GEN862 … the world is judged with goodness. Pirkei Avot III:19   …. Our Sages note that the Almighty foresaw Ishmael’s unworthy future; after all, He had Himself foretold it: “And he shall be a wild mule of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.” [this verse] Since the Almighty has an infinite knowledge of the future, He surely had in mind the fanatic, impassioned Islamic invasions of the past and the seething Arab hostility and marauding in the present. In His goodness, however, the Almighty considered Ishmael “where he is now”; He regarded the boy’s present condition alone: Never mind his future; judge the lad according to the goodness of the present hour, and now he is pleading and praying for his life. Now he is righteous.  Talmud Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah I,3; Genesis Rabbah LIII, 14; Exodus Rabbah III, 2; Midrash Tanhuma, Yayyetze 5; Miedrash T’hillim V,5. And when someone’s past or future bespeaks goodness, that will serve to weigh the scales in his favor.  Jeremiah declares to the people Israel in the name of the Almighty, ‘I remember for you [or about your] the loving devotion of your youth … how you followed Me in the wilderness, in an unsown [desolate] land.” Jeremiah 2:2 True, at the present moment you are not worthy, but I recall your past goodness. By the same token the Torah forbade us to attack the nations of Moab and Ammon Deuteronomy 2:19, 19 because, as the Sages explain, Ruth the princess of Moab Talmud Nazir 23b, Midrash Rabbah, Ruth II was destined to embrace Judaism and become in time the great-grandmother of Kind David, while from Ammon would come Naamah, wife of Solomon and other of Rehoboam. I Kings 14:21, 31; II Chronicles 12:13. Talmud Baba Kamma 38b.  This is perhaps the secret underlying reason that mankind continues to exist despite so much evil in its actions day after day, year after year, century after century. “The world is judge for its good,” be that good in the past, present, or the future.  We can also interpret this phrase to mean that “the world is judged for the sake of the good,” or “for a good purpose.” If the Almighty must sometimes punish or chastise someone, He does so for the person’s own good and benefit.   There was once a great Hassidic rabbi whose gabbai (secretary, attendant) would always find fault with the master’s disciples.   He would constantly complain to the rabbi that this fellow kept his store open too late before the onset of the Sabbath on Friday evening, another was guilt of talebearing, a third was not too careful to eat strictly kosher food. The rabbi could not tolerate the constant criticism, and voiced his displeasure in no uncertain terms.   One hassid (disciple) overhead him. “Why do you object?” he asked the rabbi in perplexity.   “After all, do you not also criticize and find fault with us in your sermons? What does it matter if the gabbai criticizes us too?” The rabbi replied: “The difference between us is the difference between a home owner and a cat. Both the home owner and the cat strongly desire to rid the house of mice.   The difference, however, is that the owner is happy when there are no mice; the cat is happy when she catches mice. Similarly, I am happy when there is no longer any sin.   My gabbai seems to be happy when he catches sinners.”   The Almighty judges the world for the sake of goodness. He is happy when there is no sin.   SINAI1 328-9

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GEN865 Our duty as Jews is clear: to hallow God before all men by doing good. To act otherwise, is to profane the conception of Jewish divinity. Judaism has set its face sternly against any manifestation of extremism, whether religious asceticism or pagan hedonism. Any lip-service to a cause was denounced, and a formal action when divorced from moral content received the lash of condemnation. Our prayers were called by the Rabbis “the service of the heart” (avodah she’ballev). Sotah 31a.  Torah, wrongly translated by the Greeks as nomos (Law), literally means ethical teaching upon all the relations of life. To do one pious act out of love for God was considered more meritorious than to perform many out of fear, declared one Rabbi. Similarly, it is not the number of precepts a Jews fulfills that matters as much as how he performs them. Berachot 5b   The Torah is clear upon the responsibilities that devolve upon the Jewish life. [this verse; Jeremiah 31:33] Man is not born a sinner; he descends to that state of his own volition. He can ascend again to the Godly life by his resolve to break from evil. “Behold, this only have I found that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 LEHRMAN 171-2

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GEN864 Or, “whole.” See [[GEN876]] Genesis 17:10 circumcised SINAI3 37

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GEN863 It was taught: Rabbi [R. Judah Hanasi] said: “Great is the mitzvah of circumcision, for there was no one who performed mitzvoth as our father Abraham did, and yet he was called “perfect” only by virtue of having circumcised himself, as it is written: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect,” immediately after which it is written: “And I shall place My covenant [of circumcision] between Me and you”’” Nedarim 32a  TEMIMAH-GEN 71

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GEN866 R. Hoshea said: “If one perfects himself, he is granted success, as it is written: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect,” after which it is written: ‘And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.’” Nedarim 32a   TEMIMAH-GEN 72

