גן עדן / The Garden of Eden בראשית ב:טו–ג:כד (2023)

Adam Helman-

Question: Why did God make the Tree of Knowledge evil?

Torah: "וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכׇלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת׃"

Sources: answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/tree-knowledge-good-and-evil/, www.sefaria.org/sheets/306422.7?lang=bi

Notes sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e2j3079kvr5GApSTNj_58-Cw0l7l9Y4QqSY6LMxuvgM/edit

Answer: While God may have made it seem like the Tree of Knowledge was both made good and evil, as seen with the language “טוב ורע,” it was actually not evil in the first place. For one, according to other instances in the Torah, it can be known that God cannot make anything truly evil anyway, so this Tree must not be an exception. However, most importantly, it can be interpreted that God really wanted to test Adam and Eve for their loyalty, and He used the Tree as a way to test them. After all, it was Adam and Eve who disobeyed God, not the Tree, so Adam and Eve were really the “evil” ones at fault. Additionally, the wording “טוב ורע” can also be interpreted as describing the knowledge of the Tree being both good and bad, and that Adam and Eve actually expanded their knowledge from the Tree. In conclusion, either the Tree was not the evil being and it was instead Adam and Eve that were evil, or neither party was evil and the Tree just contained both good and bad knowledge.

"He brought her to the man" Where did he bring her from? - Stella

Chizkuni on Genesis 2:22:1 sv ויביאה אל האדם:

“He brought her to Adam.” Where did He bring her from? After all she had been part of her husband’s ribs before, i.e. right next to him? The Torah here describes how her sudden appearance next to him was viewed by Adam when he awoke from his deep sleep. He thought that G-d had brought her to him, just as He had brought the animals to him to be named. It was only after he noticed that now one of his ribs was missing, that he realised that she had formerly been part of his own flesh; this is why he exclaimed: “bone from my own bones, etc.” If we were to look for a similar formulation in the Holy Scriptures, we can find it in Joshua 2,7: והאנשים רדפו אחריהם, “and the men had chased after them” (the spies). Actually, they were only under the impression that they pursued them, as they never found them. Some commentators claim that our verse means that Adam thought that G-d had performed the operation beyond the borders of the garden, and this is why the Torah wrote: “He brought her to Adam.”

ויבאה אל האדם מהיכן הביאה והלא מצלעותיו נלקחה אלא דבר הכתוב על מחשבתו של אדם שבתחלה כשראה אותה חשב בלבו שהובאה לו כשאר הבריות וכשהרגיש בעצמו שהיה חסר צלעו אז אמר עצם מעצמי וגו׳‎ ודוגמא והאנשים רדפו אחריהם חשבו לרדוף אחריהם. וי״‎מ שנבנתה חוץ לגן ולכך כתוב ויבאה אל האדם מחוץ לגן.

- the Torah is describing what adam thought was going on, he assumed she was brought to him

- earlier, god brought adam the animals, so when adam woke up and the woman was there, he assumed god brought her

- it is only after he notices his missing rib that he realizes she is made from him

- this is why he exclaims "עֶ֚צֶם מֵֽעֲצָמַ֔י" or "is the bone of my bones"

- another example of god doing this is in Joshua 2:7, "והאנשים רדפו אחריהם," “and the men had chased after them” when actually, they were only under the impression that they had chased them

Ibn Ezra Genesis 2:22:1 sv ויבאה:

AND BROUGHT HER. When Adam awoke from his sleep he thought that the woman was brought before him as the animals were brought before him. Scripture speaks of Adam’s thoughts. Similarly, And the men pursued after them (Josh. 2:7). It is also possible that the woman was created outside of the garden and then was brought to Adam. When he looked around he knew that she had been cut from him, for one of his sides with its flesh was missing and he felt that it had been closed with other flesh.

ויבאה. חשב בהקיצו בראותו אותה כי הובאה אליו כאשר הובאו הבהמות והכתוב דבר על מחשבתו. וכן והאנשים רדפו אחריהם. או נבנת' חוץ לגן ואחרי כן הובא' אליו וכאשר הסתכל ידע שנגזר' ממנו כי צלעו האחת עם בשר' איננ' והרגיש שבשר אחר הובא בו:

- adam thought that she had been brought to him when he first woke up

- he thought she was brought to him just as the animals were brought to him

- the scripture is speaking Adam's thoughts

- when he looked around he knew she had been cut from his flesh

answer: here, the torah is trying to simplify the story for us as well as for Adam. Obviously Eve wasn't actually brought from anywhere, however the torah is acknowledging that when Adam woke up, he had assumed she had been brought just as the animals had been brought to him. the torah knows that this detail is not extremely signifgant, so in order to simplify it for Adam and the reader it just says she was brought. Along with this, the Torah also wants to help us understand what was going on in the characters head at the time.

