We often think of it as just a snake, but according to the Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, this serpent was something truly extraordinary.
It wasn't just any animal. It possessed exceptional qualities, even resembling humans in some ways. Imagine, it could stand upright on two feet, and was as tall as a camel! Ginzberg elaborates that before the "fall," a single pair of these amazing serpents could have handled all of humanity's work, and even provided us with treasures like silver, gold, gems, and pearls.
But here's the tragic twist: the serpent's very intelligence became its downfall, and ours too. Its superior mental gifts, according to the tale, led it to infidelity – a rejection of faith. And even more potent, it developed a deep envy for humankind, especially for Adam's relationship with Eve. This envy fueled its desire to bring about Adam's demise.
Knowing Adam wouldn't be easily swayed, the serpent targeted Eve, believing women were more susceptible to deception. It began the conversation with a calculated question, "Is it true that God hath said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden?" Eve, perhaps innocently, replied that they could eat from any tree except the one in the middle, which they were forbidden to even touch, lest they die.
Now, here's a crucial detail. God only forbade eating the fruit, but Adam, in his zeal to protect Eve, added the prohibition against touching the tree. This exaggeration, the story implies, created an opening for the serpent. As the proverb says, "Better a wall ten hands high that stands, than a wall a hundred ells high that cannot stand."
The serpent seized the opportunity. It pushed Eve against the tree, saying, "See, touching it hasn't killed you! Eating it won't either. God is only keeping you from becoming like Him, creators and destroyers of worlds!" It even claimed God ate the fruit first to create the world. "Artisans of the same guild hate one another," it argued.
The serpent continued its manipulative arguments, suggesting that each creation rules over the one before it, and that humans, being the last creation, should eat the fruit to avoid being ruled by future creations. To prove its point, the serpent shook the tree, ate the fruit, and declared, "As I do not die of eating the fruit, so wilt thou not die."
Eve, now questioning Adam's commands, compromised. She ate only the skin of the fruit at first. When she didn't die, she ate the fruit itself. Immediately, she saw the Angel of Death and, fearing her own demise, decided to bring Adam down with her, lest he find another wife.
Through tears and lamentations, she convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. But she didn't stop there. She offered the fruit to all living beings, condemning them to mortality as well. All ate, except for one, the bird malham.
The malham refused, declaring, "Is it not enough that ye have sinned against God, and have brought death to others?" For this act of defiance and loyalty, a heavenly voice declared that the malham and its descendants would live forever in Paradise, never tasting death.
After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve's eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked. Before, they were covered in a horny skin and enveloped in a cloud of glory. But now, those coverings were gone, leaving them exposed and ashamed.
As Adam and Eve sought leaves to cover themselves, most trees refused, calling Adam a thief who deceived his Creator. Only the fig tree, the tree of the forbidden fruit itself, offered its leaves. The text draws a parallel to a prince seduced by a servant; when the king finds out, only the servant who caused his disgrace will offer him refuge.
What does this story tell us? It's a complex narrative about temptation, deception, and the consequences of disobedience. But perhaps, at its heart, it's a story about the dangers of both blind obedience and unchecked ambition. It reminds us to question, to discern, and to consider the long-term impact of our choices, because even the smallest deviation from truth, like Adam's added prohibition, can have devastating consequences. As we reflect on the story of the "Fall," let's consider the ways in which we, too, might be susceptible to the serpent's whispers, and strive to choose wisdom and righteousness in our own lives.
