Who is a "Good" Person?
DEFINITIONS:
What Is Good?
What Is Evil?
In order to think clearly about good and evil, we must begin with definitions.
What is good?
In the beginning of the creation story, God “looks” first at the light and calls it good. Then, at the end of each stage of creation, the Torah says: “And God saw… and it was good.”
What can it mean for God to call something good? This cannot mean morally good, nor even aesthetically good. So what does tov mean—originally?
Creation: Good Means EnduringThe Ramban explains that in the context of creation, “good” means stable, enduring, and in alignment with the Divine will:
“This idea is to teach that they continue to exist by His will, and that if His desire would separate from them even for a moment they would cease to be… So when it says by each act of creation ‘And God saw and it was good,’ the meaning is that He wills it to be this way forever.”
So the first Torah definition of good is not moral virtue or kindness. It is functioning according to one’s created form, achieving the intended expression of one’s design. It is durability, harmony, wholeness.
And its opposite?
Evil Means DysfunctionThe word ra—commonly translated as “evil”—also means unstable, dangerous, or broken. For example, the Gemara (Bava Kamma 15b) forbids keeping a sulam ra’uah, a “rickety ladder,” in one’s home. The ladder is ra—not because it is malicious, but because it is unsafe.
This gives us our first moral insight: evil is not always monstrous. It may look like a ladder. It may even seem helpful. But if it collapses under pressure, it was rotten from the inside. And the lesson is this: Evil often masquerades as good, especially when we’re too young or distracted to notice.
The Moral Map: Function vs. DysfunctionGood and evil, in Torah terms, begin as ontological states, not ethical judgments. They are about function and misfunction—the alignment or misalignment of a thing with its purpose.
From this lens, moral good is that which stabilizes us—spiritually, emotionally, socially. It uplifts, restores, harmonizes.
Moral evil is that which destabilizes—it causes breakdown, chaos, suffering, fragmentation.
And herein lies the great danger: because evil often disguises itself as fun, freeing, or fashionable.
Alcohol. Drugs. Cigarettes. Vanity. Casual sex. Consumerism.
All of these offer temporary relief from the fear of death—the original wound.
It’s the old lie: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
Judaism says: Eat in moderation (except on Yom Tov 😉), drink l’chaim, and be merry--because we live forever.
The 51% Principle: Being Good EnoughSo what does it mean to be good enough?
According to the Rambam (Laws of Teshuvah 3:1–2):
“A person whose merits exceed his sins is righteous. A person whose sins exceed his merits is wicked… This judgment applies to individuals, cities, and the whole world. The weighing is not by number alone, but by magnitude… And only God knows how to weigh.”
This can sound simplistic—51% good and you’re in? But remember: 51% is not victory. It’s survival. As Rav Wurzburger shlit”a once said: A gosses—a person on their deathbed—is also still alive.
So yes, 51% is a passing grade. But it may be a life on spiritual life support.
The deeper question isn’t whether we’re perfect—it’s whether we’re trying. Whether we’re facing up, or spiraling down. A ben aliyah—a person moving upward—is righteous even with mistakes. A person coasting downward is not.
And as Rambam reminds us: we must consider ourselves a beinoni, always on the edge—so that every next choice matters.
What Makes Something Very Good?At the end of creation, the Torah says:
“And God saw all that He had made, and behold—it was very good.”
The word me’od—very—takes center stage here. Ramban again offers a brilliant interpretation:
“‘Very’ means ‘mostly.’ That is, creation as a whole was mostly good—even though some parts contain evil. But even that evil is ultimately good, because it is necessary for the preservation and perfection of the whole.”
Death itself, says the Midrash, is included in “very good.” So is the Yetzer Hara. So is punishment.
Why? Because these are the tools through which instability is repaired. They are part of the feedback loop that brings the world back into balance.
In other words: Even bad is good.
If it leads to growth. If we learn. If we get back up.
Good People Fall. Righteous People Get Up.“A righteous person falls seven times and rises again.” (Proverbs)
“There is no righteous person who does only good and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes)
Failure is part of the system. The true evil is not failing—it’s not learning.
Even Adam and Eve weren’t exiled from Eden because they ate from the tree.
They were exiled because they blamed others. They failed to take responsibility.
The Original Job DescriptionBefore the sin, Adam’s purpose was clear:
“And God took Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden to serve and protect it.” (Gen. 2:15)
To serve and protect--not dominate, not consume.
