(א) לא מות תמותון. דְּחָפָהּ עַד שֶׁנָּגְעָה בוֹ, אָמַר לָהּ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֵין מִיתָה בִנְגִיעָה, כָּךְ אֵין מִיתָה בַאֲכִילָה (בראשית רבה):
(א) כי ידע. כָּל אֻמָּן שׂוֹנֵא אֶת בְּנֵי אֻמָּנוּתוֹ, מִן הָעֵץ אָכַל וּבָרָא אֶת הָעוֹלָם (בראשית רבה):
(ב) והייתם כאלהים. יוֹצְרֵי עוֹלָמוֹת (בראשית רבה):
(1) לא מות תמתון YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE — He pushed her until she touched it. He then said to her, “Just as there is no death in touching it, so there is no death in eating it” (Genesis Rabbah 19:3).
(1) כי ידע FOR [GOD] KNOWS — Every artisan detests his fellow-artisans (“Two of a trade never agree”). The serpent suggested to her: God ate of the tree and created the world (Genesis Rabbah 19:4) so if you eat ...
(2) והייתם כאלהים YE WILL BE AS GOD — Creators of worlds.
(א) לא מות תמתון. האיך אפשר שהוא ספק אצל הבורא. ע״כ אינו אלא כמפחיד ומאיים בשביל שאינו רוצה. וכך פתוי יצה״ר בכל עת. שלא יגיע העונשים כ״כ:
(א) ונפקחו עיניכם. לראות מה ראוי להיות בדרך העולם ומה שאינו ראוי. דדבקות באהבת ה׳ אע״ג שהוא מחכים בהפלגה מ״מ הוא מעביר עין מד״א.
...Is it possible that there is a doubt regarding Hashem? Rather, he is only trying to scare and threaten because he doesn't want to. So is the seduction of the Yetzer Hara at all time, the punishment won't come so much.
Their eyes will be opened, to see that which is fitting on the path of the world and that which is not fitting. That the clinging to the love of God, even though it makes your very wise, it removes your eye from the ways of the world...
After the serpent had tried in vain to excite some doubts as to the necessity of absolute literal obedience, it aroused a doubt as to the gravity of the command, "You will not die", "One does not die so quickly" It is only to keep you in childish dependence on Himself that He has forbidden you to eat. Eat, and your eyes will be opened, you will obtain understanding, be able to know for yourselves what is good and what is bad, and with this understanding you will become godlike and independent of God, it is an understanding that even the smallest animal around you possesses.
(6) When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.
(א) ותרא האשה. רָאֲתָה דְבָרָיו שֶׁל נָחָשׁ וְהֶנְאוּ לָהּ וְהֶאֱמִינַתּוּ (בראשית רבה):
(ב) כי טוב העץ. לִהְיוֹת כֵּאלֹהִים:
(ג) וכי תאוה הוא לעינים. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לָהּ וְנִפְקְחוּ עֵינֵיכֶם:
(ד) ונחמד להשכיל. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לָהּ יוֹדְעֵי טוֹב וָרָע:
(ה) ותתן גם לאישה. שֶׁלֹּא תָמוּת הִיא וְיִחְיֶה הוּא, וְיִשָּׂא אַחֶרֶת:
(ו) גם. לְרַבּוֹת בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה:
(א) ותפקחנה וגו'. לְעִנְיַן הַחָכְמָה דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב וְלֹא לְעִנְיַן רְאִיָּה מַמָּשׁ, וְסוֹף הַמִּקְרָא מוֹכִיחַ:
(ב) וידעו כי עירמים הם. אַף הַסּוּמָא יוֹדֵעַ כְּשֶׁהוּא עָרוּם, אֶלָּא מַהוּ וַיֵּדְעוּ כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם? מִצְוָה אַחַת הָיְתָה בְיָדָם וְנִתְעַרְטְלוּ הֵימֶנָּה (בראשית רבה):
(1) ותרא האשה AND THE WOMAN SAW — She approved the words of the serpent — they pleased her and she believed him (Genesis Rabbah 19:3). (2) כי טוב העץ THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD to make her become like God. (3) וכי תאוה היא לעינים AND THAT IT WAS A DELIGHT TO THE EYES — even as he had said to her: “then your eyes shall be opened”. (4) ונחמד להשכיל AND IT WAS TO BE DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE — even as he had said to her: “knowing good and evil”. (5) ותתן גם לאשה AND SHE GAVE ALSO TO HER HUSBAND so that she should not die and he remain alive to take another wife (Genesis Rabbah 19:5). (6) The word גם, also, may be understood to include cattle and beasts (that is, that she gave to these and also to her husband) (Genesis Rabbah 19:5). (1) ‘ותפקחנה וגו [AND THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM] WERE UNCLOSED — Scripture speaks here with reference to intelligence (the mind’s eye) and not with reference to actual seeing; the end of the verse proves this for it states, (2) וידעו כי ערומים הם AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED — Even a blind person knows when he is naked! What then does “and they knew that they were naked” signify? One charge had been entrusted to them and they now knew they had stripped themselves of it (Genesis Rabbah 19:6).
(א) ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל הכירה שהיה ערב למאכל בשביל טבע המקום ואוירו וריח הפרי:
(ב) ונחמד העץ להשכיל שכבר אמר האל ית' שהוא עץ הדעת:
(ג) גם לאישה עמה נפתה לבו לדבריה מפני שהיה אישה ובשביל היותו עמה:
(א) ותפקחנה עיני שניהם נתנו לב אל כל ערב ותענוג אע''פ שיזיק כי שימת לב וההשגחה כדבר תקרא פקיחת עין כאמרו אף על זה פקחת עיניך:
(ב) וידעו כי ערומים הם ידעו שראוי לכסות מקום הערוה בהיות מעתה רוב פעולתו מכוונת לתענוג מאוס ומזיק:
(2) When looked at from a kabbalistic point of view, the tree was indeed the Etrog tree something which is hinted at in the words ונחמד העץ להשכיל, “and the tree was a desirable means to gain insights.” The nature of that fruit was that it excited and dominated one’s intellect.
3) וכי תאוה הוא לעינים, “and that it was a delight for the eyes, etc.” It is possible that the three characteristics טובה, תאוה, and חמדה, which are mentioned in this verse are all part of the sensory perceptions which when combined result in the gaining of new insights, i.e. להשכיל, a word which follows immediately afterwards. Considering the fact that original man was a totally intellectually oriented creature, the Torah wanted to remind us that at that stage (before the sin) whatever motivation prompted Chavah and Adam to eat from this tree was the desire to gain further insights, להשכיל.
According to this interpretation it was the intellect which dictated to them to eat what G-d had withheld from them.
The serpent was perfectly right. There eyes were opened, they became enlightened people - but their first recognition was - that they were naked! But the consciousness of being naked is the consciousness that something is visible that should not be so. This is the feeling of shame, which, as already indicated above, has its roots in the consciousness of a person of the real calling of Man. As long as Man stands completely in service of God, he has not to be ashamed of any part of his body. Even the bodily lures and attractions are pure and godly as long as they submit themselves as means for Gods holy purposes. But, when the condition is not entirely there we certainly should be ashamed of displaying them. This shame awakes the voice within us, which is intimately connected with the conscience, and reminds us that we are not meant to be animals.