Gigi Gordon Q: How and why did Adam name all of the animals?

The source I used was https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/1144592/jewish/What-did-Adam-Name-the-Animals.htm. This source first explained that everything is named based on their life source and then cites a Midrash. This Midrash tells a story in which G-d asked the angels to name the animals and they couldn't but Adam could. This source answers my question because it tells me that Adam named all of the animals by identifying their life source and he was the one to do it because he had a connection to the animals that the angels did not, making him a better fit for naming them.

Max W Question: Why does the narration switch to 2nd person in Genesis 2:24?

My question is answered by the Radak on Genesis 2:24 s.v. על כן יעזב איש (see above)

I chose this source because it does a good job of acknowledging the debate on this topic as it says the opposing position to his that this verse was added after the writing of the original story. Radak Says that despite how some people think that this verse was added later the true interpretation is that this was spoken by adam and is an example of Adams's incredible foresight and knowledge that humans would need to spread out in order to proliferate on earth. Radak says that because of this people must leave their home to start their own family. I don't quite agree with everything that Radak says because there are a few more questions that it raised like how does Adam have so much foresight here when throughout the story God seems to have very little however I the message he shares is accurate and valuable. For this reason my current answer to the question is that the shift in perspective is done to bring attention to the message this verse shares that people should leave their homes to create their own families.

(Shenei Luchot HaBerit on "so that they become one flesh.")

The opinion of Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horovitz is that man was originally two-faced, in a perfect, primordial form. Then, they were separated, in order to demonstrate the idea of marriage for future people. By separating them, G-d gave us free will and the choice of whether or not to reestablish unity with our other half, and become "one flesh," (a complete human), or to remain separate, and in effect, mate with Lilith. Becoming "one flesh" means to unite with one's other half and truly replicate the (mystical and moral) image of G-d.

Sforno on Gensis 2:19, "לראות מה יקרא לו""to see what he would call it", says that the reason Adam got to name the animals was so that he would see and understand the unique tasks that suited each animal. By naming them, he was able to have the opportunity, guided by God, to explore and learn about each and every animal who he would proceed to share the earth with. Many of us understand that experience is one of the best methods of education so it makes sense that God would allow Adam to learn about the animals by 'doing'. (Isabel)

Answering the question: Why was Adam the name of the animals? (Isabel)

My Question: Why would the snake go against Gf-d if it was the most clever animal of G-d?

Sforno commentary on Genesis 3:1 s.v.

"והנחש. הוא שטן הוא יצר הרע רב ההזק עם מעוט היותו נראה. כי אמנם יקרא הדבר בשם איזה דומה לו כמו שנקרא המלך אריה כאמרו עלה אריה מסבכו ויקרא האויבים המזיקים נחשים צפעונים אשר אין להם לחש כאמרו הנני משלח בכם נחשים צפעונים וכו'. ועל זה הדרך קרא בזה המקום את היצר הרע המחטיא נחש בהיותו דומה לנחש אשר תועלתו במציאות מעט מאד ונזקו רב עם מעוט הראותו. וכבר אמרו ז"ל שהיה סמאל רוכב עליו והוא שהכח המתאוה המחטיא יעשה זה באמצעו' הכח המדמ' המוביל אליו דמיוני התענוגים החומריים המטים מדרך השלמות המכוון מאת האל ית' כי אמנם הכח המתאו' עם דמיוני התענוגים המובילים אליו הם מצוים לכחות הגשמיו' הפועלו' ומחטיאים כונת ורצון האל ית' כשלא יתקומם עליהם הכח השכלי וימחה בהם כאמרם ז"ל עינא ולבא סרסורי דחטאה אשר על זה הזהיר באמרו ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם:"

