We often think of the serpent and the apple, the temptation and the fall. But what about before all that? What was God’s intention for humanity in that perfect, unspoiled space?

The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, offers a fascinating glimpse. Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 15 delves into the verse "He placed there [vayasem sham] [the man]." It's a seemingly simple phrase, but the Rabbis find layers of meaning within it.

Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya offer contrasting interpretations. Rabbi Yehuda suggests that vayasem sham means God "elevated" Adam. He draws a parallel to the verse in Deuteronomy 17:15, "You shall set [som tasim] a king over you." Just as a king is elevated to a position of power and authority, so too was Adam elevated in the Garden. He was given dominion, placed in a position of honor.

But Rabbi Neḥemya sees something different. He interprets vayasem sham to mean that God "enticed" Adam, drawing him in with the Garden’s allure. : a paradise of unparalleled beauty, abundance, and comfort. Who wouldn't be enticed?

The midrash (rabbinic story) goes on to compare God’s invitation to Adam to a king who prepares a lavish feast and invites a guest. It’s an image of incredible generosity and hospitality. God invited Adam to partake in the "feast" that had been prepared for him in the Garden.

And here's where it gets really interesting. This invitation, this incredible gift, was given, according to Bereshit Rabbah, due to the merit of Abraham. Wait, Abraham hadn't even been born yet! How could his merit influence Adam’s experience?

Well, the midrash connects this to Psalm 139:2: "You know my sitting and my rising; You understand my thoughts from afar." Here, the Psalm is applied to Adam. "My sitting" refers to his time in the Garden of Eden, and "my rising" to his expulsion from it. But the crucial part is "You understand my thoughts from afar."

The midrash asks: By what merit did God decide to create Adam in the first place? The answer: it was by the merit of the one who would come from afar – Abraham. As it says in Isaiah 46:11, "I summon a bird of prey from the east, the man of My counsel from a distant land." This, the Rabbis say, is a reference to Abraham, whom God summoned from the east (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews).

So, according to this interpretation, Adam’s very creation, his placement in the Garden, was intertwined with the future actions and righteousness of Abraham. It suggests a profound interconnectedness between generations, a divine plan stretching across time.

What does this all mean? It's a complex tapestry of ideas, isn't it? Perhaps it suggests that even in the beginning, God foresaw the need for redemption, for the kind of unwavering faith and commitment that Abraham would embody. Maybe it highlights the idea that our actions, even those seemingly insignificant, can have ripple effects across time, influencing the lives of those who come after us. It's a reminder that we are all part of a larger story, a story that began in a garden and continues to unfold with each generation.