Why Being a Good Person Is Not Enough in Judaism

God wants us to be good people, but at the same time, He makes it clear that being a “good person” alone is not enough. Consider a kind-hearted man who helps others, volunteers for Magen David Adom, honors his parents, and does everything he can to be positive and helpful to those around him, but does not keep Shabbat or put on tefillin. You may ask: What’s the problem? Why isn’t it enough to simply be a good person?

The Ten Commandments – More Than Common Sense

Rabbi Pinchas Badush explains: “If we look at the Ten Commandments and the giving of the Torah, we see that the greatest moment in Jewish history, when all of Israel stood together, was essentially about a set of fairly simple laws. We might have expected something lofty and mystical, but instead, we received instructions of ‘do not murder’ and ‘do not steal’ which are basic, rational laws. Why the dramatic revelation at Sinai?”

The Torah is teaching us not to rely solely on human conscience, because conscience can betray us.

When Human Conscience Goes Wrong

• Euthanasia: A person may justify assisted dying purely from a compassionate conscience, but the Torah defines it as murder.

• Rabbi Akiva’s story: The Talmud tells of a gentile who tied up his father and left him to be eaten by dogs. Rabbi Akiva explained to his students that the man wasn’t acting out of cruelty — his conscience told him the dog’s need for food outweighed his dying father’s worth.

• The Nazis: They acted out of a warped conscience. They believed they were “cleansing humanity,” but in reality committed unspeakable atrocities.

• Abortion: Even the kindest social worker may recommend terminating a pregnancy because of difficult socioeconomic conditions. The Torah views this as killing a hidden child. Rabbi Badush compares it to shooting into a closed cabinet — you know a baby is inside, but you are unable to see it.

Torah vs. Human Logic

The Talmud provides other examples where divine law overrules natural conscience:

• Two men in the desert: If only one has a flask of water, enough for one person, he must drink it himself—“Your life comes first” (Rabbi Akiva). Human conscience might say “share and die together,” but the Torah says it’s better that one lives than both perish.

• Redeeming captives: The Torah forbids paying exorbitant ransoms for hostages, because while it might save one person, it encourages further kidnappings, endangering many more.

The Torah balances human emotion and intellect, establishing higher moral laws that transcend human reasoning.

Why Good Deeds Alone Don’t Suffice

Why would a secular person who hasn’t murdered or stolen still be held accountable for not keeping mitzvot?

“A sheep doesn’t murder or steal either, but it’s still just a sheep,” Rabbi Badush explains. “What makes us human is not just natural kindness but living by a system of divine commandments. Some people are naturally generous, which is good, but less impressive, because they’d do it anyway. When you follow the Torah, even in areas that align with your conscience, you elevate your actions. That’s real faith.”

The Torah is not a restaurant menu where you pick what you like and ignore the rest. It’s an integrated way of life. Reducing Judaism to “being a good person” makes it mechanical and misses its true goal of transforming you into a higher being.

“If you own a diesel car, you might question why it needs diesel instead of regular fuel. You might not understand, but if you don’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions, the car won’t run. Likewise, Torah is the Creator’s instruction manual. Saying, ‘I’ll take this part but not that part’ is essentially dismissing divine wisdom.”

The Thief vs. the Robber

The Talmud (Bava Metzia) teaches that a thief (who steals secretly) is punished more severely than a robber (who steals openly). This is because the robber shows disregard for both people and God. The thief, however, cares what people think, but he does not care that God sees him. His sin shows greater disrespect toward God. Similarly, someone who cares about people but ignores the Creator is missing the essence of morality.

A Practical Analogy: Having a Role in Life

Rabbi Yiftach Sofer adds his own perspective: “Recently I hired a handyman for some home repairs. He was paid most of the money but left some work unfinished. When I called him, he said, ‘Listen, I like you a lot, but it doesn’t work for me now.’ True, he has a good heart, but what good does it do me? He has a role, and he didn’t fulfill it.”

He compares it to a bus driver scheduled to take passengers from Kiryat Shmona to Tel Aviv. If he decides to skip work and go fishing at the beach, his passengers are stranded. When confronted, he says: “I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t run a red light, I just relaxed on the beach — what’s the harm?” The problem is that you abandoned your duty.

The same is true with mitzvot: beyond kindness and charity (a handful out of 613 commandments), there are hundreds more. What about those?

The Bigger Picture

Ultimately, every person has a mission in this world. Having a good heart is wonderful, but there is also a divine law book — the Torah, which guides us how to live. Recognizing that we have a soul and a role in life is essential.

For those who say: “I’m not sure God really wants me to keep all the commandments”, the answer is simple: Open the book He gave us. The Torah spells out exactly what He expects and it's far greater than we might assume.