Bereshit: The Origin of Evil?

Does the Torah Portion Bereshit explain evil’s origin? The creation narrative certainly offers clues. The results, for some, may be surprising.

In the Beginning There Were Grades

In Genesis Chapter 1, God grades his creations. Land and sea: good. Genesis 1:10. Plants and vegetation: good: Genesis 1:12. Night and day: good: Genesis 1:18. Sea animals, creeping things and winged birds: good. Genesis 1:21. Wild and domestic animals: good. Genesis 1:25.

Humans both male and female, unlike the other creations, received no grade. Genesis 1:27. Despite their omission, God’s overall grade for his creation project was a “very good.” Genesis 1:31.

Assuming God used traditional grading scales, humans appear to have received a good grade or better. While one possibility is that creation’s totality may have been graded as being greater than the sum of its parts, an alternative possibility is that humans, with an excellent grade, brought up the overall average grade.

While the Torah Portion of Bereshit speaks of happenings in the Garden of Eden, the real place find evil’s origin of is in the jungle.

Welcome to the Jungle

In turning to the jungle, we look at the law that governs them. Webster’s defines the law of the jungle as “a situation in which people do whatever they want to or whatever is necessary to survive or succeed.” The same can be said for nature. Nature acts in survival mode.

Thus, understanding how nature acts in survival mode is essential to the conversation.

Of Parasites and Predators

Nature, while graded as good, is cruel. Plants and creatures exploit each other survival. For example, in the plant world, the Venus Fly Trap by using its hingled lobes at the end of its leaves will eat insects. Birds’ eggs, in the animal world, are a treasured food. In that instance, other creatures take advantage of the birds’ efforts of building nests and laying eggs.

The jungle competition requires plants and animals to be opportunistic. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of others’ work or even creating a parasitic arrangement. For example, viruses use host animals to survive and thrive.

Humans also compete in jungles. Their actions, however, are to be viewed differently. Humans function in a cooperative manner. In pre-historic times, it must have taken a village to take down a wholly mammoth. The value of cooperation grew as people created cities and civilization.

Of Humans

Genesis’ omission of humans being designated as good is telling. Humans, unlike other animals, are capable of knowing good and bad. This is a fruit that they have to bare. With humans, taking advantage of others or acting parasitically must come with nuance. Human conduct involves a nature and extent. In many instances, there is a line that is crossed into unacceptable behavior. Further, humans essentially believe that other humans have the capacity of knowing good from bad.

The Bad Activities

The Ten Commandments’ back end offers a number of instances in which humans differentiate themselves from animals. Murder, adultery, stealing, acting deceitful in a matter of judgment, and being jealous towards other’s possessions are not only considered as bad. These acts being unacceptable as matters of societal common knowledge.

Common Knowledge, in this instance, is a special term that addresses both societal and individual knowledge. In this instance, it marks knowledge that not only everybody knows that such conduct is wrong but that everybody also knows that everybody else knows it is wrong. For instance, when we see a store being looted, we all know that others are equally outraged at the event.

Steven Pinker addresses this Common Knowledge terminology in his text When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2025.)

In this instance, it is contended that scripturally-rooted societies have the Ten Commandments as their “Common Knowledge.” The consequences of the Ten Commandments as being common knowledge is that there is a societal recognition of good and bad conduct. Some bad conduct, however, can be so heinous that it reaches the level of being considered as evil.

Evil as a Result of Expectations

As Humans, there is nuance with respect to conduct and behavior. Unlike animals, humans’ acts of taking advantage of others or acting in a parasitic fashion can cross the line and become bad. Sometimes, in egregious cases it can be labeled as evil.

A classic example of humans crossing the line comes from ancient times. Back then, farmers exerted tremendous labor in creating produce or raising domestic animals. At the time of harvesting, raiders and plunderers would come and rob them of their efforts and goods. These behaviors are on such a level that they became impermissible for society. Human survival, as a civilization, was not going to accept the behaviors of theft, robbery and murder. These acts were bad; some of them reached the level of evil.

Evil’s Origin

Evil’s origin comes from creation. While creation was overall very good, Humans have the capacity beyond that of animals. They are aware that e to act conduct in the law of the jungle does not apply. Acts necessary for survival are to be moderated. There are to be common knowledge rules which dicate what and what not is permissible. Bad acts have the possibility to being labled as evil. For instance, a hungry man stealing some food may be considered as a bad act, it might not rise to the level of evil, while a hungry man stealing from food from a starving baby might reach the level of evil.

Conclusion

The Genesis narrative, in which the world’s creation is labeled as very good, is telling. Humans essentially are the only things created that received no grade. The reality is that humans fall outside of the animal kingdom; the jungle. Survival within civilization places limitations on what should or shouldn’t be done to survive within a society. Humans possess the intelligence of discernment of what is good and bad. Further, humans possess the ability of addressing gradation with respect to particular acts. For scripturally-based societies, the bottom of the Ten Commandments includes acts which are to be commonly known as bad acts, i.e. murder and theft. These bad acts are intended to be common knowledge which everyone not only knows but everybody knows that everyone else knows. Bad, however, has gradations. Bad acts can be so heinous that they are deserving of being designated as an act of evil. Thus, arguably, evil is a biproduct of the creation. The creation being something considered as not only good, but very good.

Be well!!

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