Parashat Bereishit:
G-d creates:
First Day: creation of light and differentiation between light and darkness
Second Day: making of the firmament differentiating between the waters
Third Day: appearance of land and vegetation
Fourth Day: making of the luminaries for the day and night
Fifth Day: creation of sea creatures and flying creatures
Sixth Day: making of land animals, beasts, and creeping creatures, Creation of man and woman in the image of G-d
On the Seventh Day: G-d abstained from His work
Commandment not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge
Separation of man and woman into two separate beings
Woman and Man eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are punished and banished
Chava gives birth to Cayin and Hevel
Cayin murders Hevel
The Genealogy of man and the ten generations from Adam to Noach
Man increased in his evil ways and G-d says He will erase his creations
“And the eyes of both of them were opened” (Bereishit 3:7)
When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was given permission to take from any tree except for one, the tree of knowledge. The serpent cunningly convinced Chava to eat from this tree. She then gave of its fruit to Adam who also ate. Both of them had transgressed the only commandment given to them and they would forever pay the consequences. “And the eyes of both of them were opened.”
This whole episode is very perplexing. After all, the forbidden tree was called the tree of knowledge. Would knowledge not seem to be a noble endeavor? What exactly was their punishment? What changed in the two human beings? It seems that they achieved a new level of awareness. What kind of consequences does one receive for eating from a tree of knowledge?
The Sforno, in his commentary on the Parasha, explains the change that occurred. “They focused on all that is pleasant to enjoy even though it may be harmful.” Before the sin, Adam and Chava had a clear perception of reality and the consequences within the system that G-d had established. If an action was not beneficial in the long run, they did not see it as beneficial. They did not have the capacity to make decisions based on immediate pleasure because the consequences of any action were clear in their mind. However, following their sin, Adam and Chava perceived short-term gratification to be beneficial as well. They gained an awareness allowing them to attach value to actions that may have long-term consequences. Their perception of reality was slightly distorted, adding a new challenge for man to overcome when choosing between good and evil.
Today, we must live with this added trial among the other challenges assigned to the human race as a result of the first sin. We are not born with a perfect perception of reality. Man is born with imperfections that must be removed. Our goal is to strive to achieve perfection to the best of our ability.
