וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙ חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה אַ֚ף כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּ֖ל עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃

The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made. The serpent was clever; it possessed intelligence. Although the word “cunning” [ arum ] usually has negative connotations in modern Hebrew, in the Bible it is a neutral term. Furthermore, this primeval serpent was not the same as the diminished snake we know today, but a wholly intelligent creature. He said to the woman: Did God actually say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden? Perhaps the serpent chose to address the woman because God did not speak directly to her but to the man, reasoning that since she had heard of the prohibition only through an intermediary, it would be easier to incite and deceive her. Although when God forbade man from partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the woman was still a part of him, one must conclude that only the male side heard the command directly from God.

וַתֹּ֥אמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־הַנָּחָ֑שׁ מִפְּרִ֥י עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן נֹאכֵֽל׃

The woman said to the serpent: From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. God did not prohibit us from eating the fruit of the garden.

וּמִפְּרִ֣י הָעֵץ֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתוֹךְ־הַגָּן֒ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים לֹ֤א תֹֽאכְלוּ֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְלֹ֥א תִגְּע֖וּ בּ֑וֹ פֶּן־תְּמֻתֽוּן׃

But from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst, the middle, of the garden, God said: You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. This is a dangerous tree. It is prohibited for us to eat from this tree, or even to touch it, as death resides within it.

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַנָּחָ֖שׁ אֶל־הָֽאִשָּׁ֑ה לֹֽא־מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן׃

In response to this claim, the serpent said to the woman: You will not die. There is no need for you to fear that you might die, as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil does not cause death. The serpent could speak to the woman about this matter with the confidence of being a reliable source, because man was created last, and consequently all the other creatures had more life experience than he had.

כִּ֚י יֹדֵ֣עַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כִּ֗י בְּיוֹם֙ אֲכָלְכֶ֣ם מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְנִפְקְח֖וּ עֵֽינֵיכֶ֑ם וִהְיִיתֶם֙ כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים יֹדְעֵ֖י ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃

The serpent now revealed the ostensible motivation for the divine prohibition: For God knows that on the day you eat from it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowers of good and evil. God does not want you to eat from this tree, not because it is dangerous, but because by consuming it you will be raised to a higher level. God seeks to prevent you from acquiring the knowledge of good and evil that He possesses.

וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃

The woman saw that the tree was good for eating. The woman began to submit to temptation, thus marking the beginning of the sin. Of course the root of this sin preceded its execution; it was based on the willingness to even consider the possibility of violating a divine command. This did not occur to the woman on her own; it was the serpent who presented her with the option of defiance. Perhaps before the serpent spoke to her she was afraid of the tree and refrained from gazing at it or from reflecting on its nature and the effect of its fruit. But after it spoke to her she saw that the tree was as good as all the others, and that it was an enticement to the eyes, and that the tree was attractive to apprehend. There was something intriguing about this tree that made one desire to approach and understand it. She took from its fruit and ate; she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. In the manner of a good wife who loves her husband, she immediately shared her great discovery with him.

וַתִּפָּקַ֙חְנָה֙ עֵינֵ֣י שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּ֣דְע֔וּ כִּ֥י עֵֽירֻמִּ֖ם הֵ֑ם וַֽיִּתְפְּרוּ֙ עֲלֵ֣ה תְאֵנָ֔ה וַיַּעֲשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם חֲגֹרֹֽת׃

The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. Obviously, the man and woman were always aware of their nakedness. Indeed, their nakedness is already mentioned, as a matter of fact, at the end of the previous chapter. However, at first they were not ashamed of their naked state, just as people are not embarrassed to expose their noses or their eyes. Like the animals, all parts of their bodies were considered equal in their eyes. Partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil injected something new into their consciousness: A separation of the various forms of good, namely, aesthetics, pleasure, utility, and morality. This new awareness does not mean that until this point they were unaware of their sexuality. However, before eating of the fruit of the tree, they engaged in the sexual act as animals do, with complete innocence and unselfconsciousness. Now they became aware of the unique nature of human sexuality, and into their world was introduced a new sort of inclination. Unlike the sexual drive of animals, which is part of their biological compulsion and limited by objective factors of need and satiation, the human sexual urge is based on a potentially boundless erotic desire. The man and woman were suddenly faced with their ability to choose to what extent to indulge these newly discovered inclinations, and thus found themselves before a gaping chasm. Consequently, they sewed fig leaves, and made themselves loincloths. Since their nakedness was no longer a neutral state but a source of provocation and temptation, it was not to be publicly displayed; they therefore hurried to cover themselves.

וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶת־ק֨וֹל יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּגָּ֖ן לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ מִפְּנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים בְּת֖וֹךְ עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃

It is difficult to appreciate the severity of the sin of the first man, who violated the sole command God had imposed upon him. From this point forward, humanity’s penchant for sinning would fall to the greatest depths. Perhaps the first man foresaw this and recoiled. It is possible that the man and woman were perplexed, even dazed and intoxicated, by the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They heard the voice of the Lord God as though it were moving in the garden with the day breeze. The Divine Presence was particularly manifest in the Garden of Eden. The man and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Before sinning, the man and his wife were like young children, who do only what they are supposed to do and are therefore not ashamed of their actions. For the first time, they sensed that they had acted improperly and felt ashamed and sought to hide.

וַיִּקְרָ֛א יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה׃

The Lord God called to the man, and said to him: Where are you? This question is, of course, not designed to elicit information. It is a summons: Where are you? Stand before Me!

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ֥ שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי בַּגָּ֑ן וָאִירָ֛א כִּֽי־עֵירֹ֥ם אָנֹ֖כִי וָאֵחָבֵֽא׃

He, the man, apologized and said: I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid. I am not standing in the open, because I am confused and ashamed. I hid because I did not want to be seen in my nakedness.

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֚י הִגִּ֣יד לְךָ֔ כִּ֥י עֵירֹ֖ם אָ֑תָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵ֗ץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר צִוִּיתִ֛יךָ לְבִלְתִּ֥י אֲכָל־מִמֶּ֖נּוּ אָכָֽלְתָּ׃

He, God, said: Who told you that you were naked, that there is something wrong with your nakedness? You were naked beforehand as well, and yet you were not ashamed. Clearly, God was not referring to man’s physical nakedness, as even an animal could have discerned this. Did you eat from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat? This was also a rhetorical question, meant to test the man’s response.

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הָֽאָדָ֑ם הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֣תָּה עִמָּדִ֔י הִ֛וא נָֽתְנָה־לִּ֥י מִן־הָעֵ֖ץ וָאֹכֵֽל׃

Despite all he had learned about good and evil, the man had not yet learned how to lie. His response was therefore not a distortion of reality. However, it was also not a direct response. Having internalized the serpent’s cunning, the man did not respond: Yes, or: I sinned. Rather, the man said: The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. You created a woman for me, and she gave me the fruit. By referring to his wife as the woman whom God gave to be with him, the man shirked responsibility for his actions and sought to shift the blame onto her and onto God.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים לָאִשָּׁ֖ה מַה־זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑ית וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה הַנָּחָ֥שׁ הִשִּׁיאַ֖נִי וָאֹכֵֽל׃

The Lord God said to the woman: What is this you have done? Why did you consume the fruit, and why did you give it to your husband? The woman said: The serpent enticed me, and I ate. She also absolved herself of responsibility, although her response was indeed very close to the truth. The woman claimed that she herself would never have conceived of such a deed. Rather, another entity, the serpent, persuaded her with its crafty ways to eat from the fruit. Nevertheless, the woman did not seek to blame God.

וַיֹּאמֶר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֶֽל־הַנָּחָשׁ֮ כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּאת֒ אָר֤וּר אַתָּה֙ מִכָּל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וּמִכֹּ֖ל חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה עַל־גְּחֹנְךָ֣ תֵלֵ֔ךְ וְעָפָ֥ר תֹּאכַ֖ל כָּל־יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

The Lord God said to the serpent. God did not ask the serpent why it behaved as it did, because unlike the man and his wife, the serpent had no justification for its actions. It acted out of a profound wickedness whose purpose was to break open the depths of evil, or simply for its amusement. Even if the serpent did not intend to bring about the tremendous upheaval in the world that resulted from its actions or the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the serpent’s words stemmed from the malicious thought: Perhaps we should do the very opposite of God’s wishes. God therefore cursed the serpent: Because you did this, cursed are you from among all the animals, and from all the beasts of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. It can be inferred from the verse that the serpent previously walked on legs.

וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין זַרְעָ֑הּ ה֚וּא יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ רֹ֔אשׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ עָקֵֽב׃ (ס)

God declared an additional punishment: I will place enmity between you and the woman, and between your descendants and her descendants. If, for whatever reason, you sought to establish a connection with the woman, your efforts will be unsuccessful. Henceforth, an irrational hatred will prevail between you and the woman, and between your descendants and hers. This hatred will be expressed by the fact that he shall strike your head, and you shall strike his heel.

אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשָׁל־בָּֽךְ׃ (ס)

To the woman He said. The curses placed upon the woman distinguish the female human from the females of the animal kingdom: I will increase your suffering; your life will involve much pain. Some explain this as a reference to the menstrual cycle, which has no counterpart in most animals and which is unpleasant and sometimes even painful. And I will increase the difficulty of your pregnancy. Human pregnancy is not as simple or straightforward as that of other creatures. This is partly due to human psychology and partly due to physiology. The same applies to childbirth: In pain you shall give birth to children. And furthermore, your desire shall be for your husband. Since you initiated this action, that is, you were proactive in tempting your husband and attempting to create a new reality, you will henceforth yearn for your husband. Although this is not an adverse state of affairs, it involves a measure of passivity on the woman’s part. And he shall rule over you, not necessarily in terms of a social order, but in the context of sexual relations. The woman was cursed that man and woman would no longer be equal partners. Since the woman wanted to know evil, she would experience suffering; since she sought to lead her husband, she would now be led by him.

וּלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּֽי־שָׁמַעְתָּ֮ לְק֣וֹל אִשְׁתֶּךָ֒ וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

And to Adam He said: Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the tree that I commanded you, saying: You shall not eat from it, your sin is more severe, as you heeded the voice of your wife despite hearing the prohibition directly from Me. Therefore, cursed is the ground on your account. No longer will the ground be like the fertile soil of the Garden of Eden, which gave forth produce without any toil on your part, and which you only had to protect from damage. From now on, mankind’s relationship with the ground will be different: In suffering, through toil, shall you eat of it all the days of your life.

וְק֥וֹץ וְדַרְדַּ֖ר תַּצְמִ֣יחַֽ לָ֑ךְ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ אֶת־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃

And unlike in the Garden of Eden, if you wait for the ground to produce its fruit spontaneously, then thorns and thistles shall it grow for you; and you shall eat the vegetation of the field, which will not always be edible in its natural state.

בְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם עַ֤ד שֽׁוּבְךָ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב׃

In order for the vegetation of the field to be fit for consumption, you will have to toil over its growth. You will no longer be able to consume all produce in its natural state. Rather, by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread. Until now you have lived in a world in which everything was prepared for you. Henceforth, you will have to exert great effort to produce your food, until you return to the ground; for from it were you taken. Ultimately, you will die. For you are dust, and to dust shall you return.

וַיִּקְרָ֧א הָֽאָדָ֛ם שֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ חַוָּ֑ה כִּ֛י הִ֥וא הָֽיְתָ֖ה אֵ֥ם כָּל־חָֽי׃

The man called the name of his wife Eve [Ḥavva]. Before the man imagined that other people would inhabit the earth, there was no reason for him to give his wife a name. He was man and she was woman, and that was sufficient. After learning of their mortality and that the woman would give birth to other people who would replace them, he gave her a name. He chose this name because she was the mother of all living [ ḥai ]. There is much affection and love in the selection of this particular name. Adam could have chosen many other names; he could even have given her a name that reflected some resentment toward her. Despite everything, he called her Ḥavva, as if to say to her: From you life will come to the world.

וַיַּעַשׂ֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְאָדָ֧ם וּלְאִשְׁתּ֛וֹ כָּתְנ֥וֹת ע֖וֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵֽׁם׃ (פ)

The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife hide tunics and clothed them. God took into account the shame and vulnerability that Adam and Eve felt in the wake of their sin. He wished to assist them on their new path, so He clothed them.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֗ים הֵ֤ן הָֽאָדָם֙ הָיָה֙ כְּאַחַ֣ד מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לָדַ֖עַת ט֣וֹב וָרָ֑ע וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ פֶּן־יִשְׁלַ֣ח יָד֗וֹ וְלָקַח֙ גַּ֚ם מֵעֵ֣ץ הַֽחַיִּ֔ים וְאָכַ֖ל וָחַ֥י לְעֹלָֽם׃

The Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of us, like one of the heavenly beings, as he has the capacity to know good and evil. Man no longer acts solely based on instinct or what he is told, but in accordance with his own free will. And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Although the tree of life was in the garden the entire time, it seems that it did not attract the attention of Adam or Eve. Unlike the enticing tree of the knowledge of good and evil, whose fruits were particularly desirable, perhaps the tree of life was a simple tree whose fruit was unimpressive. However, following man’s recent dramatic awareness of his mortality, he might have sought ways to avoid death. It is possible that no prohibition or threat would prevent him from making use of that which could grant him eternal life.

וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃

Therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. Man returned to the unremarkable land outside the Garden of Eden.

וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙ הַמִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת לִשְׁמֹ֕ר אֶת־דֶּ֖רֶךְ עֵ֥ץ הַֽחַיִּֽים׃ (ס)

The man was not sent from the garden in a leisurely manner; rather, He, God, banished the man; He stationed the cherubs, a type of angel, east [ kedem ] of the Garden of Eden. Perhaps the entrance to the garden was on its eastern side, as was the case in the Temple. Alternatively, kedem simply refers to the front of the garden, in whatever direction it may have been. And He placed the blade of the ever-turning sword, which blocked the way, to guard the path to the tree of life, at least for the time being, until God decides to return the man to the Garden of Eden. Angels and heavenly forces of deterrence removed the possibility of immortality from man’s grasp. The man understood that he could no longer return to the garden, and that he had to seek his destiny elsewhere.