Kabbalah Library

334. “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes.” People do not know and do not look, and do not observe. When the Creator created Adam and honored him with the high glory, he asked him to adhere to Him so he would be alone, with one heart, and in a place of one adhesion, so he would not change and would never become inverted, and in that tie of one faith, to which everything connects. It is written, “And the tree of life within the garden,” to be adhered to ZA, the tree of life, in which there is no duality of good and evil.

335. Afterwards, they deviated from the path of faith, and left the one, highest of all trees, the tree of life, ZA, and came to adhere to a place that changes and becomes inverted from manner to manner and from good to bad and from bad to good, in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and descended from above downward, and adhered below with many changes. They left the upper one, who is one and never changes, as it is written, “that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes,” meaning to adhere to the tree of knowledge, in which there are many changes. At that time, their heart was inverted in that very side, and at times they were for the good, and at times for the bad, at times for mercy, and at times for judgment, as the thing to which they had adhered. They sought out many schemes and adhered to them.

336. The Creator told him, “Adam, you left life and adhered to death.” Life means as it is written, “and the tree of life within the garden.” A tree that is called “life,” since one who holds it never tastes the taste of death. “And you adhered to a different tree; thus, death is before you,” as it is written, “Her legs go down to death.” This is why he and the whole world were sentenced to death.

337. If he sinned, why was the whole world sentenced to death? When Adam rose to his feet, all the people saw him and feared him, and were drawn after him like servants before the king. He told them, “Let us bow and kneel, and bless the Lord our Maker,” and everyone followed. When they saw Adam bowing to the tree of knowledge and adhering to it, they all followed him. Hence, he caused death to himself and to the whole world.

338. At that time, Adam changed in several ways, at times for better, and at times for worse, at times anger, and at times contentment, at times judgment, and at times mercy, at times life, and at times death. He does not always stand at a different status from them, since the tree of knowledge caused him. This is why it is called “the blaze of the swirling sword,” from one side to the other side, from good to bad, from mercy to judgment, from peace to war. It changes to every side and it is called “good and bad,” as it is written, “And of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.”

339. The upper King, whose mercy is on the work of His hands, admonished him and told him, “And of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” But he did not accept it from Him and was taken after his wife, and was expelled forever, since the woman rises to this place and not more, and the woman caused death to all.

While Malchut is in judgment, she is called “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” If he merits, it is good; if he does not merit, it is bad. He was commanded not to draw the Hochma from her from above downward, for then he would die. Rather, Adam was to adhere to the tree of life, which is his root, ZA, and Eve was to adhere to Malchut from the side of mercy, which is adhered to the tree of knowledge. However, when she is adhered to ZA, she is the tree of life, like him, except that she took from him when Malchut was in separation from ZA, or more correctly, when she drew from above downward, became separated from ZA, and was inverted into death for them, as it is written, “Her legs go down to death.”

340. For the next world, it is written, “For as the days of the tree are the days of My people.” “As the days of the tree,” the tree of life. At the same time, it is written, “Death will be swallowed up forever, and the Lord God shall wipe the tears off all the faces.”