What Constitutes Good in His Eyes?

Category: Noahide Laws

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We are following Moses’ First two of the Ten Commandments that constitute the IDOLATRY Commandment. It says: 

The First of Moses’ Ten Commandments 
1. ”I Am (Essence)
2. YHVH your ELoKIM (Attributes) 
3. Who took you out of Egypt land” (His deeds, Kingship)  ////////////////////Man/////////////////////
The Second of Moses’ Ten Commandments: 
”Thou shall not have another G-d, over my face, 
Thou shall not make yourself any carved idol (statue) or any image
of anything in the Heavens above and in the Earth underneath, 
and in the waters that are under the Earth. 
Thou shall not bow to them and shall not serve them…”

Last class we learned about ELoKiM, the Attribute of Judgment. At creation, we’ve said, the Infinite, indescribable CREATOR who is beyond our conception, ‘set’ on the Throne of Judgment. He ‘wore’ the cloak of a JUDGE while creating the Universe. In other words, the Universe was created to stand a Judgment, a trial. And we, of course, are a part of this comprehensive judgment.  Last class we also counted the ‘features’ of ELoKiM’s Judgment. In other words, we studied the ways He rules the world. Toda y we’ll follow the text and ask: What is GOOD in ELoKiM eyes? The opportunity arrives to answer that question from the text of Genesis Chapter One. As we can see, ELoKiM judged every Day as it says: 

“And ELoKiM saw that it is GOOD, and there was an evening and there was a morning, One Day” (or third Day, fourth Day and so on)

Thus at the end of each Day (apart from the second) ELoKiM passed a judgment on the passing Day that He had just finished, to see whether or not it was GOOD. Thus we can ask: what exactly does it take to be deemed GOOD in ELoKiM’s eyes? 

The commentaries offer several explanations for the term GOOD. We should look at all of them as valid. The Torah is often likened to a diamond whose beauty depends on the different slanted surfaces that send sparkles all over. So is every verse in the Torah. You should polish it from different angles to bring forth its beauty. You can’t define what is GOOD in ELoHiM’s eyes by just one aspect. You need to observe it from ‘seventy’ faces, to see its beauty in full. So here are seven explanations of what constitute ‘GOOD’ in ELoHiM’s eyes:  1. ELoKiM was ‘pleased.’ 
The term ‘GOOD’ can simply mean that ELoKiM was ‘feeling good,’ that He was pleased with His work. In fact, Kabala says that the most primordial reason for CREATION is the CREATOR’S wish to Feel GOOD (nachat ruach.) Man’s tasks, as we’ll see, is to make Him feel VERY GOOD about us.  2: GOOD means COMPLIED with His Law 
Another explanation of the term GOOD relates to ELoKiM as a JUDGE. He deems a Day as ‘GOOD’ if it has complied with His Natural Laws. Hence any item that has not complied with His wish was deemed NOT GOOD and eliminated at the end of the Day.  An exception was the trees. ELoKiM told them to bring forth fruits, yet they developed a hard ‘skin,’ kelipah. ELoKiM then decided to allow their ‘skin’ to stay. In Kabala, the term kelipa has come to be used as a metaphor for anything that has rebelled against ELoHiM and survived. The kelipa stands for our bad drives that lead us away from G-d.  3: GOOD is Viable, Endurable
The term “GOOD” also means ‘viable’, enduring, strong. For instance, when the daughter of Pharaoh first saw Moses floating in an ark over the River Nile, she saw that the baby was ‘good.’ It means the baby was healthy, viable, and would survive. 4: GOOD is strong 
ELoKiM is perceived here as a Builder of a Six Floor building, the Six Days of CREATION. At the end of each Day, the Builder checks the last Floor whether or not it is strong and viable and ready to enter another Day. He checks to see whether or not the Floor is capable of supporting another Floor on top of it. If the Floor is NOT GOOD, the Builder would eliminate it and start it all over again.  This explains why ELoKiM passed a judgment each Day (apart from the second) at the junction between the passing Day and the new, coming Day. He judged whether or not to allow the items to enter the next Day.  Thus creatures are good, if they can support the next Day. The Third Day’s Vegetation was deemed GOOD, because they would serve the fish, birds and cattle which were born later. The Cattle were GOOD since they would support the BEASTS, and so on.  This applies also to Man. At the end of our Sixth Day we will be judged whether or not we would be ready to enter the next, Seventh Day, which is the Eternal Sabbath. If Man is deemed NOT GOOD in ELoKIM’s eyes, He would terminate us, as He had done to many creatures before us.  5: GOOD means it fits His Plan 
‘GOOD’ also means ‘fit.’ ELoKiM the Builder finds the passing Day to be GOOD if it fits His Master Plan for the entire Building. CREATION therefore did not happen at random, but rather according to a Plan.  6: ‘GOOD’ means ‘beautiful.’ 
“GOOD” also means “good to the eye,” or beautiful. Here lies the notion that the CREATOR is not only a JUDGE, a BUILDER, a KING and a FATEHR. He is also an ARTIST. This aspect of being GOOD was promoted by Abraham, as we’ll see in due course.  7: GOOD means Love
To be good in someone’s eyes it also means in Hebrew to be loved. Hence ELoKiM loved the Days as He created them. Would this notion take a place in the story? Wait and see! 

Whereas in all the Days of Creation ELoKiM was satisfied if He found them to be good, with the Advent of Adam He raised his yardstick and demanded it to be Very Good. Thus at the end of the Sixth Day, just after the creation of Adam, it says:

“And ELoKIm saw everything that He had done and behold, it was Very Good.”

What does it take to be deemed Very Good in ELoKIm’s eyes? On that we’ll learn later. 
The next question that we should discuss is this: if ELoKIm stands for the truth, does the story of CREATION as told by Moses reflect the Truth? 

This article was originally posted at http://www.noahidesevencommandments.com/type.asp?iType=32