At the end of the flood, Noah left the ark and offered sacrifices to G-d, Bereshit 8:20. 8:21 records G-d’s response: “The Lord smelled the pleasing odor, and the Lord said to Himself, ‘Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man’s mind are evil from his youth; (ki yetser lev ha-adam ra me-neurav) nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done (JPS translation, Sarna 1989).”
The phrase “the devisings of man are evil” is difficult within the overall story of the flood. Cassuto (1964, p.120, see also Hizkuni) notes that the phrase has been understood to mean that since man is by nature evil, man cannot be responsible for his actions. This clemency would explain the two promises of 8:21 that the earth will not be cursed again due to mankind and that there will never again be universal retribution upon humanity. However, the idea that man is evil not only appears after the flood in 8:21, but also before the flood. 6:5 records, “The Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time.” As Sarna (1989, p.59) notes the repetition of the evil of man’s mind “makes for an inclusion, or envelope structure,” from the beginning to the end of the flood narrative. Yet, Sarna also notes the difficulty of this repetition since in 6:5 the idea that man’s thoughts were evil was apparently the reason for the flood while the same idea in 8:21 is apparently a justification for why there will be no future destruction either of mankind or of the earth.
The phrase “the devisings of man’s mind are evil” also seems to be in disaccord with the beginning of 8:21 which records that G-d smelled the pleasing odor of Noah’s sacrifices. It is clear that G-d’s smelling is an anthropomorphic term, and that the verse is just telling us that G-d approved the sacrifices, see Ibn Ezra on 8:21. Yet, how can the idea that G-d was pleased relate to the idea that the “devisings of man’s mind are evil?” Furthermore, Noah seems to have acted in a positive manner, yet we are then told that man’s mind always thinks evil thoughts.
Finally, the phrase “the devisings of man’s mind are evil” is also difficult as a general description of mankind independent of the textual issues. Is man intrinsically good or not? Most people would want to believe yes, as who wants to think of themselves as evil? Also, why would G-d create mankind if by nature man is evil? Also, after the creation of man, G-d declared that everything was good, 1:31, yet how could that be if man is evil?
Yehuda Nachshoni (1987, p.31) quotes the Bina la-Ettim (R. Azarya Figo, Venice, 1579-1647) that 8:21 refers to the evil desire, which can have a positive aspect in causing man to develop his world. This idea is based on a comment by Nahman in R. Shmuel's name (Bereshit Rabbah 9:7 on Bereshit 1:31) who states that man was considered very good because he was created with the evil desire. The Midrash explains that if there was no evil desire, then no man would build a house, take a wife and beget children. Thus, G-d had to create mankind with this evil desire for the world to exist. The Bina la-Ettim suggests that before the flood, the evil desire was only used for evil, but after the flood, when Noah offered his sacrifices then the evil desire was being used for good. Yet, how can Noah's sacrifices be considered as emanating from his evil desire?
The term yester in 8:21 should be understood based on Adam Smith's invisible hand, see Ohrenstein and Gordon, 1992, pp.35-45. Adam Smith wrote in the Wealth of Nations, (1776, p.423), “He (any person) generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it… He intends only for his own gain, and he is in this… led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.” The idea of the invisible hand is that even though man is selfish still in a competitive market the selfishness leads to the most efficient outcome.
The reference to man's evil nature in 6:5 and 8:21 is to man’s selfishness, which can prompt mankind to act evil but also can cause man to act good. In 6:5, mankind's selfishness prompted man to act wickedly, but in 8:21 the same selfishness prompted Noah to offer sacrifices. Why did Noah offer sacrifices when he left the ark? Cassuto explain that it was to thank G-d for saving him. It was Noah’s selfish instincts to want to survive and the satisfaction of his instincts led him to thank G-d, a good deed. Yet, this was a selfish act since he was thanking G-d that he was saved, as opposed to the other people who were killed.
Man’s selfishness is a test. One can be concerned about good causes and then selfishness is “a good thing” or one’s selfishness can lead one to run amuck and then it is negative. Due to this second possibility, there was a need for laws to suppress the negative consequences of man’s selfishness. The introduction of laws is the new situation after the flood. Prior to the flood, mankind existed without any laws, but after the flood there would be laws, 9:4-6, which hopefully would prevent the wickedness that existed prior to the flood from re-occurring. (Possibly, G-d did not just start the world with laws to answer the anarchist’s (Rousseau's) claim that the world would be better with no laws. G-d initially allowed the world to exist with no laws and it was a disaster.)
When 6:5-8 records that the world was to be destroyed but Noah was to live, this meant that the world was to be destroyed in order to start the world again. Yet, the conditions in the world were to be changed because the new world would have a system of laws. The flood was to enable the world to start anew, with a new set of conditions. 8:21, the envelope of 6:5, is telling the reader that man's selfishness can be used for good, and G-d states that He will not destroy the world again since man can be good. The question is just how to increase the chance that man's selfish nature would lead to good outcomes and this is through the laws that follow. Furthermore, with the introduction of laws, there was no reason to destroy humanity or the world again (8:21, 9:1) in order to establish a new system.
In conclusion, 8:21 is telling us that man is intrinsically selfish from birth, which is usually considered a negative characteristic, but it can lead a person to be good. It remains to one’s education and the laws to encourage the positive aspects of selfishness to assert itself.
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