The Ibn Ezra is of the opinion that the Nachash was a snake. How can it be that by transgressing God’s word and eating from the forbidden fruit, we attain the greatest gift that mankind possesses the ability to distinguish between good and evil? It would seem to be a blessing, not a sin! And why would God want to prevent us from having that ability in the first place?Īnd one further related question - can eating a fruit really change my personality, my mindset like that? Was this fruit magical? It is more of a philosophical question, found in the Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim (2:1). The first - What is the Nachash? Is it just an animal? Then why does it speak and tempt people? If it is something else more abstract, then why talk about a snake in very physical terms, crawling on the ground? Two central questions present themselves when we read this parsha. Was the tree any different from other trees? Did Chava see something in this tree that was different to other trees in the garden? What unique element of the tree was she attracted to? Did the tree of knowledge of Good and evil have any intrinsic power of it’s own? Anatomy of Temptation” in her book, “Studies on Bereshit”)ĥ. (An excellent article on this topic is by Nechama Leibovitz : “The Serpent- the evil impulse. Looking through the pesukim, try to understand by which methods and arguments, the snake managed to convince Chava to eat from the tree. * What are the implications of each explanation? * What are the advantages of one understanding over the other ? What is the Snake according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra? What is it according to Sephorno? It is the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination)” (Quote from Baba Batra 16b) maximum damage with minimum visibility. * The Sephorno (see if you can study the entire sephorno on 3:1) opens his explanation to the story with the following : * See 3:14 and RASHI there “Al gechoncha telech” What does this imply about the animal? See also the Ibn Ezra 3:1. * Is it a regular animal the snake that we know? If it is, do snakes speak? If it is not, then what is it? What makes humans (in all cultures) cover certain parts of their bodies (especially the sexual organs)? Why do animals not have a need to cover themselves? * At the end of the story, what was it exactly that caused Adam and Chava to realize that they were naked? Why were Adam and Chava embarrassed about their bodies? What changed ? * Why is the same Hebrew word applicable to such different meanings? Is there a connection between the two meanings? Note the use of the word ‘ARUM’ in both 2:25 and 3:1. The main section that we will concentrate on is 2:25 to 3:11 but the story in its entirety will give valuable background.Īsk your own questions and think a little BEFORE reading on. Certain questions will remain unanswered. Please look at this shiur as a start, an entry into a deep, complicated parsha. (The RaDaK says, “This parsha is very confused according to rational thinking, but in the hidden Torah (the Kabbala) it is all clear.) We will try to begin an analysis and hopefully the Parsha will become a little clearer for us. There are certain phrases which almost defy explanation. In our parsha, the story of the Snake's enticement of Eve, we are not going to be able to fully explain all elements. The stories of Bereshit are clouded in mystery and obscurity. How exactly was Eve formed from Adam? What is the “flow” that “would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the world (2:6)?” What is a Tree of Knowledge? Do snakes speak? We are looking at a world of the Garden of Eden, pre-flood, pre-sin - an existence where “The voice of God breezes through the garden with the daily winds (3:8).” When reading through the verses of Bereshit one frequently feels that one fails to grasp many elements of the story. We are never sure what we can really know about it. It is difficult to talk about a world that pre-exists our own. Thinking Torah Rav Alex Israel – Parshat Bereshit Snake Charming!
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