It's Not All Grey - Good & Evil

It's not all gray.
By Rabbi Yossi Marrus

Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av
July 28, 2014

As a child when I would rush to judgment I would be told by my teachers and elders don't rush to judgment. It's not that simple. It's not black and white. Even as an adult it's not always simple. Sometimes things really are not black and white. It's what we call the gray area- that leaves some room for discussion and a proper balance.

As a sophisticated and educated society we do not like childish solutions to complex issues. Dogmatic and rigid ideologies are just not 21st century.

So, since the greatest American generation we have strived to educate our youth in a new, moral, and sophisticated fashion. Our universities are open to all types of discussions and opinions. We have rejected the ancient ways of our fathers and mothers and instead have opted for the ways of a new age. G-d is taboo. Prayers are for the old and infirm. Absolutes are for the simpleminded and uneducated.

Throughout the Torah it is fascinating to observe the realities that G-d sets forth. Right and Wrong. Good and Bad. Permitted and Forbidden.

Why you may ask? Why such harsh language in the Bible? Why not some gray area? Couldn't He leave some room for discussion?

Perhaps, G-d wanted that when things unfold in the world around us we should be able to identify some starch realities. Some things truly are BLACK and WHITE. There is EVIL and GOOD. And yes, it really is that simple.

The world has seemed to loose it's moral compass. It's all grey area they say. The answer is yes, there is some gray, but I'm not blind and BLACK and WHITE are just as I see them.