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GEN867 Rabbi [R. Judah Hanasi] said: “Great is the mitzvah of circumcision, for with all the mitzvoth that Abraham performed, he was not considered perfect until he circumcised himself, as it is written [in respect to circumcision]: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect’” Nedarim 31b   TEMIMAH-GEN 71

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GEN868 It is this all-encompassing Torah principle of בדרכיו והלכת   [walking in His ways] concerning emulation of the ways and attributes of the Creator, which is the great central motif around which we must pattern all of our attitudes and all of our efforts concerning character development and ethical self-improvement. In his commentary on Genesis the Sforno renders expression to the exceedingly far-reaching significance of this concept as the most fundamental principle in regard to the development of the total Torah personality. Thus, on the words of the Almighty to Avraham … Walk before Me and be perfect [this verse], the Sforno remarks, “Attain the greatest perfection possible for a human being, to understand and know Me, Jeremiah 9:23 Radak commentary, through knowledge of My ways, and through emulating Me as much as is possible for you.   For in truth, the deeds of everything that exists serve as a reflection of its essence. [i.e., Therefore, we can know the Almighty through our knowledge of His attributes and His deeds.] As Moshe Rabbeinu said, “Pray, let me know Your ways, that I might know You.” Exodus 33:13 This is the ultimate perfection for the human race, and this is the purpose of the Eternal, be He blessed, in Creation, as it says “Let us make man, in our image [With a spark of eternal intellect, See Rashi, Sforno], after our [Whose behavior is performed with knowledge and bechirah – free choice. See Sforno] likeness.” [Rabbeinu Ovadiah Sforno (1470-1550) on Genesis 17:1].   In a similar vein, Maimonides stipulates that it is an affirmative Torah commandment for each individual to attempt to emulate the attributes of the Almighty.   “We were commanded to emulate the Almighty as much as possible. This is what is meant by the verse, You shall walk in His ways. Deuteronomy 28:9 The commandment is repeated in another verse, as it says “To walk in all His ways.” Deuteronomy 11:22.   For similar verses, see Deuteronomy 8:6, 10:12; 14:5; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16. The repetition of this phrase a number of times in the Torah, reinforces the significance of this concept.]   This was explained in the Sifrei to mean, “Just as the Almighty is referred to as merciful, Exodus 34:6; Psalms 145:8, so, too, shall you be merciful; just as the Almighty is referred to as compassionate, ibid. so, too, shall you be compassionate; just as the Almighty is referred to as righteous, Psalms 145:17, 11:7, so, too, shall you be righteous; just as the Almighty is referred to as saintly Psalms 145:17, Jeremiah 3:12, So, too shall you be saintly.” Rambam, Sefer Hamitazvos, Mitzvas Asei 8.  FENDEL 5-6

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GEN869 Purity was the special quality of Avraham Avinu, a”h – he rectified all the internal forces that are part and parcel of the body. As the midrash states (Bereshis Rabbah 46:3): “HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to Avraham, ‘There is no impurity within you save for he foreskin (orlah), remove it and eliminate your blemish – “Walk before Me and be perfect.” [this verse].’” Similarly, we read (Bereshis Rabbah 11:6), “Everything that came into being during the six days of Creation requires improvement – for example, the mustard see needs to be sweetened…even man needs rectification.”  … [Footnote of Rav Yisrael (Salanter):] this idea clarifies the Midrash (Bereshis Rabbah 30:10): “The verse states, ‘Noach walked with God’ (Genesis 6:9).   Rav Yehudah said: This may be likened to a king who had two sons – one an adult and the other a child. To the child he said, “Walk with me,’ but to the adult he said, ‘Come and walk before me.’ Similarly, to Avraham, whose strength was great, [He said] ‘Walk before Me and be perfect’ [this verse]. However, to Noach, whose strength was weak, [the Torah says,] ‘Noach walked with God.’”   Since Noach (according to his level) was not commanded concerning bris milah, he did not have the ability to achieve true rectification.   Rather, the level he reached, with the help of Heaven, was that of subduing his evil inclination. As Chazal state Sukkah 52b: “A person’s [evil] inclination intensifies itself over him every day, and if not for the help of KaKadosh Baruch Hu, man would not be able to overcome it” (see the text). This is the meaning of the verse: “Noach walked with God.” On the other hand, after Avraham removed his blemish (his foreskin), all the forces of his personality were rectified. Therefore, he was able to proceed on his own, to observe the way of Hashem “with heartfelt gladness, like one who walks with a flute” Isaiah 30:29. This is the meaning of the verse, “Walk before Me.”   OHRYIS 308-9

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GEN870 See [[GEN767]] Genesis 12:1 go LOC 62-3

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GEN871 What is signified by “after you”? The Holy One Blessed be He said to Abraham: “Do not marry a gentile woman or a maidservant, so that your children not be accounted hers [as is the halachah] Yevamot 100b   TEMIMAH-GEN 73

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