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Judaism regards the violation of any of the613 commandments as a sin. Judaism teaches that to sin is a part of life, since there is no perfect human and everyone has aninclination to do evil "from youth", though people are born sinless.[1] Sin has many classifications and degrees.
Unintentional sins are considered less severe sins. Sins committed out of lack of knowledge are not considered sins.[2][3]
When theTemple yet stood in Jerusalem, people would offerkorbanot (sacrifices) for their misdeeds. The atoning aspect of korbanot is carefully circumscribed. For the most part,korbanot only expiate unintentional sins committed as a result of human forgetfulness or error. No atonement is needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge, and for the most part,korbanot cannot atone for malicious, deliberate sin. In addition,korbanot have no expiating effect unless the person making the offering sincerelyrepents of his or her actions before making the offering, and makes restitution to any person(s) harmed by the violation.[2][3]
The Hebrew Bible uses several words to describe sin. The standard noun for sin isḥeṭ (verb:hata), meaning to "miss the mark" or "sin".[4] The wordavon is often translated as "iniquity", i.e. a sin done out of moral failing.[5] The wordpesha, or "trespass", means a sin done out of rebelliousness.[6] The wordresha refers to an act committed with a wicked intention.[7] In several Biblical verses, a person confesses to several such categories of sin one after the other.[8]
According to the rabbis, these terms refer to sins of different severities:ḥeṭ refers to unintentional sin,avon to intentional sin (not done to defy God), andpesha to rebellion.[9] A person is responsible for each of these sins, though least responsible for unintentional sins and most responsible for sins of defiance and rebellion. Situation in which there is no responsibility includeoness (one was forced to commit a sin by factors beyond their control);tinok shenishba (a person who was raised in an environment that was assimilated or non-Jewish, and is not aware of the proper Jewish laws); andheresh, shoteh, katan (deaf-mute, insane, minor - people who are presumed not to have mental capacity to understand their sin).
A term for sin often used in rabbinic Hebrew, but not appearing in the Bible, isaveira (meaning "transgression"). The related phrasela'avor brito ("to transgress His covenant") does appear in the Bible.[10]
Judaism rejects the idea oforiginal sin: it believes that humans enter the world pure, with the ability to choose either good or evil via theirfree will.[11] A person always has the power to avoid sin and its negative effects.[12] Due to free will, goodness is not impossible, only difficult at times. This ability to choose freely is what makes humans responsible for those sins they do commit.[13]
The Bible states that the tendency of the mind is to evil: "For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"[14] However, in the biblical verses this is brought as an argument for divine mercy, as humans cannot be blamed for the nature they were created with. Therefore God in His mercy allowed people torepent and beforgiven.[13]God is said to temperjustice withmercy, and to follow theThirteen Attributes of Mercy in order to forgive sins.[15]
Judaism teaches that humans contain ayetzer, or human instinct. Many sources speak of both ayetzer hatov ("good inclination") and ayetzer hara ("evil inclination") in the human soul.[16] Theyetzer hatov is conceptualized in different sources as a tendency towards goodness, productivity, or concern for others, while theyetzer hara is conceptualized as a tendency towards evil, selfishness, or base or animal behavior. In some sources the character ofSatan, too, is equated with the human psychological inclination for evil (in contrast to thefallen angel of traditional Christianity).[17] People have the ability to master their evil inclination (Genesis 4:7) and choose good over evil (Psalm 37:27).[18]
Being a psychological inclination, the rabbis saw positive aspects even in theyetzer hara: without it, humans would not be motivated to marry, bear children, or conduct business (as these activities are often motivated by lust or greed).[19] A similar attitude appears inHillel's famous statement: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I?"[20]
According to theTalmud, just four individuals in all of history never sinned: "Benjamin, son of Jacob;Amram, father of Moses;Jesse, father of David; andChileab, son of David".[21] By implication, the great heroes of the Bible - including Jacob, Moses, and David, mentioned in this very passage - did sin, as does every other person in history. In fact, the wholeTanakh is full of references to sins committed by leading people, which teaches that no one is perfect, everyone stands in trials/tests, and people should try their best to learn from their own mistakes.
