We often picture the shame, the hardship... but what about the stuff? Did he get to take anything with him?
Well, according to one fascinating folktale recounted in Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls, God, reluctant to simply kick Adam out, essentially encouraged him to leave. God even gave him a parting feast, the best food and wine imaginable, and said, "There’s a whole world out there! Don't you want to explore it?"
Adam, understandably, wasn't thrilled. Eden was, after all, Eden. But God insisted, "You can take anything you like with you, whatever you desire, but you must go." So, God showed him all the treasures of the garden: lush orchards, amazing animals, gold, silver, precious stones...
But nothing caught Adam's eye. Until he found the diamonds. These weren't just any diamonds; they shone as brightly as the sun. Adam chose one of the largest, most brilliant ones. Holding it tight, he walked toward the gates, an angel accompanying him.
He passed through, glanced back, and saw the cherubim with their flaming swords. No turning back now. A pang of regret hit him, but he kept walking until he reached a river.
And this is where the story takes a truly unexpected turn.
As Adam stood by the riverbank, admiring his prize, the angel suddenly pushed him! The diamond slipped from his grasp and plunged into the water.
"Why did you do that?" Adam cried out, distraught.
The angel simply replied, "Go down to the river and find your diamond."
So, Adam went down to the river... and what he saw astonished him. Thousands upon thousands of diamonds sparkled beneath the surface, reflecting the sunlight. How could he possibly find his?
Then the angel revealed a startling truth: "Do you think you were the first one who was expelled from the Garden of Eden and took a diamond with you? Thousands and thousands did as you did, and their diamonds fill the river, as you can see."
Wow.
This unusual tale echoes the midrashic tradition of the Tzohar, the jewel said to have been given to Adam upon his exile. The Tzohar, in some traditions, even provided light for the world! But this story does something different with the diamond motif. Here, it becomes a symbol of loss, but also of shared experience.
The idea that the river is full of other diamonds is a powerful one. As the angel points out, Adam wasn't the first to leave Eden with such a diamond.
While we have extensive rabbinic traditions about God creating and destroying worlds before this one, the notion of multiple Adams, each expelled and taking a diamond, is quite original. Where did they all come from?
What does it all mean?
Perhaps it's a commentary on the nature of loss and desire. Adam's diamond, so precious to him, becomes just one among many, highlighting the transient nature of earthly possessions. Or maybe it’s a reflection on the shared human condition. We all carry our own "diamonds" – the things we cling to, the things we lose. And perhaps, in that shared experience of loss, we find a strange kind of connection.
It's a reminder that even in our most individual struggles, we are part of a larger story, a river of experiences flowing through time. And that, perhaps, is a comfort in itself.