Does Evil Come From God or From Our Own Choices

Another matter, “see I” – Rabbi Elazar said: When the Holy One blessed be He said this matter at Sinai, from that time: “From the mouth of the Most High, evil and good do not emerge” (Lamentations 3:38). Rather, on its own, evil befalls those who perform evil, and good occurs to those who perform good. Alternatively, Rabbi Ḥagai said: [God said:] ‘Not only did I give you two paths; I went beyond the letter of the law, and said to you: “You shall choose life”’ (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Another matter, what is written prior to this passage? “For if you will observe [this entire commandment]” (Deuteronomy 11:22). What is “this entire commandment”? Rabbi Levi said: This is the recitation of Shema. The Rabbis say: This is Shabbat, which is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah. Another matter, “for if you will observe [this entire commandment]” – bar Kappara said: The soul and the Torah were likened to a lamp. The soul, as it is written: “The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). And the Torah, as it is written: “For a mitzva is a lamp, the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My lamp is in your hand and your lamp is in My hand. My lamp is in your hand – this is the Torah. Your lamp is in My hand – this is the soul. If you observe My lamp, I protect your lamp. If you extinguish My lamp, I extinguish your lamp.’ From where is this derived? As it is written: “Only beware, and protect yourself greatly, [lest you forget the matters that your eyes saw]” (Deuteronomy 4:9). That is, “for if you will observe.”3The verse states “if you will observe [shamor tishmerun],” with a double usage of the Hebrew term for “observe.” The midrash reads the verse as though it says “if you will observe [tishmor], you will be guarded [tishamerun]” (Matnot Kehuna). Another matter, Rabbi Shimon said: To what is the matter comparable? To two people; one of them had a vineyard in the Galilee, and one….4A fuller version of this analogy appears in other midrashic texts. One man lived in Judah and had a vineyard in Galilee, and one lived in Galilee and had a vineyard in Judah. One day they met, and one said to the other: ‘Guard mine and I will guard yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours’ (Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 671). So the Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My Torah is in your hand and your soul is in My hand – if you observe mine, I protect yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours.’ That is, “for if you will observe.” Another matter, Rabbi Yehuda bar Sima said: If you observed two hundred and forty-eight…until “will be broken.”5The reference here is possibly to a statement in a different midrash (Tanḥuma, Buber ed., Kedoshim 6): “Be careful about reciting Shema, for it has two hundred and forty-eight words, corresponding to the limbs of a man…the Holy One Blessed be He said: ‘If you observe mine, reciting it properly, I will guard yours.’” Another matter, what is “for if you will observe”? The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘If you observe the words of the Torah, I will protect you from the demons.’ Rabbi Abba bar Ze’ira said: There is no beit rova6This is a small space, defined as the area required for sowing one-quarter of a kav of seed. According to Rav Avraham Ḥayyim Naeh, it amounts to 24 square meters. of space in the world in which there are not thousands of demons. Each one has a mask on its face so it will not look at a person and harm him. But when a person’s iniquities warrant it, it removes the mask from its face, and it looks at him and harms him. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “He redeemed me unharmed from the battle against me” (Psalms 55:19). When? [When He protects me, as in the verse:] “For there were many with me” (Psalms 55:19). Who are they? They are the angels that protect a person. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: An image goes before a person,7Human beings are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). The meaning here is that man’s divine image is noticeable to the demons as the man approaches. and the heralds proclaim before him. What do they say? ‘Make room for the image of the Holy One blessed be He.’ See how many guards are protecting you. When [is this so]? When you observe the words of the Torah. I have placed two paths before you – blessing and curse; blessing, if you heed My words, curse, if you do not heed My words.