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b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Jecer ha-tov and jecer ha-ra'

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  • From: Pawel <pawel AT kul.stalwol.pl>
  • To: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Jecer ha-tov and jecer ha-ra'
  • Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 22:35:14 +0200

Dear Harold,

> HH: Well, there is mention of the jecer ha-ra:
>
> Gen. 6:5 ΒΆ The LORD saw how great man's
> wickedness on the earth had become, and that
> every inclination of the thoughts of his heart
> was only evil all the time.

Yes, you are right: "wekhol-jecer maxshevot libbo
raq ra'" An interesting word in this sentence is
'only' (raq). Doesn't it mean that God expected
man to have the other inclination - jecer ha-tov?

> HH: Is there a need to assume that prior to
> Adam's sin that there was a jecer ha ra. There
> had been no sin. Nor need one assume a jecer
> he-tov in the sense you seem to be defining it,
> as a strong tendency to do good that would
> prevent one from sinning. Why can we not imagine
> a perfect environment and a neutral mind-set?
> Adam and Eve delighted in all the good things,
> including God's presence, but Eve could be
> deceived, and Adam could follow his wife's
> example, though he knew it was forbidden.

First of all we must define what 'ra'' is.
I strongly believe that it is simply lack
or absence of 'tov'. God, being good, cannot
be the source of evil. The conclusion is one -
the evil cannot have any real existence,
because it was never created. It is nothing
but absence of good. Therefore the jecer ha-tov
must be the inclination of something positive.
Besides, Adam and Eve had the first 'micwah':
"peru u-revu..." (Gen. 1.28), so they must
have been given by God the iclination of
fulfilling it.

Regards -

--
Pawel Sajdek
<>< XPICTOC NIKA ><>





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