"והנחש, another word for Satan, which itself is a way of describing the evil urge. (Baba Batra 16). The reason why this evil urge is compared to a serpent is that just like a serpent which makes itself as invisible as possible, blending in with its environment, and yet causes more damage than the most prominently visible obstacles, so the evil urge lurks where one does not suspect to find it. It is a common practice to name phenomena according to other well known phenomena, such as calling the king “lion,” to show what is expected of a king, i.e. strength, fearlessness, etc. (compare Jeremiah 4,7 “the lion has come up from his thicket,” a reference to King Nevuchadnezzar) Also in Jeremiah 8,17 Israel’s enemies are referred to as נחשים צפעונים אשר אין להם לחש, “adders which cannot be charmed.” G’d, using a metaphor, calls the evil urge נחש, in our verse. Anything or anybody who leads Israel into sin is termed נחש. The reason why a serpent has been chosen for such a metaphor is that it is a creature whose potential harm is huge, whereas its potential benefit to man is minimal. Moreover, seeing that its visibility is minimal, it is similar to the evil urge who never attacks frontally, and often poses as friend rather than as enemy. Our sages in Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer chapter 13 already enlarged on this metaphor by describing Samael as riding the serpent, meaning “taking advantage of this power of imagination.” The insidious nature of the evil urge consists of the fact that it conjures up in our imagination something desirable, which because of its desirability we rationalize into considering as harmless, harbouring no physical or spiritual danger for us. Greed, lust, combined with one’s imagination is a powerful tool for leading man into sin. Unless man is able to harness the power of reason against such insidious attempts to trick him into disobedience against G’d by giving in to his desire for gratification of his senses, he will fall victim to the evil urge’s machinations. When our sages (Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 1.8) said עינא ולבא סרסורי דחטאה, “the eyes and the heart are agents of sin,” they referred to the warning against the evil urge we recite twice daily in the last section of the keriyat shema. (Numbers 15,39)."

Summary of commentary: First, Sforno says that "״נחש can also mean satan, also known as the evil urge or temptation. Sforno says that G-d uses the snake as a metaphor for this evil urge that is so present within גן עדן. He says that sometimes animal names are given to important ideas and or metaphors throughout the Torah, such as a lion being used to describe a king. Sforno's overall idea is that G-d uses the snake as a metaphor since it is a harmful creature, but not always visible - similar to this evil that doesn't attack frontally, and often poses as a friend rather than as enemy". G-d uses the snake as a metaphor for Adam and Eve to understand the power of their imaginations and this "evil urge" can present something tempting that can seem harmless but actually be extremely destructive. The snake isn't actually meant to be a snake here, but rather a physical form of the evil urge.

My answer to the question: The snake did not go against G-d actually, but rather was a part of G-d's plan. It was an element that G-d used to test Adam and Eve. I think G-d knew that there would be evil they would have to face in the future, so he was preparing this "evil urge" to them to help them get a better understanding of the power of ones mind. The snake is "the cleverest animal of G-d" because it was G-ds creation only for the purpose of teaching a lesson and playing a part to a metaphor. The snake didn't go against G-d because it wasn't there to make it's own decisions. This animal was a physical representation of evil temptation that was ultimately there to test Adam and Eve because why would G-d tell them about certain things not eat in the first place, if there was no test after to see how his first human creations reacted to temptation?

(Neely Shemony)

Abby Chesman

QUESTION: What kind of relationship exists between the snake and god?

Citations:
Original Text- (בראשית ג:יד) (Genesis 3:14)
Commentary Answering My Question -(Rashi on Genesis 3:14 s.v because thou hast done this)
(רש"י על בראשית ג׳:י״ד)
Summary of Commentary in my own words:
God does not give the snake the benefit of the doubt. God jumps to conclusions and does not give the snake the decency to attempt to explain. God wants to ensure that the snake could not use its cleverness against God
What do I think?
I think that the relationship between God and the snake introduced in this passage is very interesting. Rashi’s interpretation of this is that the relationship between the two becomes more of a student-teacher relationship. Rashi proposes that the snake would use its wiles against its creator and pose rhetorical questions to confuse god. Rashi says that God phrased the statement deliberately to avoid any possible loopholes that the snake could find. The snake refers to God as a teacher figure and itself as a student, implying that God is imparting wisdom upon its creations

BIGGEST TAKEAWAY: The snake learns from God, just as the people do, but it can conflate any ideas to confuse god and uses its powers negatively.

​​Significance/answer to my question-Based on Commentary: The snake and God have a student-teacher relationship, and the snake learns how to interact with others from God. the snake challenges God the way a disruptive student might in class and proceeds to undermine God's teaching to others to complicate things for others.

