believed to wear a red suit or carry a trident in Judaism. Satan is a force of evil in the world that they must resist. Satan most often appears as a desire within them. Some believe that the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the beginning of the battle between good and evil.

'Hashem G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it. And Hashem G-d commanded the man, saying, ' Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, you must not eat thereof; for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.'

(Genesis 2:15-17)

'Now the serpent was cunning beyond any beast of the field that Hashem G-d had made. He said to the woman, ' Did perhaps, G-d say: "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'Of the fruit of any tree of the garden we may eat. Of the fruit of the tree which is the centre of the garden G-d has said: "You shall neither eat of it nor touch it, lest you die."' The serpent said to the woman, ' You will not surely die; for G-d knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like G-d, knowing good and bad.' And the woman perceived that the tree was good for eating and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a means to wisdom, and she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her and ate.

(Genesis 3:1- 6 )

The snake in the Garden of Eden was not Satan. The snake had its own motivations. He was what the Torah calls a 'Seducer' someone for whatever reason tries to get other people to sin. Jews believe that no one is capable of destroying Satan. When this world comes to an end, and the Next World begins, the Day of Judgement will take place. Only after that Satan's work will be done he will cease to exist. Jews consider that once the struggle is over we will begin to receive the reward for having struggled. We will be bought into the Next World and the struggle will end. According to Judaism this is when the good times will commence.

On Tuesday, September 11th, we faced a great and evil sin against man and God, and that made us exquisitely sensitive to our own vulnerability. We know that we are vulnerable because evil can be found anywhere. Judaism teaches that they must acknowledge that evil is real. Jews must also recognise that goodness is also real and powerful. Jews are taught that good is greater than evil. And that ultimately love, kindness and morality will triumph. But how powerful is that goodness? Many modern Jews believe that G-d has shown us the extent of this goodness. It is strong enough to lead firemen and policemen, doctors and nurses, rescuers and healers, to rush into collapsing or burning buildings to save lives and find bodies, sometimes sacrificing their own lives in the process. Goodness, kindness, and love, are strong enough that strangers from all parts of the nation and even from elsewhere around the world came forward to literally dig through rubble. It is goodness, which leads us to cry as we listen to others’ stories, sharing, to some degree, the pain that they are experiencing.

Considering the events of the Holocaust many Jews ponder on whether a God really exists. Despite all their attempts to do what God wants, throughout history the Jews have been persecuted and have suffered for their religion. But has their belief in their God been made stronger despite of this? No event has so traumatised the Jewish people as the Nazi Holocaust. Some expect that the Holocaust would have challenged their view of man as good. Yet, strangely, instead of asking, “How could mankind have committed such an unspeakable evil?” they ask, “Where was God when the six million died?” Their belief in God was more vulnerable than their belief in man. Consequently, a significant number lost their faith in God in the aftermath of Auschwitz.

Some feel that the power of good overcame evil at the Holocaust. They feel that God was present at the Holocaust:

Hitler was not successful, as he did not win the war. This made the Jewish faith grow stronger as a result. Although they are suffering they never lose faith in God. Jews always try to accept what has happened to them and continue to praise God for all that he has done. It shows that God oversees evil and good always overcomes evil.
There are people who assisted the Jews such as Oscar Schindler; this proves that there were small acts of kindness that shone in the times of evil. He fed the Jews, treated them well and gave them jobs in his factory. He who saves one life saves lives in others. Schindler set good examples to others to follow.
Perhaps Jews had not apologised to God and to others for their behaviour. On the Day of Atonement Jews apologise on behalf of everyone, listing all the sins that they may have committed. God may have been punishing their race for not apologising.
The suffering in the Holocaust may be a test to see whether we deserve heaven.
God is not responsible for evil. But he was there at the Holocaust to prevent more suffering.
There is no definition of good or evil. What is good or evil? We do not know. They are just words, which we use to associate with pain and happiness. Perhaps God felt that he was producing good but we associate it with evil.

Some feel that the power of evil was stronger than good at the Holocaust. They feel that God was not present at the Holocaust:

Only a few felt that their religion had been made stronger. The majority felt that their God had let them down. Many people say that their "God died in Auschwitz."

"Without screaming or weeping these people undressed, stood around in family groups, kissed each other, said farewells and waited for a sign from another S.S. man, who stood near the pit, also with a whip in his hand. During the fifteen minutes that I stood near the pit I heard no complaint or plea for mercy…

An old woman with snow-white hair was holding a one- year old child in her arms and singing to it and tickling it. The child was cooing with delight. The parents were looking on with tears in their eyes. The father was holding the hand of a boy about ten years old and speaking to him softly, the boy was fighting his tears. The father pointed to the sky, stroked his head and seemed to explain something to him. The people completely naked went down some steps and clambered over the head of the people lying there to the place where the S.S. man directed them. They lay down in front of the dead or wounded people; some caressed those who were still alive and spoke to them in a low voice."

What have these innocent people done to deserve this treatment? How can this make their faith grow stronger in God? They most likely believed that there was no God in existence.

If God oversees evil why did he not stop the Holocaust sooner? This shows that there is no God.
If the Holocaust is a test it is cruel. If God were good then why would he create such a test? Even if some people pass the test, especially because they and their loved ones did not feel the worst kind of suffering and misery, that does not make the test fair for those who do suffer in that way, whether they pass or not. Little babies possibly don't even have a chance to pass the test before they die. The testing is hardly fair in order to test other people.

Many try to answer the question, which is more powerful good or evil? In Judaism they do not believe there is a conflict between good and evil. Some religions believe that there are two forces in the universe, one good and one evil, and that they are constantly at war with each other. Judaism sees it differently. They believe Satan is not a rebellious angel as God created both good and evil. They believe this as the Bible says so in Isaiah 45:7.

'I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil:

I the Lord do all these things.'

(Isaiah 45:7)