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er hara - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Yetzer haraFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Judaism , yetzer hara(Hebrew : , for the definite "the evil inclination"), or yetzer ra(Hebrew , for the indefinite "an evil inclination") refers to the inclination to do evil, by violating the will of GodThe term is drawn from the phrase "the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil" (Hebrew: ,yetzer lev-ha-adam ra), which occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible, at Genesis 6:5 and 8:21.

The yetzer harais not a demonic force, but rather man's misuse of things the physical body needs to surviv

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"), b

that humans don't acquire a yetzer tov("a good inclination") until an age of maturity12 for girls and 13 f

boyshas its source in Chapter 16 of the Talmudic tractate Avot de-Rabbi Natan .

Traditionally, a person's indulgence of either the good or evil impulse is seen as a matter of free choice. For

example, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto,wrote in Derech Hashem("The Way of God") that "Man is the creatur

created for the purpose of being drawn close to God. He is placed between perfection and deficiency, with th

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 an

willingly..."[1]

Contents [hide]

1 Personification of evil

2 See also3 References

4 External links

Personification of evil [edit]

Although some forms of Judaism, both ancient and modern, do recognise the existence of supernatural evil,

particular fallen angels(as in the Dead Sea scrolls ),[2][3][4]the yetzer harais often presented as a

personification of evil distinct from the supernatural Satan of traditional Christianity and Islam. This

tendency to demythologize Satan is found in Bava Batra and other rabbinical works,[5]and is also found in

some Enlightenment Christian writers, such as in the religious writings of Isaac Newton .[6]

See also [edit]

lashon hara , evil tongue

Satan

References [edit]

1. ^ Way of GodMoshe ayyim Luzzatto - 1998

"He has the power of choice, and is able to choose

either side, knowingly and willingly, and possess

5. ^ The Jewish religion: a companion - p443 Loui

Jacobs - 1995 "Very revealing of the

demythologizing tendency in Rabbinic thought

the saying (Bava Batra 16a) that Satan, the yetze

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yetzer_hara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avot_de-Rabbi_Natanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Chaim_Luzzattohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Chaim_Luzzattohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derech_Hashemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_angelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_angelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bava_Batrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lashon_harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yetzer_harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Contentshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Featured_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_eventshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Randomhttps://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=enhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contentshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Abouthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RecentChangeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_ushttp://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%A2http://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6262061#sitelinks-wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Yetzer+hara&type=signuphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Yetzer+harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Yetzer+harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Yetzer+hara&type=signuphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6262061#sitelinks-wikipediahttp://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%A2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_ushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RecentChangeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Abouthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contentshttps://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=enhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Randomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_eventshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Featured_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Contentshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yetzer_harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lashon_harahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bava_Batrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_angelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yetzer_hara&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derech_Hashemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Chaim_Luzzattohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avot_de-Rabbi_Natanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism

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