It’s a question that echoes through the ages. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations, offers a glimpse into Adam’s profound journey of repentance.
Imagine Adam, burdened by the weight of his actions. The text paints a vivid picture: He wades into the upper Gihon – some understand this as a river, others as celestial waters – until the water reaches his neck. There, he fasts for seven long weeks, his body growing thin, almost like seaweed, in his intense devotion.
And what does he plead? He cries out to the Holy One, "Sovereign of all worlds! Remove, I pray Thee, my sins from me and accept my repentance, and all the generations will learn that repentance is a reality." Think about the weight of that statement. He’s not just asking for personal forgiveness; he's asking to be an example for all future generations.
The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer then tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, extends His right hand and accepts Adam's repentance, removing his sin. This echoes the words of Psalm 32:5: "I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." The text emphasizes that this forgiveness is not just for this world, but "Selah in this world and Selah in the world to come." Selah, a word we find throughout the Psalms, often interpreted as a pause, a moment for reflection, a testament to the enduring nature of forgiveness.
But the story doesn't end there. Adam, now forgiven, is still aware of his mortality. He knows, as the book of Job states, that he will eventually go to "the house appointed for all living." So, what does he do? He decides to build a mausoleum for himself beyond Mount Moriah.
Why? Because Adam fears that after his death, people might take his bones and turn them into idols. He wants to protect his remains from such desecration. He reasons that if the waters of the Jordan River would part for the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God, how much more should his body, formed by God's own hands and imbued with the breath of His spirit, be treated with reverence. So, he buries his coffin deep within a cave.
And this, according to the text, is the origin of the Cave of Machpelah. Machpelah, meaning "double," suggesting a cave within a cave, a place of profound burial. It's not just Adam and his helpmeet, Eve, who are said to be buried there, but also Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. That's why it’s also called Kirjath Arba, "the city of four," referring to the four pairs buried within. The text concludes by quoting Isaiah 57:2, "He entereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness."
The story of Adam's repentance and burial in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer is a powerful reminder of the human condition: our capacity for both sin and repentance, our awareness of mortality, and our desire for lasting peace. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How do we grapple with our own imperfections, and what legacy will we leave behind?