Создай и оцени

Будет ль мудрей человека убить
Живьем иль во чрева тьме?
R. Kipling, Macdonough's Song.

1. Our Rabbis taught: For two and a half years were Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel in dispute, the former asserting that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created, and the latter maintaining that it is better for man to have been created than not to have been created. They finally took a vote and decided that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created, but now that he has been created, let him investigate his past deeds or, as others say, let him examine his future actions. (Эрувин 13б)
( Read more... )

9. Человек – это инструмент самопознания Бога. Это ответ на вопрос зачем, или же чем лучше.

UPD. 10. R. Simon said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, came to create Adam, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties, some of them saying,'Let him be created/ whilst others urged, 'Let him not be created/ Thus it is written, Love and Truth fought together. Righteousness and Peace combated each other (Ps.LXXXV, n): Love said, 'Let him be created, because he will dispense acts of love'; Truth said, 'Let him not be created, because he is compounded of falsehood' ; Righteousness said, 'Let him be created, because he will perform righteous deeds; Peace said, 'Let him not be created, because he is full of strife.' What did the Lord do? He took Truth and cast it to the ground. Said the ministering
angels before the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Sovereign of the Universe ! Why dost Thou despise Thy seal? Let Truth arise from the earth!' Hence it is written, Let truth spring up from the earth (ib. 12). (Bereshit Rabbah 8:5 on Gen 1:26)

Из Мидраша следует, что спор, упоминаемый в Эрувин, может не быть непосредственно "о сотворении человека"; но о том, "что же лучше", т.е. какая из ангельских фракций предпочтительнее (опять же "объективно лучше", не "лучше для субъекта творения"). Тем самым Бейт Шаммай были на стороне Мира и Правды, т.е. важнее не делать зла (негативно); а Бейт Гиллель - на стороне Любви и Праведности, важнее творить добро (позитивно). Что является интересным, и несколько неожиданным, контекстом для интерпретации прочих споров этих школ.