Aliya Summary: G‑d caused Adam to fall into a deep slumber and formed
a woman, Eve, from one of his sides. Adam was delighted with his new
mate. The serpent, at the time the wisest of all animals, sweet-talked
Eve into eating from the fruit of the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. Eve
shared the fruit with Adam, and imbued with a new sense of knowledge and
awareness, they were ashamed of their nakedness and clothed themselves.
The fallout was quick to come: G‑d cursed the serpent, Eve, and Adam
too, with various maledictions.
Why did G-d have to
make Adam fall asleep to give him Eve? The Gemara explains that had Adam
seen where Eve came from, she would have been repulsive to him. The
question is what would have been so repulsive. Is it because he is no
longer whole, and requires a partner to be complete? Is it because he
understood that the process of courtship would be difficult for some,
impossible for others? Was it because the process would create so much
heartbreak in the world? All because he wanted an external partner?
Interesting points to ponder.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment