B’reishit: A Dispute for the Sake of Heaven

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“And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God – creating them male and female.” Genesis 1:27

“Surely, if you do right, there is uplift. But if you do not do right sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.” Genesis 4:7

One of the classic disputes for the sake of Heaven between conservatives and liberals centers on the question of human nature: Is a person good at their core, or is evil embedded deep within the human soul?

One position claims that since the image of God is imprinted in every person, our inner inclination and moral compass will always point us toward good. The opposing view holds that a person requires guidance, education, and obligation in order to do good; without these, human nature will inevitably pull one toward evil.

As with every dispute for the sake of Heaven, the truth lies somewhere between these two positions. The conservative view does not negate the deep belief in humanity’s capacity to do good and to sustain the world in accordance with the divine image within the soul. Nor does the liberal view necessarily fall into moral relativism, which equates all truths — even those that contradict ethical principles. The value of education is immeasurable: even if the human soul is fundamentally good, the world can obscure its moral compass, and thus that compass must be renewed from time to time.

Both perspectives find expression in Parashat Bereishit: the ideal creation of humankind in Chapter 1 affirms the divine image, while in Chapter 4, God’s conversation with Cain — before he murders his brother Abel — warns of the danger of sin couches at the door of human existence.

A dispute for the sake of Heaven endures precisely because both sides contain truth, integrity, and goodness. We are destined to move between them — and to try, again and again, to find balance.

Shabbat Shalom!

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