What should we make of Dennis Prager’s recent remarks that Judaism only condemns actions, not thoughts? And what should we make of his claim that someone who derives sexual pleasure from seeing animated child porn is not doing anything “evil”?
Christian readers are familiar with the words of Jesus, spoken in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28). But does this reflect Jewish thought as well? According to Dennis, my esteemed colleague and friend, there is no equivalent in Judaism to this teaching. Is he right?
Before responding to that question with citations from rabbinic literature, let me address things from a biblical viewpoint, citing verses from the Old Testament, which Christians and Jews share in common.
First, one of the Ten Commandments forbids coveting, which is entirely a sin of the heart (Exodus 20:17). As to why this is legislated, Dennis rightly explains in his short book on the Ten Commandments that here the Torah “legislates thought,” noting that this is because “it is coveting that so often leads to evil.”
In his view, though, it is only the strong desire to have the specific thing that belongs to your neighbor (whether house or spouse) that is prohibited, as opposed to envy or lust in general.
In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures have more to say about this, which leads to the second verse, Proverbs 4:23, which states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). These are strong words! The line is rendered in a modern Jewish translation as “More than all that you guard, guard your mind, for it is the source of life” (New Jewish Version). Why place so much emphasis on the heart/mind since Judaism solely condemns behaviors as evil?
Third, in explaining the pervasive evil on the earth before the Flood, the Torah states, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).
Note carefully what this Torah text says: the very thoughts of the people’s hearts were evil all the time. This is a Jewish text!
Other verses could be cited in which human thoughts are branded evil, including the call for the wicked to “forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts” (Isaiah 55:7, my emphasis).
How much more, then, do these scriptural truths apply to every aspect of animated child porn? (It’s distasteful even to write the words “animated child porn.”)
First, there are the evil and perverse thoughts of the people involved in creating the content. Second, there are the evil thoughts of the person being stimulated by it, coupled with the evil act of giving in to the stimulation. Third, in some cases, there are further evil actions that come out of this stimulation. To not brand every aspect of this as “evil” is inexcusable. (I’m not even addressing here what Judaism teaches about masturbation.)
As for rabbinic parallels to the Lord’s words on the Sermon on the Mount, cited above, a major compilation of rabbinic writings relating to the New Testament offers these citations, all from early rabbinic literature:
Leviticus Rabbah 23: “‘The eye of the adulterer lies in wait for the dawn’ (Job 24:15). Resh Laqish said, ‘You should not say that only he who commits adultery with his body is called an adulterer; also, he who commits adultery with his eyes is called an adulterer.’”
The text cites rabbinic texts that contradict Dennis’s claim that there is no Jewish parallel to the Lord’s words in Matthew 5:28.
These texts, including the Talmud and recognized canonical rabbinic texts, suggest that the psychology of sin presented in Matthew 5:27–28 was well known in first-century Judaism.
New Testament scholar Hans Dieter Betz maintains that Matthew 5:28 remains essentially within the framework of Jewish theology. Jesus, a Jewish teacher, challenged some Jewish traditions.
The text encourages Dennis to reconsider his position and acknowledge that certain thoughts are evil in themselves. It is important to guard one’s heart, as everything flows from it.