[A searcher recently clicked this post which reminded us it’s time for a review of a great question that stumped us, so we had to resort to asking the Rabbis. The original introduction:
A Sinaite who started sharing what she’s learning from our core group discussions was asked the question featured here. For the benefit of that Sinaite and others who have asked the same question and have missed the answers we gave two years ago, we are reviving discussions on the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. This one is from —
—first posted April 17, 2012., reposted 2014. Sorry, we can’t provide an answer better than the Rabbis on this one!–Admin1.]
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Ask the Rabbi: Why was the serpent cursed when he was just following his animal instinct and has no free will?
Q: What is “Ask the Rabbi” about?
A: Since we come from a Christian/Messianic orientation, we have had difficulty re-reading Tanach with a fresh approach. Many times we have resorted to seeking answers from the Jewish websites which provide a wonderful recourse: “Ask the Rabbi.” There are websites that do not provide this recourse but are instead maintained by individuals who are not “Rabbis” but are bible teachers; their answers are included here as well.
We have gotten a variety of answers from them which we would now like to share with others.
Image from thelatterdays.blogspot.com
Question:
If the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent is not to be taken literally, what is the point of the curse upon the serpent . . . only humans have free will, the serpent as a character that presents an alternative to Eve is fulfilling his role in the story. So why punish the serpent when the test of obedience was for Adam and Eve?
Answer:
Shalom —- Thank you for your note.
Free choice is given to Man but his choice will impact on the entire universe, for the whole cosmos was created to be the canvas of Man’s free choice. When Man sins the whole of Creation becomes degraded and downgraded.
The physical snake is the representation of the spiritual force which challenges Man to follow God’s will. When Man fails his test and the spiritual universe suffers there will a manifestation of that in the physical world which mirrors the spiritual one. When we see the snake crawling we need to associate back to the original story and see the consequences of Man’s sin . . . .
Question:Just one more question that popped up at our Shabbat Torah study today . . . since we no longer believe in “original sin” we were surprised with:Psalm 51:7 “Behold in iniquity was I fashioned and in sin did my mother conceive me.”How do we answer our former [christian/messianic] teacher when he brings this up as proof text for original sin?Thank you in advance, Shalom!Answer:Shalom –
If one uses “original sin” to mean that all individuals are decreed to damnation unless they believe in the Christian “savior”, that is totally antithetical to Jewish belief. We believe that God presents challenges and that we have the capacity and responsibility – and hence the reward and punishment – to overcome these challenges.
But, if you ask me if there are certain innate drives/forces in a person that are counter-spiritual I will say yes. We are definitely made of a physical component and that part of us makes demands and is part of the challenge. One formulation of our challenge is that our goal is to make our souls master over our bodies.
And there are things that are matters of environment. One who is born in South Bronx will have challenges presented that are on a “lower” level (e.g.whether or not to mug someone today) than one who is born into Jerusalem aristocracy. The Almighty accounts for that when given the final reward! When one seeks to repent he must minimally fulfill four criteria:
* Regret. Realizing the extent of the damage and feeling sincere regret. * Cessation. Immediately stopping the harmful action.
* Confession. Articulating the mistake and ask for forgiveness.
* Resolution. Making a firm commitment not to repeat it in the future.
Part of cessation is to be able to identify root causes that induce one to sin. It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. Realizing that we are formed in a way that is inimical to pure spirituality is a matter of knowing the enemy…..
For further study,
read “The Real Messiah” by Rabbi Aryeh KaplanYou may also want to check out: http://messiahtruth.com/
response.html The last, in particular, has a section “Let’s Get Biblical” and essays on original sin that you may find useful. The latter is at http://www.outreachjudaism.
org/articles/original-sin.html I hope that this has been helpful.With blessings from the Holyland,Rabbi M. Younger Aish.com
Question:
Why did G-d take an animal’s life to provide clothing of skin for Adam and Eve?
What’s wrong with covering nakedness with leaves?
This gives Christians/Messianics a springboard to justify blood atonement that only Jesus could fulfill, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.”
Answer:
Shalom –
Thank you for your note.
Our sages teach that it was not just any animal skin. Rather, it was snake skin!
This teaches that even when we sin, it itself can be a springboard for a rectification and even a new path with which to grow.
Regarding forgiveness there are four requirements when seeking atonement:
* Regret. Realizing the extent of the damage and feeling sincere regret.
* Cessation. Immediately stopping the harmful action.
* Confession. Articulating the mistake and ask for forgiveness.
* Resolution. Making a firm commitment not to repeat it in the future.