Q-Breadth-בקיאות:: How did G-d decide what specific punishments should be granted to Adam, Eve, and the Snake? What does this tell us about G-d’s will?

1. Citations:

Original Text-

(בראשית ג:יד) (Genesis 3:14)

Commentary Answering My Question-

(Or HaChaim on Genesis 3:14 s.v The Lord G'd said to the serpent. Paragraph 1)

(אור החיים על בראשית ג׳:י״ד ויאמר ה' אלהים אל הנחש סעיף א)

1. Summary of Commentary in my own words:

- The Commentary begins by explaining the serpent has caused 3 kinds of harm by its words

- The snake withdrew the power and glory of G-d’s light that had hovered over Adam and Eve

- The snake caused Adam and Eve to be mortal, therefore losing their immortality in this world.

- The snake caused even Man’s limited life on earth to be inferior outside of the Garden of Eden

1. What do I think?

• What does punishing Adam, Eve, and the snake tell us about G-ds willpower?

• The snake’s use of words was able to withdraw the power of G-d through Adam and Eve being deceived and eating from the tree of knowledge

• Humans initially started off being immortal until they went against G-d's word

• When G-d created man did we start off initially immortal?

• Then had the willpower to cause immortality for people in the world

• This text and commentary are able to highlight the importance of listening to G-d’s commands and the true willpower of G-d. Because rather it is G-d that has control over Humans and all of G-d's creation. So therefore G-d has to decide when it is right or wrong to instill punishments when someone goes against G-d’s commands

• BIGGEST TAKEAWAY: Because humans and the nature around us are all created by G-d we are required to listen to his commandments because G-d will instill his willpower and punishments when it feels necessary. Often to offer a lesson and set an example like it is for Adam, Even, and the Snake in the Garden of Eden.

1. Significance/answer to my question-Based on Commentary

This commentary is applicable to my question because it refers to the powers and will of G-d when he punishes Adam, Eve, and the Snake. This commentary begins with reasoning why G-d punished the snake. The commentary initially develops a basis for the reasoning for G-d punishments. It begins by explaining that the snake’s use of words was able to withdraw the power of G-d through Adam and Eve being creations of G-d and because they became deceived by the snake to eat from the tree of knowledge it gave warrant for G-d to instill punishments for all involved to influence or directly going against his word and commandments. The punishment for the influencer of the situation would be the snake, losing its legs and now seeing the dust of the earth. This punishment can be interpreted in many different ways but I took away that this punishment forced the snake to understand the willpower of G-d and now would see every dirt and dust of G-d’s greatest creation; the world. Also, I perceived that G-d may have been trying to teach an additional lesson of setting an example of the snake to explain to others the sheer amount of willpower G-d has and to instill fear of going against G-d's commands. This commentary continues by considering the punishment for Adam and Eve to no longer be immortal. Therefore this raises additional questions in which when G-d created humans did we start off initially immortal? Also, it highlights the willpower of G-d to shorten or even end a life in the world. Ultimately, because humans and the nature around us are all created by G-d we are required to listen to the commands of G-d. And if we don’t G-d will instill his willpower and punishments when it feels necessary. G-d often does this to offer a lesson and create a bigger picture amongst society in which his commands and decisions are ultimately the deciding factors in life.

Question: Why does G-d make skin tunics for Adam and Eve after he punished them? Why do they get good treatment all of the sudden? - Etai Even

Sforno says “וילבישם. שלא יגרשם ערומים פן בלבשם אחר כך בהשתדלותם יחשבו שהוסיפו מעלה:” (Sforno on Genesis 3:21 sv וילבישם:) This means that Sforno is saying that the reason that G-d gave Adam and Chava clothes was because he was worried about the idea that they would make their own clothes on Earth and take credit by saying that they finished creation. The website Etzion (https://etzion.org.il/en/halakha/studies-halakha/women-and-mitzvot/womens-dress-i-introduction) says that the reason G-d gave the humans clothes was because he wanted to elevate them and give them more glory compared to the rest of the animals on Earth. With these two sources in mind, it seems that G-d did have the idea of giving the gift of clothing to humans though his intentions might be a bit blurry. On one hand, he was worried about what Adam and Chava would do if they made their own clothes and on the other hand he wanted to make them more significant and important than other creatures.