We often think of good and evil as two distinct, opposing forces, but what if evil isn't a thing in itself, but rather a lack of something?
That's the fascinating idea explored in Da'at Tevunot, a profound work of Jewish thought. The text suggests that just because something isn't perfect, doesn't automatically make it bad. Deficiency isn't the same as negativity. : even angels, those celestial beings we often imagine as paragons of virtue, aren't entirely perfect. According to Da'at Tevunot, their purpose isn't as complete as God's, may He be blessed. There's a hierarchy amongst them, with some angels occupying "lower" rungs, possessing more "deficiency" than others.
Yet, even with these varying degrees of "lack," angels aren't inherently evil. They don't experience jealousy, hatred, or the pull of the yetzer hara (יֵצֶר הָרַע), the "evil inclination." They don't suffer from sleep, weariness, illness, or death.
Humans, however, are a different story. We're lower than angels, more deficient. And within us, that deficiency becomes so pronounced that it can manifest as actual negativity. We do have the yetzer hara. We do get sick, and ultimately, we die. Animals, even further down the chain, lack intellect and speech and are considered "unclean" in some contexts.
Then, we get to the truly dark stuff: demons, angels of destruction, and spirits of impurity. These are described as actual evil, the complete opposite of good and perfection. These are the entities from whom God, blessed be He, hides Himself, as it says in Breishit Rabbah 3:6 and Midrash Tanchuma Tazria 9, "The Holy One, blessed be He, does not set his name aside upon evil."
So, what's the connection? According to Da'at Tevunot, it's a chain of deficiencies. When deficiency is added to deficiency, it eventually gives birth to actual evil. Before God brought forth the system of interaction necessary for the existence of beings, there was no deficiency at all. But by creating this system, God also, in a way, created the potential for negativity. Because once deficiency exists, its ultimate outcome can be evil.
It's a sobering thought, isn't it? That the very fabric of existence, with its inherent imperfections, also carries the seed of evil. But perhaps understanding this chain, this progression from simple deficiency to outright negativity, can help us be more mindful of our own actions and choices. Maybe by recognizing the small deficiencies within ourselves and the world around us, we can prevent them from snowballing into something truly destructive. What do you think?