Kindness and Severity (Evolution)

The coming-into-existence of the human race depended on two things: That the Universe provided everything necessary for life to exist; and, that the Universe made survival difficult. Had conditions for life been unfailingly favorable, there would have been no survival advantage for the complex creature over protein soup. There would have been no engine for the process of evolution. The opposable thumb and a large brain would have provided no advantage over the worm or the cockroach. (It is still debatable whether the human species has a survival advantage over the cockroach.) Unfailingly favorable conditions would have blocked our emergence almost as surely as completely deadly conditions. It is the strange mixture of that which supports life and that which thwarts life that resulted in the human race coming into being.

In Kabbalah, that aspect of Reality that is favorable, gracious, and nurturing is called “Hesed.” Hesed is like G-d’s right arm, if one could say so. The opposite principle to “Hesed” is called “Gevurah” meaning “severity.” Gevurah is the principle that restrains the unlimited outflow of Hesed. It is a principle of judgement, definition, and limitation. If Hesed is the right arm, Gevurah is the left. Human beings enjoy the experience of Hesed much more, naturally, and so from our point of view Hesed is better. The Kabbalists are clear, however, that unrestrained Hesed would wash us away, making our existence as self-aware creatures impossible. Hesed alone cannot sustain human life, only the mixture of Hesed and Gevurah, with the balance tipping toward Hesed. Obstacles, dangers, scarcity, injury, illness and mortality are all extremely unpleasant to us, but without them we could not be and would not continue to develop.

I mention the interplay of Hesed and Gevurah, not as if I believe in it as a dogma, and certainly not just because it is mentioned in Kabbalah. I find meaning in the symbol because it is true to my experience of life. I experience life as gracious and harsh, as nurturing and threatening, and this symbol helps me make some sense of it. It helps me to endure some of the more gevuradik episodes of my life and the lives of those I love, to be able to put the Gevurah in perspective against the Hesed and against the ultimately beneficial result.

If G-d loves us, He has infinitely more patience than I do for the realization of His loving aims. He is willing to have innocent and tender people suffer and perish so that the human race can stumble toward fulfillment. Though I can somewhat put the gevuradik side of life in perspective and see its necessity, I really don’t have the stomach for it. It disturbs me about G-d that He does. (Of course I am being absurdly anthropomorphic.) I don’t know if there could be any other way to achieve life in all its fullness than with such immense suffering. I am going to have to admit that as far as I know, there isn’t any other way. Ours may well be the best of all possible universes. In any case, it’s the way things are. Yehi shem haShem mevorakh. (Job 1:21)