DECENCY IS UP TO US
“At the moment of conception,” says the Talmud, “an angel takes a drop of semen from which the child will be formed, and brings it before God. ‘Master of the Universe, what shall be the fate of this drop?’ asks the angel. ‘Will it develop into a strong person or a weak one? A wise person or a fool? A wealthy person or a poor one?'” Whether the person will be wicked or righteous, this he does not ask. Why not? Why doesn’t the angel ask God if the soon-to-be formed person will be wicked or righteous? Why not? Because the rabbis believed something that neuroscientists and psychologists have made unfashionable. The rabbis believed that we, not our genetic makeup, not our environment, not even God–are responsible for our moral choices. Our decency, is up to us. From Rabbi Steve Leder
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