Adam’s task was to be a gardener, a shepherd, a caretaker. To bring stability and blessing to the world by acting like God: with kindness, justice, and truth.
Ramban, again quoting the Midrash, explains that Adam was made as a composite of the entire created world—earth, animal, soul. He was designed to connect up to God and down to creation. A conduit of consciousness. A channel of divine awareness.
“The soul of Adam is the candle of God.”
And that task is still ours.
Only now, the garden has become a jungle.
The Power of Choice and the Illusion of ControlTo “know” good and evil, in Torah, means to internalize them—to experience them bodily, like food. When Adam and Eve ate, they weren’t just violating a command. They were choosing ego over intimacy.
They became, as God says, “like one of Us”—self-aware, self-directing.
But also, therefore, mortal.
Why? Because when we choose independence from God, we cut ourselves off from the source of life. We’re still alive here, but we lose connection there. And that’s the real death.
Suicide, in Judaism, is forbidden not only because it’s murder—but because the soul doesn’t die. The pain doesn’t end. It simply continues unprocessed. There is no escape, only forward.
Reconnecting: The Breath of LifeThe Sages say:
“With every breath, praise God.”
The breath is our reconnection.
As Ramban said, the soul lives as long as the divine breath sustains it. Before the sin, that breath was continuous. Now, we must choose to draw it in.
Mitzvot, then, are not just ethical demands. They are instructions for living.
“Etz Chayim Hee – It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.”
And what is the most important instruction?
“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.” (Leviticus 19:18)
In other words: If you want to know Me, act like Me. Give. Love. Stabilize. Heal.
That is the definition of good.
Final Thought: Let’s Push God’s GPAAt the end of it all, the Torah says creation was “very good”--me’od, meaning mostly good. A God-made world that gets an “A” but not quite an A+.
Why?
Because it was left unfinished. We were given the task of completing it.
Maybe we’re here to tend the unstable, to heal the broken, to correct the rickety ladders of the world. To help push the Creator’s GPA up to Honors.
So if you’re struggling, know this: it’s part of the job.
If you’ve failed, get back up.
If you’ve sinned, grow from it.
Because even bad is good—if it brings you back.
What Is Good?
What Is Evil?
In order to think clearly about good and evil, we must begin with definitions.
What is good?
In the beginning of the creation story, God “looks” first at the light and calls it good. Then, at the end of each stage of creation, the Torah says: “And God saw… and it was good.”
What can it mean for God to call something good? This cannot mean morally good, nor even aesthetically good. So what does tov mean—originally?
Creation: Good Means EnduringThe Ramban explains that in the context of creation, “good” means stable, enduring, and in alignment with the Divine will:
“This idea is to teach that they continue to exist by His will, and that if His desire would separate from them even for a moment they would cease to be… So when it says by each act of creation ‘And God saw and it was good,’ the meaning is that He wills it to be this way forever.”
So the first Torah definition of good is not moral virtue or kindness. It is functioning according to one’s created form, achieving the intended expression of one’s design. It is durability, harmony, wholeness.
And its opposite?
Evil Means DysfunctionThe word ra—commonly translated as “evil”—also means unstable, dangerous, or broken. For example, the Gemara (Bava Kamma 15b) forbids keeping a sulam ra’uah, a “rickety ladder,” in one’s home. The ladder is ra—not because it is malicious, but because it is unsafe.
This gives us our first moral insight: evil is not always monstrous. It may look like a ladder. It may even seem helpful. But if it collapses under pressure, it was rotten from the inside. And the lesson is this: Evil often masquerades as good, especially when we’re too young or distracted to notice.
The Moral Map: Function vs. DysfunctionGood and evil, in Torah terms, begin as ontological states, not ethical judgments. They are about function and misfunction—the alignment or misalignment of a thing with its purpose.
From this lens, moral good is that which stabilizes us—spiritually, emotionally, socially. It uplifts, restores, harmonizes.
Moral evil is that which destabilizes—it causes breakdown, chaos, suffering, fragmentation.
And herein lies the great danger: because evil often disguises itself as fun, freeing, or fashionable.
Alcohol. Drugs. Cigarettes. Vanity. Casual sex. Consumerism.
All of these offer temporary relief from the fear of death—the original wound.
It’s the old lie: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
Judaism says: Eat in moderation (except on Yom Tov 😉), drink l’chaim, and be merry--because we live forever.
