In Judaism we do not see it as there being a conflict between
good and evil. Some ancient religions believed that there are two
forces in the universe, one good and one evil, and that they are
constantly warring with each other. This was common to Mithraism,
Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and later to Manichaeism.
Christianity, however, made the devil less powerful than G-d, but
still made him a rebel against G-d.
Judaism sees it differently, and we have always seen it
differently. Satan is not a rebellious angel. G-d created both good
and evil. The Bible says so, in Isaiah 45:7.
What is evil? Not fulfilling G-d's will.
G-d created the universe because G-d wanted to do good. So there
had to be people to receive that good.
But G-d does not want to just give away good as a present. G-d
wants people to appreciate it. Something you get for free you do
not appreciate. And in fact, if you got something amazingly good
for free, and you were allowed to enjoy it for all eternity, you
would be embarrassed by it. You didn't work for it, you don't
deserve it.
So G-d decided that people would have to work for it, and receive
the ultimate goodness as a reward for work.
What is that work? Well, G-d created the Evil Inclination, the
angel called Satan, whose job it is to tempt us to do evil. If we
ignore the Evil Inclination, then we get closer to G-d, and become
more holy. By doing so, we merit the reward of the ultimate
goodness. G-d also gave us Commandments, and the Tempting Angel
tempts us to find reasons not to keep those Commandments. By
ignoring the temptations, and fulfilling G-d's Commandments, we
become more spiritual, and our souls gain more power over
ourselves.
So we see our lives in this world as an opportunity. We have been
granted the glorious opportunity to attain holiness and ultimate
goodness.
So, in the future there will come a time when the universe as we
know it will come to an end, and the World To Come will begin. Then
we will begin to get our eternal reward -- the ultimate
goodness!
This world is here merely for us to do good things in, and the Next
World is for the reward. And in that world we will continue to grow
in holiness.
So it is not that there is an ultimate struggle of good versus
evil. Within each of us there are many struggles. We want to do the
right thing, but we desire to do the wrong thing. We have the free
choice to choose. We can do either the right thing or the wrong
thing. It is completely up to us.
When we let our Good Inclination prevail about one thing, we become
stronger in that thing. The more we continue to let the good
prevail, the more it becomes easier to do the right thing in that
area.
Say, for example, we have a desire to tell harmful gossip about
someone. If we hold ourselves back from doing it, and continue to
hold ourselves back whenever we feel the temptation, it becomes
easier and easier to stop gossiping. Conversely, the more we
gossip, the harder it is to stop. And that's the way it is with
every individual characteristic trait.
But when we perfect one characteristic trait, it does not always
help with another. For example, if we work on becoming humble,
sometimes that will help us in other areas. A humble person will be
less likely to get angry at someone else. A humble person might not
tell gossip either. But a humble person might still lie, or sleep
late when he or she knows that there is a chore or other
responsibility to deal with. Someone who has learned never to
gossip might still steal, for example. So each trait usually has to
be worked on by itself, but something like humility helps with most
of the others.
And possibly the greatest temptation is in the area of having faith
in G-d. Developing our faith helps us in many areas.
So, there is no ultimate struggle of good versus evil. There is
only the struggle within each of us. The Evil Inclination, also
known as Satan, is doing what G-d has commanded him to do. He is
giving us temptations, because by fighting against our wrong
desires we are working to gain the ultimate goodness, and that is
what G-d wants us to do
Mordechai Housman