yetzer ha-tov
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Pronunciations

yetzer ha-tov (YEH-tser hah-TOV) listen

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Definitions

  • n. The impulse toward good.

Example Sentences

  • "For the rabbis, adults are distinguished from children by the yetzer hatov, which controls and channels the drives that exist unchecked in the child." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • יצר הטוב

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Yinglish: A Lexicon of Judeo-English by Aliza Bulow

      Alternative Spellings

      yetzer hatov, yetzer ha'tov

Notes

  • "In rabbinic tradition, these two opposing forces [yetzer ha-tov and yetzer ha-ra] exert their influence on everyone. Yetzer ha-tov can be used as a compliment to describe someone very good or noble. It is used less frequently than the expression yetzer ha-ra." (JPS)

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