I think that the following article should help give us some insight into the matter:
The idea of how the animal offerings worked is most often misunderstood. Many believe that sacrifice was the only way to achieve atonement. Actually, atonement always was
accompanied by sincere prayer, teshuva (spiritual return), and charity. Hoshea (8:13) decries people bringing offerings without making an attempt to get closer to God. For this reason, their offerings were rejected.
The animal offering aided the atonement process, as it drove home the point that really the person deserved to be slaughtered, but an animal was being used in his/her place. The offering also helped atonement in many spiritual mystical ways. But we should not mistake the animal offering for more than what it is. It was an aid to atonement. It did not cause atonement.
Logically, how can one think that the death of an animal could atone for their sins? If a person were to commit an atrocity, such as murder, stealing, adultery, or even less severe sin, could one possibly think that slaughtering a cow and a sheep will atone for the sin? Of course not! God is not a child who is appeased by gifts and animal slaughter. God, the true judge,
provides atonement for those who sincerely desire to fix their ways. An offering must be accompanied with the will to get closer to God (prayer), a promise to observe the words of the Torah more carefully (teshuva), and concern for God’s creation (charity).
The verse says: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Psalms 51:19).
This teaches us that a person who does teshuva is regarded as if he had ascended to Jerusalem, built the Temple, erected the Altar, and offered all the offerings upon it. (Midrash – Vayikra Rabba 7:2)
When a person transgresses a mitzvah in the Torah, he destroys some of his inner holiness. He cuts himself off from the Godliness that lies at the essence of his soul. When a person does teshuva — “spiritual return” — he renews and rebuilds the inner world that he has destroyed. On one level, he is rebuilding his personal “Temple” so that God’s presence (so to speak) will return there to dwell.
Today, without the Temple service, one of the most powerful ways to teshuva is through the inspiration of prayer. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 26b) says that’s why the main “Amidah” prayer is recited at the exact same time that the daily offerings weresacrificed!
The text of the “Amidah” was formulated by prophets who knew how to awaken deep yearnings within the Jewish soul. Through prayer, we are to achieve a spiritual desire for a full and total connection to God.
The following is from the Jewish prayer book:
“Master of the Universe, You commanded us to bring the Daily Offering at its appointed time; and have the Kohanim perform their service, and the Levites sing and play music at the platform, and the Israelites attend at their stations. And now, because of our sins, the Holy Temple is destroyed and the Daily Offering discontinued. We have neither a Kohen at his service, nor a Levite on his platform, nor an Israelite at his station.
However, you have said, ‘Let the offerings of our lips replace bulls.’ Therefore, let it be Your will, our God and the God of our ancestors, that the prayer of our lips be considered and accepted and regarded favorably before You as if we had offered the Daily Offering at its appointed time, and stood in attendance at its service.”
Also, the Jews have had an oral tradition from the time of Moses (when the sacrifices started) that God considers the study of offerings as if the offering was actually brought. This is evident from Leviticus 7:37 in which it states, “This is the Law of the elevation-offerings…” (Talmud – Menachot 110a)
(Additional sources: “Noda Beyehuda” I, O.C. 35; “Chatam Sofer” Y.D. 236 & 318; “Kovetz Teshuvot Chatam Sofer” 59.)
With blessings from the Holyland,
Rabbi M. Younger
QUESTIONS:
1. What was the mark on Cain?
2. Why was Seth [and not firstborn Cain] referred to as the one in the likeness and image of Adam?
3. Was the rainbow in the Noah story the very first rainbow ever seen by man, or was the rainbow a regular phenomenon at that time . . . it had not rained and there was a mist that watered earth’s vegetation, the flood released the canopy of water above the heavens . . . so I always thought there could not have been a rainbow previous to the flood?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
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Tue, Jan 3rd 2012 at 5:46 AM
REPLY:
Shalom ,
1. What was the mark on Cain?
It was a Hebrew letter from the Divine Name of G-d inscribed on Cayin’s forehead. I’m not sure which letter.
2. Why was Seth [and not firstborn Cain] referred to as the one in the likeness and image of Adam?
Please give me the Verse you are looking at please.
3. Was the rainbow in the Noah story the very first rainbow ever seen by man, or was the rainbow a regular phenomenon at that time .
There are opinions by the Jewish sages both ways on that one.
Regards,
Eliahu Levenson
On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 10:56 AM, JewishAnswers.org wrote:
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Follow up exchange:
Tue, Jan 3rd 2012 at 10:18 PM
So sorry, Rabbi, for not giving the exact verse about Seth.
