זוהר, בראשית צ״זZohar, Bereshit 97

Segment 1א׳

וַיַּרְא יְיָ כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וְכָל יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבּוֹ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח (תהילים ה׳:ה׳) כִּי לא אֵל חָפֵץ רֶשַׁע אָתָּה לֹא יְגוּרְךָ רָע. הַאי קְרָא אִתְּמָר וְאוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָלתָּא חֲזֵי, מַאן דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בְּיֵצֶר הָרָע וְאִתְמָשִׁיךְ אֲבַתְרֵיהּ וְיִסְתָּאַב הוּא וִיסָאֲבוּן לֵיהּ כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר.

AND THE LORD SAW THAT THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS VERY GREAT IN THE EARTH, AND THAT EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY. R. Judah quoted in this connection the verse: For thou art not a God who hath pleasure in wickedness, evil shall not sojourn with thee (Ps. 5, 5). He said: ‘One lesson that may be derived from this verse is that if a man cleaves to the evil imagination and follows after it, not only does he defile himself thereby, but he is led further into defilement, as has already been stated.

Segment 2ב׳

כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם, כָּל בִּישִׁין הֲווּ עָבְדֵי, וְלָא אִשְׁתְּלִים חוֹבַיְיהוּ עַד דְּהֲווּ אוֹשְׁדִין דָּמִין לְמַגָּנָא עַל אַרְעָא. וּמָאן אִנּוּן דְּהֲווּ מְחַבְּלִין אָרְחַיְיהוּ עַל אַרְעָא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב רַק רַע כָּל הַיּוֹם. כְּתִיב הָכָא רַק רַע וּכְתִיב הָתָם (לא יגורך רע, וכתיב) (בראשית ל״ח:ז׳) וַיְהִי עֵר בְּכוֹר יְהוּדָה רַע בְּעֵינִי יְיָ.

The men of the time of the Flood committed all kinds of sin, but the measure of their guilt was not full until they wasted their blood (i.e. seed) upon the ground. We know this from the fact that the word ra’ (evil) is used here, and also in the verse, “and Er the son of Judah was evil (ra‘) in the sight of the Lord” (Gen. 38, 7).’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְכִי רָע לָאו אִיהוּ רָשָׁע. אָמַר לֵיהּ, לָא. רָשָׁע אֲפִלּוּ אָרִים יְדֵיהּ לְגַבֵּי חַבְרֵיהּ, אַף עַל גַּב דְּלָא עָבִיד לֵיהּ מִידִי אִקְרֵי רָשָׁע. כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (שמות ב׳:י״ג) וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ. הִכִּיתָ לָא כְּתִיב אֶלָּא תַכֶּה.

Said R. Jose: ‘Is not evil (ra’) the same as “wickedness” (resha’)?’ He said: ‘No. A man is called “wicked” (rasha’) if he merely lifts his hand against his neighbour without doing him any harm, as it is written, “And he said to the wicked one (rasha’), why wilt thou smite thy neighbour?”, the future tense (wilt smite) implying that he had not yet done anything to him.