Questions tagged [evil-resha]
Questions about the nature and effects of evil, and evildoers.
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Were Esav, Yishmael, and Nimrod Evildoers?
This question asserts that Ishmael was an evildoer (rasha). However, based on a simple (p'shat) reading of the relevant texts (in Genesis), neither he nor Esau nor Nimrod appear to do anything "evil."...
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What עִיקָר is the wicked son denying?
In the haggadah (Mechon Mamre's edition of the Hagadah at the end of Hilkhot Chametz u-Matzah and in some editions of the Mekhilta on Shemot 13:14), regarding the wicked son it states
וּלְפִי ...
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Is Cain a prophet?
According to some views, prophecy is not a gift that is arbitrarily
conferred upon people; rather, it is the culmination of a person's
spiritual and ethical development. When a person reaches a ...
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If prophets can only be "good guys" how come Balaam become a prophet?
I've heard that in Judaism, God don't just randomly appoint people to be a prophet. The prophet must be some "good" guy or pious or whatever.
If that's the case, why is balaam a prophet? He's not ...
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Why aren't non-Jews buried near Jews or wicked people near good?
A colleague at work asked me why Jews are not buried alongside Non-Jews. He understood why we don't eat with them, but thought those differences should not extend in death and pointed at the ...
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Learning Torah from a confirmed sinner?
A learned friend of mine is of the opinion that it is forbidden to learn from a Rabbi (or anyone else) who is known to have sinned. He used the example of a particular Rabbi caught in a scandal so ...
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Davening for someone to get punished
Are you allowed to daven for someone else to get punished? In other words, if a real Jewish rasha in every sense of the word does bad to you for no good reason and you feel incredibly hurt, can you ...
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What is the Jewish belief regarding evil spirits? [duplicate]
What do Jews believe about ghosts and evil spirits? It seem to me that the Bible gives clear definition about the fact that they are real. What do Jews believe about this?
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Does כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאלה לעולם apply to all people? [duplicate]
Does the statement in pirkei avos (6:6) that כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאלה לעולם apply if the original author of the statement is a non-Jew? What if the originator is a rasha?
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The righteous man who suffers
In Ra'aya Mehemna (Parshat mishpatim) , it's explained that "the righteous man who suffers" is one whose evil nature is subservient to his good nature.
I honestly did not understand what that line ...
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Are we destined to be evil?
It seems like from the very first chapters of the Torah, mankind is destined to be evil and transgress the law of God:
The very first couple make the only sin they can.
The second child the world has ...
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Why give gentiles an evil prophet?
Rashi in Bamidbar 22:5 addresses Bilam's being a prophet:
"Why did the Holy One rest his Divine Presence upon a wicked gentile? So that the nations of the world should not have an excuse [as to why ...
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Why was the Shechinah bestowed upon Bil'am? [duplicate]
In the beginning of Parashat Balak, Rashi writes:
If you ask, “Why did God bestow His Shechinah on a wicked gentile?” [The answer is] so the nations should not have an excuse to say, “Had we had ...
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What's the connection between Avraham and Bilaam?
In chapter 5 of Pirkei Avos, it states (from Chabad.org):
יט. כל מי שיש בידו שלושה דברים הללו הוא מתלמידיו של אברהם אבינו. ושלושה דברים אחרים הוא מתלמידיו של בלעם הרשע.
19. Whoever possesses the ...
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Is there a Jewish symbol for evil?
Is there a Jewish equivalent to Christian's upside-down cross, a symbol that some Christians believe to mean "evil" or the "devil."
Does the "average" Jew have a visual symbol which might be taken to ...
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The 4 sons - the evil son
Why on the seder are we excluding the evil son. In the Hagada it says "break his teeth,etc", "tell him if you were in Egypt you would not have been redeemed".
Yet on Yom Kipur we say on kol nidrei we ...
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Why is the Evil Inclination Called a "Fool"?
Koheles (4:13), (as explained by the Midrash Rabba) describes the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) as "A king, old, and a fool".
It explains:
"...ולמה קורא אותו כסיל? שהוא מלמד לאדם דרך ...
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How old was Eisav when he fell into bad ways?
Rashi on Bereishis 25:30 states that Hashem shortened Avraham's life by 5 years (180->175) in order that he shouldn't see Eisav, his grandson acting wickedly ('Tarbut Ra-ah').
And on that day, ...
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Dan LeChaf Zechuth - Exceptions?
What are the exceptions to the requirement to judge one another favorably? Does it apply unless the person has a (proven) reputation of a Rasha'? Is it limited to Bein Adam LaMakom? (If someone ...
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Looking at a picture of the face of a Rasha
The Zohar (and Megillah 28a thanks DoubleAA) says that it is Assur to gaze at the face of a Rasha. Would this also apply to looking at an image or painting of a Rasha?
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Obliterating the names and memories of evil people
Theoretically the names and the very memories of evil people (rasha'im) should be obliterated. Is this aim seriously pursued?
For example, saying ימח שמו after a name doesn't really help obliterate ...
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Why does evil exist?
I realize this is a very common question, but the problem of evil is an important one, and as far as I can tell, has not been asked here.
In short, why does G-d allow evil to exist?
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Bad things happening to good people
Why do bad things happen to good people?
And, even if they do, bad things, not good things, should happen to bad people!
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Naming after bad people
Why have there been famous(ly righteous) Jewish people named after Yishma'el, who, Chaza"l tell us, was evil and an enemy of Jews? Has anything similar happened with Esav? Korach? Others?
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