It’s a question that’s plagued humanity for millennia, and it’s one that even finds its way into some… well, let’s call them misinterpretations of Jewish thought.
Imagine someone suggesting that God, the ultimate good, must have an equal and opposite force of pure evil lurking somewhere. That there are, G-d forbid, two separate domains, one for good and one for evil. That the good things and the bad things that happen in this world spring from these two opposing sources. It's a concept that, thankfully, Judaism soundly rejects.
Where does this idea even come from?
The text from Da'at Tevunot is addressing just this sort of heretical (and sadly recurring) thought. It points to a passage in the Talmud, specifically Sanhedrin 39a, where a heretic says to Ameimar, a prominent Babylonian Amora (a Jewish scholar of the Talmud), "From your midpoint and up is in the domain of Hurmiz, and from your midpoint and down is in the domain of Ahurmiz."
Let’s unpack that a bit. Hurmiz and Ahurmiz are references to Ohrmazd and Ahriman, the chief deities of good and evil, respectively, in Zoroastrianism. This apostate was essentially trying to map a Zoroastrian dualistic worldview onto a Jewish framework, claiming that even a person's body is divided between these opposing forces.
But isn’t there a concept of yetzer hara, the evil inclination, in Judaism? Doesn't that suggest a dualistic struggle within us?
Well, yes and no. The yetzer hara certainly represents the impulse towards selfishness, immediate gratification, and actions that are contrary to God's will. However—and this is crucial—it is not an independent, equal force to God. The yetzer hara is a part of God's creation, and ultimately subservient to His will. The Talmud (Yoma 69b) even portrays the sages as eventually overcoming and imprisoning the yetzer hara!
The idea that there is "nothing without its opposite" is itself a twisted understanding. While it's true that the world often presents us with contrasting elements – joy and sorrow, abundance and scarcity – this doesn't necessitate an absolute, evil force opposing God. Rather, these contrasts can serve to highlight the good, to test our faith, and to ultimately lead us towards greater understanding and connection with the Divine.
Consider the writings of the great Jewish philosopher, Maimonides (the Rambam). He argues forcefully against any notion of an independent force of evil. For Maimonides, evil is not a positive entity, but rather an absence of good, a privation. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God's presence.
So, the next time you find yourself grappling with the apparent duality of the world, remember that Judaism teaches us that there is one ultimate source, one ultimate power, and that is God. While challenges and temptations certainly exist, they are not evidence of a cosmic battle between equal forces, but rather opportunities for us to choose good, to grow, and to draw closer to the Divine light.