A question for Jews about "original sin"?

Original sin, no we do not believe in it

We do believe in what we call an evil urge or inclination, but this is a very different concept then original sin. Basically everyone has a good inclination and a bad inclination, we need both to be human and to survive. It is not because one of our ancestors did something and we are being punished for. Both inclinations along with everything else comes from G-d.

There is an old story that tells of a village where the evil urge was imprisoned and people where free from it. The problem was after that nobody really did anything, business did not open, people did not work, courtship ceased. The people realized that they needed the evil urge to live so they released it.

EDIT: Jews do not believe Humans are fundamentally sinful, but that we have the capacity to commit sin. If anything we believe in original goodness.

Jews do not believe in original sin, as we do not believe that the guilt of a sin is passed down through the generations. Sin cannot be hereditary, as it seems to be in Christianity. No one is born with a stain of sin on their soul.

We do believe that there is an evil impulse to sin, and that one can and must resist it.

The beliefs of Jews, much like everyone elses, cannot be contained into one simple, neat explanation (its been said that when two Jews get together, you'll get three opinions!).

Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism pretty much agree to disregard the concept of "original sin" (i.e., Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, thus tainting every future generation with sin).

We Jews believe that everyone is born free of sin.

And that everyone has been blessed by God with free will to choose right or wrong.

And that we are to be be responsible for our actions and make atonement for wrongs.

Cohen is free to interpret Talmud.

But any serious student of Talmud knows that it cannot be taken out of context and must be studied in the broadest sense, since it covers thousands of years of rabbinic interpretations of Torah.

And as I said earlier, you get two Jews together...you'll get three opinions!

As far as I know, though I'm not a Jew (i'm a muslim), original sin is a concept which exists in Christianity, and does not exist either in Judaism or Islam. As per Islamic belief, sins cannot be inheritted or transmitted from one person to another, but everyone is responsible for their own deeds. If someone does a sinful deed, it is because he fell prey to Satan's suggestions. Something similar may be held to be true in Judaism, but as far as I know jews do not believe in Satan, so it would be interesting to hear their point of view as to how one is led to sin.

David a jew himself in Psalms 51:5 it is recorded "Look! With error I was brought forth with birth pains, And in sin my mother conceived me."

Also in another Hebrew text....

1 Kings 8:46 “In case they sin against you (for there is no man that does not sin), and you have to be incensed at them and abandon them to the enemy, and their captors actually carry them off captive to the land of the enemy distant or nearby; "

So man seems to inherit sin and also is incapable of not sinning as described in the hebrew texts.

The apostle James wrote in James 1:13-15 "When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.

But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire.

Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.

I find that scripture useful also in that man is born sinful but it is not God that made us sinful as to test us but we inherited sin from our first parents Adam and Eve who were one time perfect and sinless. Jesus Christ paid the ransom cost of Adamic sin and pathed the road for our forgiveness should we repent and turn around from continued wilful sin.

But the Jews do not have faith that the Christ has come so they obviously need to work around this.

But I would be interested in a Jewish response.

the 10 commandments are rules of sins

both Christians and Jews believe in the 10 commandments.

As a jewish rabbi it is my opinion that if we were created in god's image, we cannot be born with sin, unless god himself is evil. This is backed up by his rampages in the torah.

it is taught in many religions but especially Christianity- it is a rule of church canon

I'm confused too.