The 51% Principle: Being Good EnoughSo what does it mean to be good enough?
According to the Rambam (Laws of Teshuvah 3:1–2):
“A person whose merits exceed his sins is righteous. A person whose sins exceed his merits is wicked… This judgment applies to individuals, cities, and the whole world. The weighing is not by number alone, but by magnitude… And only God knows how to weigh.”
This can sound simplistic—51% good and you’re in? But remember: 51% is not victory. It’s survival. As Rav Wurzburger shlit”a once said: A gosses—a person on their deathbed—is also still alive.
So yes, 51% is a passing grade. But it may be a life on spiritual life support.
The deeper question isn’t whether we’re perfect—it’s whether we’re trying. Whether we’re facing up, or spiraling down. A ben aliyah—a person moving upward—is righteous even with mistakes. A person coasting downward is not.
And as Rambam reminds us: we must consider ourselves a beinoni, always on the edge—so that every next choice matters.
What Makes Something Very Good?At the end of creation, the Torah says:
“And God saw all that He had made, and behold—it was very good.”
The word me’od—very—takes center stage here. Ramban again offers a brilliant interpretation:
“‘Very’ means ‘mostly.’ That is, creation as a whole was mostly good—even though some parts contain evil. But even that evil is ultimately good, because it is necessary for the preservation and perfection of the whole.”
Death itself, says the Midrash, is included in “very good.” So is the Yetzer Hara. So is punishment.
Why? Because these are the tools through which instability is repaired. They are part of the feedback loop that brings the world back into balance.
In other words: Even bad is good.
If it leads to growth. If we learn. If we get back up.
Good People Fall. Righteous People Get Up.“A righteous person falls seven times and rises again.” (Proverbs)
“There is no righteous person who does only good and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes)
Failure is part of the system. The true evil is not failing—it’s not learning.
Even Adam and Eve weren’t exiled from Eden because they ate from the tree.
They were exiled because they blamed others. They failed to take responsibility.
The Original Job DescriptionBefore the sin, Adam’s purpose was clear:
“And God took Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden to serve and protect it.” (Gen. 2:15)
To serve and protect--not dominate, not consume.
Adam’s task was to be a gardener, a shepherd, a caretaker. To bring stability and blessing to the world by acting like God: with kindness, justice, and truth.
Ramban, again quoting the Midrash, explains that Adam was made as a composite of the entire created world—earth, animal, soul. He was designed to connect up to God and down to creation. A conduit of consciousness. A channel of divine awareness.
“The soul of Adam is the candle of God.”
And that task is still ours.
Only now, the garden has become a jungle.
The Power of Choice and the Illusion of ControlTo “know” good and evil, in Torah, means to internalize them—to experience them bodily, like food. When Adam and Eve ate, they weren’t just violating a command. They were choosing ego over intimacy.
They became, as God says, “like one of Us”—self-aware, self-directing.
But also, therefore, mortal.
Why? Because when we choose independence from God, we cut ourselves off from the source of life. We’re still alive here, but we lose connection there. And that’s the real death.
Suicide, in Judaism, is forbidden not only because it’s murder—but because the soul doesn’t die. The pain doesn’t end. It simply continues unprocessed. There is no escape, only forward.
Reconnecting: The Breath of LifeThe Sages say:
“With every breath, praise God.”
The breath is our reconnection.
As Ramban said, the soul lives as long as the divine breath sustains it. Before the sin, that breath was continuous. Now, we must choose to draw it in.
Mitzvot, then, are not just ethical demands. They are instructions for living.
“Etz Chayim Hee – It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.”
And what is the most important instruction?
“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.” (Leviticus 19:18)
In other words: If you want to know Me, act like Me. Give. Love. Stabilize. Heal.
That is the definition of good.
Final Thought: Let’s Push God’s GPAAt the end of it all, the Torah says creation was “very good”--me’od, meaning mostly good. A God-made world that gets an “A” but not quite an A+.
Why?
Because it was left unfinished. We were given the task of completing it.
Maybe we’re here to tend the unstable, to heal the broken, to correct the rickety ladders of the world. To help push the Creator’s GPA up to Honors.
So if you’re struggling, know this: it’s part of the job.
If you’ve failed, get back up.
If you’ve sinned, grow from it.
Because even bad is good—if it brings you back.