The Beginning of the Torah, the Beginning of Life

D’var Torah

By Avi Eisen
Montclair State University

I would like to look at one of my favorite commentators on Parashat Bereishit: Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist of the musical Children of Eden. In the musical, he relates Parashat Bereishit to a more family-like relationship; God is called "Father" and Adam and Hava are his "children." When Adam and Hava eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, God is angry with them and tells Hava to leave the Garden. "This is a place of innocence. This is a place for children. And you are a child no more." (Children of Eden, Papermill Playhouse Production, Disc 1 Track 10 (Childhood’s End) (In the show, Adam eats the fruit when he chooses to be with Hava over his "father." In Bereishit, Adam eats the fruit before God throws them out of the garden).

Why is it so bad to be eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge? As innocent children, Adam and Hava did everything God commanded and the only thing that eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge gave them was the ability to choose between right and wrong.

Before the incident with the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Hava had everything provided for them by God; they ate food from the trees and drank water from the rivers. Adam and Hava were created as companions for each other, and with everything provided for them. Their "world" was confined to the garden that was created for them by God, with no concern for anything beyond its borders. Their perception of the world around them was a paradise. In addition, they accepted the rule set before them without question: "Don’t eat from the tree of knowledge, or I will kill you."

Hava approached the Tree of Knowledge one day and got into a conversation with a snake about the Tree of Knowledge. The snake is a representation of Hava’s doubts, to discuss the other side of the story. As Hava began to ask why, she began to test her boundaries, challenging more of what she knew by doing so, until she finally ate from the Tree of Knowledge. She then offered the fruit to Adam, who also ate the fruit without need of convincing.

Suddenly, their perfect paradise turned into imperfection. They started making changes and becoming more independent by making clothes for themselves out of fig leaves. The use of fig leaves as clothing was beneficial to Adam and Hava, but destructive to the fig plant.

God returned to the garden, causing Adam and Hava to hide. Their awareness of themselves and their surroundings had increased and they hid from God when they sensed God’s presence. When God confronted Adam about how his awareness had increased, asking if he ate from the tree of Knowledge, Adam’s answer was not direct. Adam did not own up to eating the apple, his answer being "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." (Bereishit 3:12) When God confronted Hava, she responded, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Bereishit 3:14) Neither one of the two took personal responsibility for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Both of them protected themselves by lying about their actions. As punishment for lying, they were kicked out of the garden to make their own living, in what they now perceived to be a desolate wasteland. Instead of taking what God provided for them, they had to learn to create for themselves. Thus, they were able to respect the effort involved in creating such things.

What better way to begin the Torah, than with a story similar to the beginning of life itself? God creates a place for children to grow up and provides for them. When they become able to support themselves, they go into the world to make a living for their children, and the cycle starts again. The Torah begins with a new beginning. Now, after a month of celebrating, we pave the way to turn this new beginning into a successful future.

[Posted 11/1/05]