This reflection on Genesis 3 was written by Gili Zivan for 929 and can also be found here
For many years I have been thinking to myself about the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As the years passed, the story became more enigmatic, and what was previously understood became difficult.
At the very moment when God said to His newly created humans, "Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat of it” (Genesis 2:17), the seeds of disobedience had already been planted. Why then did God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden if He did not want them to eat from it? And why, in the first place, is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil forbidden to eat from? Our education is predicated on the belief that that knowledge of good and evil is the essence of what it means to be created in the "image of God.” Did God create a human being who could not choose between good and evil and want him to stay like that? These reflections and others bring me to read the story differently.
I read it as the story of the human race’s adolescence, which is analogous to the story of an individual's adolescence. Every first-time parent knows that the stage in which the child says “no” to his parents is a necessary stage in the child’s development. It is a stage when children learn that they are an entity in and of themselves and not an extension of their mother or their parents. Indeed, this stage can be annoying for parents, but it is a very important stage for the proper development of a person’s independence and cannot be skipped. The child learns by refusing the boundaries of the ego and distinguishing himself in his choices and wishes. The option that any person has to obey or violate a law is what makes him a being with choice, and that is "the superiority of humans" (Ecclesiastes 3:19) over animals.
Therefore, if there is a fault in Eve's behavior, it is mainly in avoiding responsibility, by placing the blame on the serpent. Taking the fruit from the forbidden tree is not negative, for it is this action that turned Eve and her husband into "knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). In other words, they realize the human potential inherent in their ability to decide. They become human by virtue of making a decision, become subjects with a will of their own and with a sense of autonomy, and not only objects created by God.
At the very moment when God said to His newly created humans, "Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat of it” (Genesis 2:17), the seeds of disobedience had already been planted. Why then did God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden if He did not want them to eat from it? And why, in the first place, is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil forbidden to eat from? Our education is predicated on the belief that that knowledge of good and evil is the essence of what it means to be created in the "image of God.” Did God create a human being who could not choose between good and evil and want him to stay like that? These reflections and others bring me to read the story differently.
I read it as the story of the human race’s adolescence, which is analogous to the story of an individual's adolescence. Every first-time parent knows that the stage in which the child says “no” to his parents is a necessary stage in the child’s development. It is a stage when children learn that they are an entity in and of themselves and not an extension of their mother or their parents. Indeed, this stage can be annoying for parents, but it is a very important stage for the proper development of a person’s independence and cannot be skipped. The child learns by refusing the boundaries of the ego and distinguishing himself in his choices and wishes. The option that any person has to obey or violate a law is what makes him a being with choice, and that is "the superiority of humans" (Ecclesiastes 3:19) over animals.
Therefore, if there is a fault in Eve's behavior, it is mainly in avoiding responsibility, by placing the blame on the serpent. Taking the fruit from the forbidden tree is not negative, for it is this action that turned Eve and her husband into "knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). In other words, they realize the human potential inherent in their ability to decide. They become human by virtue of making a decision, become subjects with a will of their own and with a sense of autonomy, and not only objects created by God.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
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