We often picture them simply entering our world, but some traditions paint a far more complex picture. According to certain Jewish legends, the world as we know it, Tebel, is just one of seven distinct earths.
Let’s start at the very bottom. When Adam was expelled, he first found himself in Erez, the lowest of these seven earths. Imagine a place of utter darkness, "without a ray of light, and utterly void," as Ginzberg recounts in Legends of the Jews. It was a terrifying place, especially with the ever-turning sword, a symbol of divine judgment, constantly looming.
After Adam did penance, the story continues, God led him to the second earth, Adamah. This place had a faint light, reflected from its own sky and phantom-like stars. But here's where it gets really interesting: Adamah is inhabited by phantom-like beings, the offspring of Adam's union with spirits! Can you imagine such a thing? These beings are perpetually sad, joy unknown to them. Legend says they sometimes travel to our earth, where they become evil spirits, only to return home later, repentant. They till the ground, but nothing of value grows there. Adamah is also where Cain, Abel, and Seth were born.
And what happened to Cain after the murder of Abel? He was banished back to the dark Erez, the very place that had frightened Adam. Eventually, repenting in that terrible darkness, he was allowed to ascend to the third earth, Arka. Arka, we’re told, receives some light from the sun and was given to the Cainites as their permanent domain. They farm and plant trees, but like the inhabitants of Adamah, they can’t grow wheat or other essential crops. The inhabitants of Arka are particularly strange: some are giants, others dwarfs, and some even have two heads! This leads to constant internal conflict, a reflection of their divided nature. One moment they might be pious, the next inclined towards evil.
Moving upwards, we arrive at Ge, the fourth earth. This is where the generation of the Tower of Babel and their descendants reside. As the legends tell it, God banished them there because Ge is close to Gehenna – often translated as hell – and its fiery flames. The inhabitants of Ge are incredibly skilled in the arts and sciences, living in a wealthy and prosperous land. However, there's a catch. If someone from our earth visits Ge, they are given a precious gift, but then tricked into going to Neshiah, the fifth earth, where they completely forget their origin and home.
Neshiah itself is a peculiar place, inhabited by nose-less dwarfs who breathe through holes! Even stranger, they have no memory, forgetting everything immediately after it happens. That's why their earth is called Neshiah, meaning "forgetting." Like Arka and Ge, Neshiah has trees, but it also lacks the essential crops.
The sixth earth is called Ziah, meaning "drought". This is home to handsome, wealthy men who live in palatial residences, but they suffer from a severe lack of water. Vegetation is sparse, and their attempts at growing trees don’t go well. Desperate for water, they sometimes try to sneak through springs to our earth to satisfy their hunger for our food. Despite this hardship, the people of Ziah are said to be steadfast in their faith, more so than any other group of humans.
Finally, after the birth of Seth, Adam was transported from Adamah, past Arka, Ge, Neshiah, and Ziah, all the way up to Tebel, the seventh earth – the earth inhabited by humans as we know them.
What are we to make of this elaborate cosmology? It's a far cry from a simple story of exile. Perhaps it’s a way of understanding the different aspects of human nature, the struggles, the forgetfulness, the striving, and the potential for both good and evil. Or perhaps it’s a reminder that our world, the one we take for granted, is just one layer in a much grander, more mysterious reality. Whatever the interpretation, these legends offer a fascinating glimpse into the rich tapestry of Jewish folklore.