(Hebrew רע) Literally "pollution" or "impurity." Wrongly translated in the Bible as "evil." Do not confuse with the Egyptian name Ra (see: Re).

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil [רע]." - Genesis 2

"Said Rabbi Jose: "Is not this sin synonymous with what is termed rashang (wickedness or wrongdoing)?" "No," replied Rabbi Jehuda, "for rashang is applied to intentional evil ere it becomes an actuality, but Ra refers to him who defiles himself by the dissipation of his vital powers [fornication, abuse of sexual energy] and thus gives himself up to the unclean spirit called Ra. He who thus renders himself impure will never attain unto the Divine Life nor behold the face of the Shekina, whose disappearance from the world previous to the deluge was owing to the vice termed Ra. Woe unto him who indulges in it, for he will never experience the joy of living [Eden] in the presence of the Holy One, but will drag on through life as a degraded captive and miserable slave of Ra, the unclean spirit..." - Zohar