Yetzer hara

In Judaism , yetzer hara ( for the definite "the evil inclination"), or yetzer ra (( for the indefinite "an evil inclination") refers to the inclination to do evil , by violating the will of God. The yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but rather man's mis-use of things the physical body needs to survive. So the need for food becomes gluttony due to the yetzer hara . The need for procreation becomes sexual abuse... and so on. Judaism teaches that humans are born with a yetzer ra (physical needs that can become "evil"), but that humans don't acquire a yetzer tov ("a good inclination") until an age of maturity -- 12 for girls and 13 for boys. The phrase yetzer lev-ha-adam ra ( יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע ) "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" occurs twice in the Tanakh, in Genesis 6:5, 8:15. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto , also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL , wrote in Derech Hashem (The Way of God) "Man is the creature created for the purpose of being drawn close to G-d. He is placed between perfection and deficiency, with the power to earn perfection. Man must earn this perfection, however, through his own free will.…Man's inclinations are therefore balanced between good (Yetzer HaTov) and evil (Yetzer HaRa), and he is not compelled toward either of them. He has the power of choice and is able to choose either side knowingly and willingly…" It is believed among some that, whereas Christianity identifies evil with Satan , Judaism does not. However, in the Babylonian Talmud , Tractate Baba Bathra , Folio 16b, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish (fl.c.200CE) asserts that "Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are all one.” A yetzer hara is an over indulgence of physical needs. The Hebrew word "satan" merely means "adversary" and the Jewish bible has both human and angelic adversaries (satans) to man. Judaism considers angelic adversaries (satans) to be fulfilling God's will by testing men's faith. This is consistent with the general Jewish view of angels , in which they are deemed incapable of defying God's will because they do not possess free will / free choice. Hebrew Fulltext of Derekh Hashem (The Way of G-d) , daat.ac.il The Way of God , Transl.

In Judaism , yetzer hara ( , for the definite "the evil inclination"), or yetzer ra ( , for the indefinite "an evil inclination") refers to the congenital inclination to do evil , by violating the will of God. The term is drawn from the phrase "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" (Hebrew: יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע, yetzer lev-ha-adam ra ), which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, at Genesis 6:5 and 8:21. The Sages of the Talmud ( Berakhot 32a) have spoken about the "evil inclination" in poignant terms, making a comparison to what it is like: “To what is it like, the evil inclination in man? It is like a father who takes his small son, bathes him, douses him with perfume, combs his hair, dresses him up in his finest accoutrements, feeds him, gives him drink, places a bag of money around his neck, and then goes off and puts his son at the front door of a brothel. What can the boy do that he not sin?” The evil inclination in man, or what is often called man's natural inclination, has been the subject of debate since time immemorial. The traditional Jewish view on this complex subject is well-defined in rabbinic literature. The yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but rather man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the need for food becomes gluttony due to the yetzer hara . The need for procreation becomes sexual abuse, and so on. The idea that humans are born with a yetzer ra (physical needs that can become "evil"), but that humans don't acquire a yetzer tov ("a good inclination") until an age of maturity—12 for girls and 13 for boys—has its source in Chapter 16 of the Talmudic tractate Avot de-Rabbi Natan .

In Judaism , yetzer hara ( ) is the congenital inclination to do evil , by violating the will of God. The term is drawn from the phrase "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" ( , yetzer lev-ha-adam ra ), which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, at Genesis 6:5 and 8:21. In traditional Judaism, the yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but rather man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the need for food becomes gluttony due to the yetzer hara . The need for procreation becomes sexual abuse, and so on. According to the Talmudic tractate Avot de-Rabbi Natan , a boy's evil inclination is greater than his good inclination until he turns 13 ( bar mitzvah ), at which point the good inclination is "born" and able to control his behavior. Moreover, the rabbis have stated: "The greater the man, the greater his [evil] inclination." Avot deRabbi Natan 16 Babylonian Talmud ( Sukkah 52a)

In Judaism , yetzer hara ( ‍ ) is the congenital inclination to do evil , by violating the will of God. The term is drawn from the phrase "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" ( ), which occurs twice at the beginning of the Torah (Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21). The Hebrew word yetzer having appeared twice in Genesis occurs again at the end of the Torah: "I knew their devisings that they do". Thus from beginning to end the heart's yetzer (plan) is continually bent on evil. However, the Torah which began with blessing anticipates future blessing which will come as a result of God circumcising the heart in the latter days. In traditional Judaism, the yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but rather man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the need for food becomes gluttony due to the yetzer hara . The need for procreation becomes promiscuity, and so on. The Jewish concept of the yetzer hara is similar to the Christian concept of a "sin nature" known as concupiscence , which is the tendency of humans to sin. However, concupiscence stems explicitly from original sin , while the yetzer hara is a natural part of God's creation. According to the Talmudic tractate Avot de-Rabbi Natan , a boy's evil inclination is greater than his good inclination until he turns 13 ( bar mitzvah ), at which point the good inclination is "born" and able to control his behavior. Moreover, the rabbis have stated: "The greater the man, the greater his [evil] inclination." Deuteronomy 31:21 Genesis 1:1–2:3 Deuteronomy 33 Deuteronomy 30:6 Avot deRabbi Natan 16 Babylonian Talmud ( Sukkah 52a)