|
In Judaism, ''yetzer hara'' ((ヘブライ語:יֵצֶר הַרַע), for the definite "the evil inclination"), or ''yetzer ra'' ((ヘブライ語:יֵצֶר רַע), 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 () 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. == The evil inclination in Jewish tradition == The underlying principle in Jewish thought states that every man is born with, both, a good inclination and an evil inclination. This, in itself, is not bad, nor is it an abnormality. The problem, however, arises when one makes a willful choice to "cross over the line," and seeks to gratify his "evil inclination," based on the prototypical models of right and wrong in the Hebrew Bible. Central to Jewish belief is the idea that every man - Jew and gentile alike - is born with two opposing inclinations that pull him to act either in a bad way or a good way, but that, in the final analysis, it is man who decides how he is to act. This notion is succinctly worded in the Babylonian Talmud (''Niddah'' 16b): "All is given into the hands of heaven, except one's fear of heaven,"〔Compare Rabbi Akiva's immortal words in ''Pirke Avot'' 3:18, "All things are foreseen (God ), yet the choice is given (man ), and the world is judged on () merits."〕 meaning, everything in man's life is pre-determined by God - excepting that man's choice to be either good or bad; righteous or wicked. In this matter alone, man must decide for himself whether he will choose good or bad, or what is often classified as a man's freewill. Traditionally, a person's indulgence of either the good or evil impulse is seen as a matter of free choice. Most men will, at some time in their lives, succumb to their evil inclination, as it is written:〔Ecclesiastes 7:20 (Jewish Publication Society)〕 ''“For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”''(Ecclesiastes 7:20). For this reason, repentance (and in some cases, affliction) is said to atone for most sins, while the preponderance of good works keeps him within the general class of good men.〔Mishnah, ''Pirke Avot'' 3:18 ()〕 Medieval Rabbi and philosopher, Maimonides, has given instruction on how we ought to view the Evil Inclination: Moshe Chaim Luzzatto wrote in ''Derech Hashem'' ("The Way of God") that "Man is the creature created for the purpose of being drawn close to God. 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..."〔''Way of God '' Moshe Ḥayyim Luzzatto - 1998 "He has the power of choice, and is able to choose either side, knowingly and willingly, and possess whichever one he wishes. Man was therefore created with both a Good Urge (Yetzer HaTov) and an Evil Urge (Yetzer HaRa). "〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yetzer hara」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|