Among the animals the serpent was notable. Of all of them he had the most excellent qualities, in some of which he resembled man. Like man he stood upright upon two feet, and in height he was equal to the camel. Had it not been for the fall of man, which brought misfortune to them, too, one pair of serpents would have sufficed to perform all the work man has to do, and, besides, they would have supplied him with silver, gold, gems, and pearls. As a matter of fact, it was the very ability of the serpent that led to the ruin of man and his own ruin. His superior mental gifts caused him to become an infidel. It likewise explains his envy of man, especially of his conjugal relations. Envy made him meditate ways and means of bringing about the death of Adam. He was too well acquainted with the character of the man to attempt to exercise tricks of persuasion upon him, and he approached the woman, knowing that women are beguiled easily. The conversation with Eve was cunningly planned, she could not but be caught in a trap. The serpent began, "Is it true that God hath said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden?" "We may," rejoined Eve, "eat of the fruit of all the trees in the garden, except that which is in the midst of the garden, and that we may not even touch, lest we be stricken with death." She spoke thus, because in his zeal to guard her against the transgressing of the Divine command, Adam had forbidden Eve to touch the tree, though God had mentioned only the eating of the fruit. It remains a truth, what the proverb says, "Better a wall ten hands high that stands, than a wall a hundred ells high that cannot stand." It was Adam's exaggeration that afforded the serpent the possibility of persuading Eve to taste of the forbidden fruit. The serpent pushed Eve against the tree, and said: "Thou seest that touching the tree has not caused thy death. As little will it hurt thee to eat the fruit of the tree. Naught but malevolence has prompted the prohibition, for as soon as ye eat thereof, ye shall be as God. As He creates and destroys worlds, so will ye have the power to create and destroy. As He doth slay and revive, so will ye have the power to slay and revive. He Himself ate first of the fruit of the tree, and then He created the world. Therefore doth He forbid you to eat thereof, lest you create other worlds. Everyone knows that 'artisans of the same guild hate one another.' Furthermore, have ye not observed that every creature hath dominion over the creature fashioned before itself? The heavens were made on the first day, and they are kept in place by the firmament made on the second day. The firmament, in turn, is ruled by the plants, the creation of the third day, for they take up all the water of the firmament. The sun and the other celestial bodies, which were created on the fourth day, have power over the world of plants. They can ripen their fruits and flourish only through their influence. The creation of the fifth day, the animal world, rules over the celestial spheres. Witness the ziz, which can darken the sun with its pinions. But ye are masters of the whole of creation, because ye were the last to be created. Hasten now and eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, and become independent of God, lest He bring forth still other creatures to bear rule over you." To give due weight to these words, the serpent began to shake the tree violently and bring down its fruit. He ate thereof, saying: "As I do not die of eating the fruit, so wilt thou not die." Now Eve could not but say to herself, "All that my master"—so she called Adam—"commanded me is but lies," and she determined to follow the advice of the serpent. Yet she could not bring herself to disobey the command of God utterly. She made a compromise with her conscience. First she ate only the outside skin of the fruit, and then, seeing that death did not fell her, she ate the fruit itself. Scarce had she finished, when she saw the Angel of Death before her. Expecting her end to come immediately, she resolved to make Adam eat of the forbidden fruit, too, lest he espouse another wife after her death. It required tears and lamentations on her part to prevail upon Adam to take the baleful step. Not yet satisfied, she gave of the fruit to all other living beings, that they, too, might be subject to death. All ate, and they all are mortal, with the exception of the bird malham, who refused the fruit, with the words: "Is it not enough that ye have sinned against God, and have brought death to others? Must ye still come to me and seek to persuade me into disobeying God's command, that I may eat and die thereof? I will not do your bidding." A heavenly voice was heard then to say to Adam and Eve: "To you was the command given. Ye did not heed it; ye did transgress it, and ye did seek to persuade the bird malham. He was steadfast, and he feared Me, although I gave him no command. Therefore he shall never taste of death, neither he nor his descendants—they all shall live forever in Paradise." Adam spoke to Eve: "Didst thou give me of the tree of which I forbade thee to eat? Thou didst give me thereof, for my eyes are opened, and the teeth in my mouth are set on edge." Eve made answer, "As my teeth were set on edge, so may the teeth of all living beings be set on edge." The first result was that Adam and Eve became naked. Before, their bodies had been overlaid with a horny skin, and enveloped with the cloud of glory. No sooner had they violated the command given them than the cloud of glory and the horny skin dropped from them, and they stood there in their nakedness, and ashamed. Adam tried to gather leaves from the trees to cover part of their bodies, but he heard one tree after the other say: "There is the thief that deceived his Creator. Nay, the foot of pride shall not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked touch me. Hence, and take no leaves from me!" Only the fig-tree granted him permission to take of its leaves. That was because the fig was the forbidden fruit itself. Adam had the same experience as that prince who seduced one of the maid-ser vants in the palace. When the king, his father, chased him out, he vainly sought a refuge with the other maid-servants, but only she who had caused his disgrace would grant him assistance.
