Is Anyone Evil?

In a world that feels increasingly divided into stark categories of "good" and "evil," how should we confront the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses? While demanding institutional accountability is a crucial first step, Rabbi Alex Ozar argues it is not enough. In this thought-provoking episode, he challenges listeners to move beyond a purely defensive or reactive posture and adopt a more constructive, and profoundly Jewish, spiritual framework.

 

Drawing on a teaching from Maimonides (the Rambam), Rabbi Ozar proposes a counterintuitive idea: that for all practical purposes, there are no truly "evil" people, only "mediocre" ones—complex human beings who are a bundle of good deeds, bad deeds, and, most importantly, the potential for change. This perspective forces us to stop demonizing our opponents as inhuman monsters and instead see them as fellow humans who are tragically mistaken.

 

By embracing this difficult but powerful idea, we can unlock a new way of engaging. It allows us to hold people accountable for their harmful actions without closing the door on dialogue, growth, and the possibility of building a better world together.

 

In this episode, Rabbi Alex Ozar explores:

• The Limits of a Defensive Posture: Why simply reacting to antisemitic incidents, while necessary, will never solve the underlying problem.
• The Rambam's Radical Idea: An exploration of Maimonides' teaching that every living person should be considered a-beinoni;(an "in—betweener"), neither wholly righteous nor wholly wicked, and how this idea reframes our entire approach to conflict.
• A Path to a More Constructive Future: How viewing our opponents as human—flawed, responsible, but capable of change—empowers us to address the root causes of hate and actively work toward building a better, more understanding society.