Lies in Eden

It was taught in the name of Rabbi Meir, because the intelligence of the snake was grater, so its punishment was in accordance with its intelligence, as it says: the snake was cleverer than any animal of the field, therefore it was cursed more than any animal or beast of the field.

And the snake. There are those who say that the woman understood the language of animals. And they explain 'and the snake said' as figurative. And others say he is Satan but how do they see the end of the chapter, for how would Satan go on his belly and eat dust? And what is the reason for the curse, he will step on your head? And many have gone astray looking into why the snake was cursed and whether he had intellect. Or if it was commanded in order to keep it from marrying the woman. And R Saadiah Gaon said, after concluding that there is only speech and intellect in man, we have to say that neither the snake nor the donkey spoke. Rather, an angel spoke for them... And in my eyes, the matter is as it sounds. The snake spoke and walked upright and Who placed intellect in man placed it in the snake. And what is written in the verse states that he was more 'arom' than any animals of the field, but not as much as man. The explanation of 'arom' is intelligent, that he heaped his words. And don't wonder that arom comes after arumim, they stand for different things...

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says that Rabbi Yonatan says: From where is it derived that the judges do not advance a claim on behalf of an inciter? It is derived from the incident of the primordial snake who tempted Eve; he was the first inciter. As Rabbi Simlai says: The snake could have advanced many claims on its own behalf, but it did not claim them. And for what reason did the Holy One, Blessed be He, not advance these claims for it, deeming the snake exempt from punishment? Because the snake did not advance these claims itself. The Gemara asks: What could he have said? The Gemara answers: The snake could have said that it is not to blame, as when there is a contradiction between the statement of the teacher and the statement of the student, whose statement should one listen to? One should listen to the statement of the teacher.

Ḥizkiyya says: From where is it derived that anyone who adds, subtracts? It is derived from a verse, as it is stated that Eve said: “God has said: You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it” (Genesis 3:3)

The reason for 'even,' because it teaches that he said other things and said in the end, all the more so if Gd said to you don't eat from any tree at all, and the snake didn't mention Gd's name because it didn't know it. The woman also added to the commandments of Gd, "and don't touch it." And so too the wife of Manoach...

And man was naked, etc. Until Gd made coverings for them. There are three opinions about the snake's story and speech. The opinion of those who say that the snake was originally created intelligent and speaking, and walked upright and in its sin its intellect, speech, and feet were removed...

And the opinion of the one who says the speaking snake was Satan who appeared to man in the shape of a snake like R Saadiah Gaon and others because they were really thoughts, and not real. And the third opinion from the Rav, that the simple interpretation of the verse isn't anything, but rather an allusion from natural and Godly wisdom. Because I have already told you that it's unfitting to deny one story in its entirety which is testified by the text of the Torah. And therefore my opinion about the snake and the nature of this story, I will tell you here, is a fundamental of this section and its truth, which is that the snake never spoke to the woman, nor the woman to him, because he wasn't a man of words. Thus the verse doesn't say to us, And Gd opened the mouth of the snake, as it says with the ass of Bilaam, for there in order for the ass to speak by way of miracle it says, And H' opened the mouth of the ass, but with the snake it doesn't say that Gd opened his mouth, because he didn't speak at all: not naturally and not miraculously. Rather, she saw a snake climbing the tree of knowledge and eating its fruit time after time without dying and without being harmed at all, and the woman thought about it and searched within herself as if she were speaking with the snake and as if by going up the tree and eating its fruit he said to her, you will surely not die. So she in her thoughts answered this... And don't be troubled by the verse, and he said to the woman. Because this saying refers to the instruction of his actions and what she thought about it... And that's why it says at the beginning that the snake was the most 'arom' of all the animals of the field, and this characteristic wasn't knowledge and wisdom and eternal claims but rather in ascending the tree to eat from its fruit, which the other animals of the field could not do, which is why the birds aren't mentioned but rather the animals of the field. And that's also why it doesn't say 'more than man,' because its cleverness was not in intellect and speech like man but rather in seeking its food more than any other beast. And it says 'that Gd made' to tell us that Gd created the snake with great cleverness intentionally, in order to test woman and man as it explains, because in going up there and eating from the fruit of the tree the woman reflected and went back and forth in herself, as if the snake said to her all that is written. If so, the truth is that the snake brought about this evil and the fault lies with it, but didn't actually speak at all.

Gd said to the snake etc. With Adam there was discussion, with Chava there was discussion, with the snake there was no discussion. Rather the Holy One said this snake is an evildoer full of answers, and if I say to him now he'll say to me, you commanded them and I commanded them, why did they let your commandment go and went with mine? Rather Gd sprung upon him and sentenced him.

The day you eat from it you will surely die. From the time you eat from it, you will be mortal, and so on the day you leave and wander you will know that you will die. For it does't mean that he will die immediately and it doesn't just mean that he will know his death, because every living thing knows it will die, but rather it means that when he left (the garden) he would be under the death sentence to the king and he would kill him when he wanted. And according to scientists, man was already destined to die from the beginning of creation because he was organic, but rather it was decreed now that if he sins he would die in his sin as one who merits the death penalty at the hands of heaven for his sin... that all these die in their sin before their time, and therefore it says in the punishment, until you return to the land, because you were taken from it for you are dust and to dust you return naturally... And according to our teachers, without the sin he would never have died, because the heavenly soul would give him eternal life and the Divine will in him from the time of creation would cling to him forever and keep him alive forever, as I explained regarding "And Gd saw it was good" (above). And know that composition doesn't imply loss except to those of little faith, because creation is position, but according to people of faith who say that the world is renewed merely by Divine will, he can exist forever all the days of the will, and this is clear truth. If so, the day you eat from it you will die, for then you will be mortal and won't exist forever through my will...