#7 November 23rd-Adam, Hava and the Snake

Adam, Hava & the Snake

Genesis 2:25-3:24

The first people formed by God, man and woman, were living in the garden of Eden. They were naked but they were not embarrassed.

Now, the serpent was the most sly and tricky of all the animals that God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” The woman replied, “We may eat the fruit of the other trees in the garden. It’s only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: ‘You shall not eat or touch it, otherwise you will die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You are not going to die, but God knows that as soon as you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.”

When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was something a person would want as a source of wisdom, she took a piece of its fruit and ate! She also gave some to her husband Adam and he ate. Then both of their eyes were opened and they could tell that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves clothes.

They heard the sound of God moving around the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from God among the trees of the garden. God called out to Adam and said, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I forbid you to eat? Adam said, “the woman you put at my side - she gave me fruit from the tree and I ate.” And God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?!” The woman replied, “The serpent tricked me and I ate.”

Then God said to the serpent, “Because you did this, you will be more cursed than any other animal. You will crawl on your belly and eat dirt your whole life. I will make you and woman enemies, and your children and her children enemies. They will hit your head and you will bite at their heels.”

And God said to the woman, “I will make childbirth very painful for you. But you will still long for your husband and he will rule over you.”

To Adam God said, “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed because of you; only by hard work will you eat from it. Throughout your whole life it will sprout thorns and thistles. But your food will be the grasses of the field; By the sweat of your brow will you get bread to eat, until you return to the ground - for from it were you taken. For you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

The man named his wife Hava because she was the mother of all the living. And God made clothing for Adam and his wife and He clothed them.

And God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad, what if he also stretches out his hand and takes from the Tree of Life, eats, and lives forever!” So God banished him from the garden of Eden to till the soil from which he was taken. He drove the man out and stationed the angels and the fiery ever-turning sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.

Steps for Completing this Torah Hangout:

When appropriate, follow this level key:  All / 2nd-4th graders / 5th-6th graders

#1 Read the story above slowly and carefully.

#2 Respond to the following questions with a partner or on a sheet of paper:

1. Based on what happens in the story, why do you think Adam and Hava are not embarrassed about being naked at the beginning? What makes them realize they are naked? Why do they decide to put on clothes?
2. What do you think the serpent means when he tells Hava, “your eyes will be opened.” What kind of “seeing” is he talking about?
3. Why do you think God asks Adam, “Where are you?” Shouldn’t God know where everyone is?
4. Why do you think God did not want humans to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad?
5. Looking at how God curses the serpent, the woman and the man, describe how you think they were before they were cursed - and before they were banished from the garden.
6. In this story, Adam and Hava are banished from the garden - they lose their easy life in paradise. Do they gain anything?

#3 Investigate the following pieces of commentary and answer the related questions:

Rambam comments on this verse: And God said, “the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad. He says: 

Freedom of choice has been granted to every man: if he desires to turn to the way of good and be righteous--he has that ability; and if he desires to turn to the way of evil and be wicked--he has that ability. This is what it says in the Torah: "the man is become unique, of himself knowing good and evil," meaning: this species, man, has become unique in the world, and there is no other species similar to him in this matter--that he, on his own, from his own mind and thought, knows good and evil and does whichever he desires, and there is none that prevents him from doing either good or evil…

• What does Rambam think humans gain by being like God, knowing good and bad? Is this a gift or a curse?

In a story told by Rabbi Yosef Yiztchak, a wise rabbi explains this verse "'Where are you?'" He says: (this question) "is God's perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life. You have lived so many years and so many days" ... "Where are you? What have you attained?"

• How does the rabbi explain why god has to ask Adam “Where are you”? In your own words, explain what the rabbi thinks this question teaches us.

#4 Based on your discussion, please answer following question on the blog:

Would you rather live in the garden of Eden or in the world as you know it? Why or why not?