The Tree of Knowledge/2/en

The Tree of Knowledge

Exegetical Approaches

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Sexual Desire

The fruit of the tree introduced sexual desire to mankind.

Sources:Ibn EzraBereshit First Commentary 2:9, 17Bereshit First Commentary 3:7Bereshit Second Commentary 2:9, 16-17Bereshit Second Commentary 3:7About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, RadakBereshit 2:9Bereshit 2:17Bereshit 3:7About R. David Kimchi, AbarbanelBereshit 2:1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel #1,

Meaning of the root "דעת" – These sources point to the many places in Tanakh where the root ידע connotes sexual relations¹ to suggest that here, too, the knowledge gained by the tree was the "intimate knowing" of two people, i.e. sexual desire.

Meaning of "טוֹב וָרָע" – Abarbanel claims that the "good and bad" refer to the fact that a proper amount of sexual desire can be positive but when the desire becomes excessive it is harmful.²

"...וַיֵּדְעוּ כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם" – Ibn Ezra and Radak points to this verse as proof of this position. After eating from the tree, the first thing that Adam and Chavvah gain awareness of was the fact of their nakedness.  Only with sexual desire did nakedness take on any import and lead to a feeling of embarrassment.³

"וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ" – The first deed done by Adam after our story is to have relations with his wife, a direct result of the new knowledge that he gained.

"הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ לָדַעַת טוֹב וָרָע" – Ramban questions this approach from the fact that Hashem declared that in eating from the tree, man became similar to God.  Since Hashem does not have sexual desire, it would seem difficult to define the knowledge gained by the fruit in  such a manner.  Abarbanel responds that Hashem is referring to His role as Creator.  Sexual desire leads to procreation, and in this man is similar to Hashem who brings life to all.

Measure for measure punishment? Chavvah's punishment of pain in childbirth and always desiring her husband is an appropriate one if the sin related to sexual desire.⁴  In fact, it could even be seen as a direct consequence of her deed rather than simply a punishment.

"וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה" – This position might suggest that the naming of Chavvah, which appears to interrupt the story, is actually integrally related to the sin.  It is now, with the introduction of sexual desire, that she became "אֵם כׇּל חָי".  It is possible that until the sin, mankind was not meant to procreate,⁵ but instead to eat from the tree of life and live forever.⁶

"כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכׇלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת"

• In line with the above point, Abarbanel suggests that the verse means that upon eating from the tree man was to become mortal. He views this not as a punishment, but rather as a direct consequence of the sin.⁷
• Ibn Ezra, in contrast, suggests that the verse could be understood literally to mean that Adam was supposed to die the same day that he ate,⁸ but due to his repentance the punishment was averted.⁹

Eating from the Tree of Life – Abarbanel suggests that originally man was allowed to eat from the tree, and was meant to live forever. 

Why make the tree at all? Abarbanel explains that the tree had positive properties as well as negative ones.  Seeing and touching it provided the proper amount of sexual desire, and had Adam and Chavvah not eaten from the tree, they would have enjoyed its benefits without its negatives.

Free Will

Upon eating from the tree, humans attained the ability to choose between good and bad.  They were given free will.

Sources:RambanBereshit 2:9, 17Bereshit 3:7, 16, 22About R. Moshe b. Nachman

Subjective Knowledge or Moral Conventions

Before the sin, humans had objective knowledge of truths and falsehoods, knowledge gained by pure analytical reasoning.  Afterwards their intellectual level dropped and became the subjective knowledge of moral convention, knowledge gained by custom and empirical observation.

Sources:Rambam1 2About Rambam Moreh Nevukhim, Ralbag

"וִהְיִיתֶם כֵּאלֹהִים יֹדְעֵי טוֹב וָרָע" – Rambam understands "" in the secular sense of the word to refer to political leaders.

Partial / Moral Knowledge

Sources:R. Saadia GaonCommentary Bereshit 2:17Commentary Bereshit 3:1Commentary Bereshit 3:22About R. Saadia Gaon, R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 2:17Bereshit 3:7Bereshit 3:22About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

Objective Knowledge

Sources:Cassuto

Appreciation of Aesthetics

Sources:? Rashbam

No New Knowledge

The fruit of the tree did not change the intellect of man at all.

Sources:Midrash Tadshe, R. HirschBereshit 2:9About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch,

¹ For a few of many examples, see Bereshit 4:1, 4:17, 4:25, and 19:5.

² He, in fact, claims that the tree aroused sexual desire just by looking or feeling it, actions which Hashem did not prohibit knowing that a small amount of desire would be beneficial to man and lead him to couple with his wife. 

³ Beforehand they were like toddlers who are not inhibited to take off their clothing in public.

⁴ See Abarbanel who

⁵ It should be noted that Abarbanel explicitly disagrees and claims that Adam and Chavvah were meant to cohabit and bear children regardless (though not as many as they were to bear afterwards). He instead suggests that the name Chavvah relates to her garrulous nature ("חוה" means to tell or declare as in Tehillim 19:3, "יְחַוֶּה דָּעַת") which led to the sin.

⁶ Abarbanel points to Bavli ShabbatShabbat 55bAbout the Bavli which suggests that had Adam not sinned he would have lived forever.He suggests that the Tree of Life had rejuvenating properties, and Hashem would have guarded mankind from evil allowing him to live forever.  Ibn Ezra, however, disagrees claiming that Adam was always mortal.  He is not explicit regarding the nature of the Tree of Life, but appears to suggest that it had life-inducing qualities, but eating from it would not have led to immortality.  He does not explain what Hashem meant when He said, "וְלָקַח גַּם מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים וְאָכַל וָחַי לְעֹלָם" which would seem to imply that eating from the tree does indeed provide immortality.

⁷ Excesses disrupt the body's balance, so the increase in sexual desire would of necessity come to harm the body.

⁸ Since he assumes that man was always meant to be mortal, he can not explain the verse like Abarbanel.

⁹ He also raises the possibility that the verse means that from the day that man eats from the tree he will move towards death; i.e. that day would be the beginning of the end.  However, given that Adam lived for many centuries after the sin, it would seem to difficult to ark the day as the turning point in his life towards death.