How the Good Turned So Bad

Hashem created the world and all of its components as good. After each day of creation, Hashem considered what He created and evaluated it as “good:” “Vayar Elokim ki tov.”

Tragically, this good world descended into corruption very quickly. Even within the Torah’s first parshah, the world became so corrupt that Hashem had to cleanse it and start anew—a testament to the profound loss of the original goodness.

The corruption emanated from man. Unlike most of His creations, Hashem did not program man to choose good automatically. Instead, he was granted free choice, including the ability to choose that which is damaging and harmful.

And the first generations of men made such sinful choices. Eventually, their sins corrupted the entire world. When man lost his way, other creatures followed suit. This man-induced reality caused Hashem to wash away all living beings.

The antediluvian sins were primarily bein adam lachaveiro (interpersonal). God had created people in His image and entrusted the world to them. Humans felt their own significance and focused solely on themselves and their own needs, interests, and desires. They pursued the path of “Hamas,” selfishly stealing, raping and murdering. Society descended into lawlessness and bedlam. The world no longer reflected the goodness Hashem had intended and needed a restart.

The Torah had already foreseen this reality when it described man as “not good” when alone. Hashem created a mate for man because it is unhealthy for man to live alone, with no one else to care for him or for him to care for. Hashem created us with a need for others so that we would appreciate their importance.

The Alshich sees this as the message of the required donation specifically of a machatzit hashekel (half a shekel) coin to the Mishkan. Hashem commanded us to give a half—instead of a whole to remind us of our need for other people. Just as our half-shekel becomes whole only when we combine it with a half given by another, we too, are complete only when we care for and connect and work with others.

The Godliness in Others

Though Hashem created us with a natural care for other people, the antediluvian reality proved these emotions too weak to ensure proper concern and respect for others. Hashem had to explain to man why he should care for other men.

He did so in his first words to Noach and his children after they left the ark. He permitted eating animals, but only to emphasize the uniqueness of mankind and the prohibition against murdering other human beings. Though Hashem allowed man to slaughter and consume animals, He prohibited murder “because man was created in God’s image.”

These words were a critical revelation. Hashem had imbued man with Godliness but did not initially tell him about it. After man acted like an animal, Hashem taught him how he was created and what he should aspire to become. He explained to man that every human being carries His image. This fact should impact our conduct and, most importantly, how we relate to other humans. We should emulate the One whose image we bear. Like God, we should care for others—especially those who share our Godliness.

While we should respect and love everything in the world as part of Hashem’s creation, we should hold human beings in even higher regard. This is because we are all created in His image. One who sees Godliness as what makes us special values everyone who shares this quality. Those who disrespect other people, clearly, do not appreciate their own Godliness.

True love of Hashem should reflect itself in the love of all His creations, especially man. This is why Pirkei Avot twice mentions ahavat habriyot after ahavat Hashem.

Luchot

Hashem emphasized this point with the words He spoke directly to us—the Aseret Hadibrot (Decalogue). The 10 commandments juxtapose five bein adam lechavero (between man and his fellow) commandments to five parallel bein adam laMakom (between man and God) ones because the interpersonal commandments are implications of our relationship with Hashem.

The Mechilta delineates this relationship between the two groups of five (Bachodesh 8). The first of each set, for example, are directly related. Violation of the first bein adam lechavero prohibition—murder—runs contrary to the first bein adam laMakom mitzvah—recognition of Hashem—because murder decreases Hashem’s presence, in the form of humans created in His image, in our world.

Hashem emphasized the equal significance of the two types of commandments by engraving the two lists on identical tablets. Though the bein adam laMakom section of the Decalogue consists of many more words, He engraved it on a tablet equal in size to the bein adam lechavero tablet because the two sections are of equal significance.

The two types of mitzvot are of equal importance and are both part of our appreciation of Hashem and His presence in our world. “This fact,” explains Rav Soloveitchik, “is why Hashem uttered all of them simultaneously. All the commandments are inextricably linked to one another.”

Space for All Others

In his commentary on the pasuk that describes man as “no good” on his own, Rashi reveals another reason why caring for other people is essential. As opposed to other meforshim, who link the description to man’s social needs, Rashi explains that man is no good when alone because he might think he is the god of this world. The existence of others puts man in his place.

Our care for others reminds us of existences beyond our own. This mindset can strengthen our relationship with Hashem as well. Self-centered man is oblivious to all others—both mortal and divine. A person who recognizes the existence of others and his need for a relationship with them is more sensitive to the existence of and his dependency upon Hashem.

We live in a world that encourages us to focus on ourselves and our self-fulfillment. May our appreciation of the centrality of our Godliness and the similar nature of all humans inspire us to care for all humanity and its Creator.

Rav Reuven Taragin is the dean of Overseas Students at Yeshivat Hakotel and the educational director of World Mizrachi and the RZA. His new book, “Essentials of Judaism,” can be purchased at rabbireuventaragin.com.