In Judaism, a person is not judged in comparison to an ideal of no sin, or in comparison to great figures like Moses, but rather in comparison to their own personal potential, given their abilities and circumstances.[22] This idea is exemplified by the following story:
Zusha, the greatChassidic master, lay crying on his deathbed. His students asked him, "Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the mitzvot and good deeds you have done, you will surely get a great reward in heaven!". "I'm afraid!" said Zusha. "Because when I get to heaven, I know God's not going to ask me 'Why weren't you more like Moses?' or 'Why weren't you more like King David?' But I'm afraid that God will ask 'Zusha, why weren't you more like Zusha?' And then what will I say?!"[22]
Jews recognize two kinds of sin, offenses against other people, and offenses against God.[23] As such, in Judaism the term "sin" includes violations ofJewish law that are not necessarily a lapse in morality.
According to some sources, sins between people are considered more severe than sins between man and God, as the very purpose of the Torah is to prevent suffering.[a] Other sources say it is impossible to determine the relative severity of different sins.[b]
A story is told of two Jews who visited theirrebbe, seeking advice regarding sins they had committed. One had committed a large sin which seemed unforgivable, while the other was less worried, only being guilty of the usual variety of minor sins. The rebbe told them to go outside and collect stones corresponding to the number and magnitude of their sins, and then to scatter those stones again in the field. Having accomplished this, they returned to the rebbe who told them to gather the scattered stones. He who had committed a single large sin found his large stone easily, while he who had committed many sins had trouble identifying and collecting all of his stones. The rebbe stated that the stones were comparable to sins: "You who committed a great sin was aware of having sinned, and with sincere repentance can repent. But you who committed many minor sins will find it hard to catch up with your sins until you realize that even small deeds matter."[12]
Offenses against God may be understood as violation of the contract, orcovenant, between God and Israelites. The Bible records several such covenants, by which the Israelites committed to obey God's commands, and in return God promised to reward them.[30] As such, disobeying God's commands would constitute a breach of the covenant.[31] Similarly, the poem ofJeremiah 2:1–3:5 shows evidence of a covenant broken by Israel.[32]
Sforno suggests thatLeviticus 4:22, which discusses a leader who has sinned, begins with the term "when" (rather than "if") in order to imply that leaders - being powerful and wealthy people - will almost inevitably sin. This Torah verse concludes with the words "realizes his guilt" because it is essential that powerful people acknowledge and feel remorse for their sin, lest they sin again.[33]
In Judaism one is not only permitted but required to perform most sins, if necessary in order to save human life. This principle is calledpikuach nefesh. The only exceptions are thethree exceptional sins (murder, idolatry, and sexual misconduct), which one must die rather than commit.
Divine reward and punishment is a central belief in Judaism, according to which God rewards the righteous and punishes sinners for their deeds. Such punishment may occur in this world (for example by receiving a bad harvest), or in the afterlife.[34] The issue oftheodicy is discussed in the Bible as well as rabbinic literature; according to one rabbinic opinion, mostly-righteous individuals are punished in this world for the sins they have committed, in order that they may be purely rewarded in the World to Come.[35]
During the time of theTemple, Jewish courts punished certain sins with varying forms of punishment depending on the exact sin, as depicted in the Torah. These punishments included lashes, fines, and execution. After the destruction of thesecond Temple and theSanhedrin, physical punishments were no longer given due to the necessity of the Sanhedrin for their execution.
Judaism describes various means of receiving atonement for sin, that is, reconciliation with God and release from punishment. The main method of atonement is viarepentance. Other means (e.g. Temple sacrifices, judicial punishments, and returning stolen property) may be involved in the atonement process, together with repentance.
