עברית
Faith
Who is the Devil, Really?
Question
Hello, I have a question about a topic I do not understand well enough—what is the Devil, really? Our spiritual belief in spiritual matters is only in the Creator of the world, who is above matter and time (and angels or if there are other things—I would appreciate it if you could elaborate so I can gain understanding). But where does this belief (if we can even call it belief) come from that there exists another spiritual being called Satan? Where did Satan come from and how was he created? Is he also part of Hashem's creation in the world, but simply invisible? Because as I understand it, we do not believe in multiple spiritual forces fighting each other; we do not believe that Satan is a kind of spiritual being that fights against the Creator because we believe there is only one spiritual entity that rules the world and all of existence, which is Hashem. If so, what exactly is Satan? Who is he, what is his role, and what is the explanation for him and the things he does? Thank you very much.
Answer
With Hashem's help
Hello and blessings,
The Satan you describe is the imaginary Satan invented by Christians.
Christians were once Roman idol worshippers, and therefore they depicted Satan in their imagination as some kind of powerful figure acting independently and fighting against the Creator, but of course, there is no place for such childish belief in Judaism.
The fundamental belief of Judaism is: 'For Hashem is the Creator and Leader of all creations, and He alone created, creates, and will create all actions.'
And thus it is clearly stated in the Bible: 'Creator of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of peace and Creator of evil; I, Hashem, do all these things' (Isaiah 45:7).
The word 'angel' in the Torah means a messenger. All of Hashem's angels are messengers doing Hashem's will.
The word 'Satan' in the Prophets does not refer to a specific angel, but is a general term for any agent sent to cause harm, even a disease or a wicked person:
'And now Hashem my God has put me at ease; there is no Satan and no evil impending' (1 Kings 5:18),
'And Hashem raised up a Satan against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite from the royal line of Edom' (1 Kings 11:14),
The Book of Job is the first source that describes Satan as an angel known by that name—whose role is to test people with severe trials. However, it certainly does not describe Satan as an independent being, but rather as an additional angel in the kingdom of Hashem acting according to His will. Hashem guides Satan regarding Job: 'And Hashem said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only do not lay a hand on him' (Job 1:12).
In fact, Satan is another angel who acts according to the command given to him, and cannot rebel against Hashem. He is merely a messenger to cause harm in the world, which is why he is called by his function.
In deep understanding, Satan has no form or place; rather, he describes the way Hashem punishes sinners with suffering, with the goal of bringing them to repentance and atoning for their sins. Try to think of Satan as a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon!
For this reason, the evil inclination within us is also known as Satan, and our sages said regarding Satan that he has different roles in our world:
'He is Satan, he is the evil inclination, he is the Angel of Death' (Baba Batra 16a).
The evil inclination is an evil designed to serve the divine good and lead to it. As our sages said:
'If not for the evil inclination, no man would build a house, marry a wife, have children, or trade' (Genesis Rabbah 89).
This means that Satan's role is, in fact, for purpose and benefit, aimed at improving creation.
Even when Satan is sent to test us, it is done for the sake of our souls. In the Book of Zohar (Part 2, 263a), there is a parable about a king who wishes to test his son, and therefore sends him a prostitute to lead him into sin. When the son stands firm in this test, he is awarded great honor from the king. The prostitute in the parable is Satan, sent by Hashem to test us with the goal of increasing our reward in the World to Come.
But in the World to Come, there is of course no place for Satan's role:
'...And what evil shall not come near you, teaches that this is what David said before Hashem, Master of the Universe, let there be no evil near you; and evil is none other than Satan and the evil inclination, as it is stated: For the inclination of man's heart is evil, and just as there is no evil inclination in the domains of Hashem, so Israel will one day not have Satan, nor the Angel of Death, nor the evil inclination' (Letters of Rabbi Akiva).
With the coming of the complete redemption, there will be no evil inclination in the world, nor will there be a need for atoning suffering, as stated by the Prophets:
'They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea' (Isaiah 11:9).
Therefore, our sages said that Satan will be slaughtered with the coming of the redemption, meaning he will complete his role in the world (Sukkah 52a):
'In the future to come, Hashem will bring the evil inclination and slaughter it before the righteous and the wicked. The righteous will see it as a high mountain, and the wicked will see it as a hair's breadth. The former will weep, saying, how could we have conquered such a high mountain? And the latter will weep, saying: how could we not have overcome such a minor thing?'
Sincerely,
Daniel Bles