Genesis 5 opens with the book of the generations of Adam.
In verse 1, it repeated that man was created in the likeness of G-d.
In verse 3, when Adam lived to be 130 years, it says he “fathered a son in
his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.”
So I’m wondering if there were 2 previous sons born to Adam and Eve, Cain being the firstborn from the first parents should have been the son after Adam’s likeness and his image. But Scripture chooses to say it was Seth.
Why is this so? Some say that it is because it’s from Seth that humanity
comes, but Scripture also gives a genealogy for Cain . . . so humanity
comes from Cain as well. Unless the line being traced is to start over
with Noah and his sons. Did I answer my own question, or is there
something more to it?
Thank you, Rabbi, for answering the other questions.
Respectfully,
Sinai 6000
On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 10:56 AM, JewishAnswers.org < answ80374@jewishanswers.org> wrote:
JewishAnswers.orgWed, Jan 4th 2012 at 10:34 AM
Shalom,
That is not necessarily a listing of firstborn sons.
It is a listing of the generational progression to Noah, and also a year count to the Flood.
Regards,
Eliahu Levenson
Question:
Cain is the firstborn of Adam and Eve, not Seth. Adam was made in the image of God—why is it that it’s Seth, not the firstborn Cain, who is mentioned as “made in the image of man” or in Adam’s image? And what does that mean?
Answer:
Shalom –
Thank you for your question.
Rabbi S.R. Hirsch in his commentary to 5:3 points out that the phrase there, “in his form. like his image” is the opposite of 1:26. This possibly teaches us that Sheis was born in an inferior state but nonetheless endowed with the spiritual elements needed (i.e. free will) to fulfill Adam’s
task in the world.
Whereas, we may speculate, Cain had committed his sin and was no longer going to be in that chain of legacy to perform Adam’s original mission. Only the descendents through Sheis were to be the ones to carry on Adam’s mission….
Seforno notes on the words that Sheis was a greater tzaddik than his either of his older brothers (and hence the one to be Adam’s successor). The Ramban says that the phrase just teaches us his great degree of strength and beauty.
I hope that this has been a bit helpful.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi M. Younger
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Same questions; different Jewish website (Chabad.org) :
(1) Genesis 3:15 — What does it mean without the Christian messianic interpretation?
(2) Why is it that Seth, and not firstborn Cain, was “in the image of Adam”?
B”H
Hi,
1. Oddly enough, until you asked this question, I was not even aware that there was a Christian messianic interpretation to this verse. G-d is simply telling that there will now be enmity between humankind and snakes. We will try to crush them, and they will attempt to bite our heels, which is indeed the case.” You can see a detailed discussion of this here:
http://www.messiahtruth.com/gen315.html
2. About Seth, there are a number of views regarding why the Torah specifically mentions that he was born in Adam’s image. The Targum writes that, as Abel did not survive, there was no point in recounting that he carried on the image of Adam, and Cain was indeed not in the image of Adam. Following this vein, Nachmanides points out that this verse comes almost immediately after we read that Adam was created in the image of G-d. As Seth was the one who became the ancestor of Noah and all subsequent people, telling us that he was in the image of Adam and Adam was in the image of G-d tells us that we too are in the image of G-d.
Please let me know if this helps.
Yours truly,
Rabbi Menachem Posner
Question: Who is the Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace of Isaiah 9:6? Missionaries say it is Jesus.
Answer:
Shalom –
Thank you for your question.
The proper translation is,
“For a child has been born to us,
a son has been given to us
and the dominion will rest on his shoulder;
the Wondrous-Adviser- Mighty-G-d- Eternal-Father,
called his name Prince of Peace.”
(Isaiah 9:5)
Taken in context, it is clear who the verse is referring to – King Hezekiah.
We mustn’t forget that Isaiah lived in the days of Hezekiah and many of these prophecies are directed to him or to the Jews who lived at that time.
In other words, ” the Wondrous-Adviser- Mighty-G-d-Eternal-Father ” is G-d! And He called Hezekiah the “Prince of Peace.”
To learn more, read the sixth chapter of the book “Their Hollow Inheritance” by Michael Drazin. You can read this book for free at www.drazin.com.
To read an excellent translation of the Bible, by the “Artscroll Stone Tanach” published by Artscroll. You can purchase it at www.artscroll.com.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi M. Younger
Question:
Genesis 3:15 — what does it mean if we remove the Christian interpretation of it as the first messianic prophecy?
Answer:
Shalom –
Thank you for your interesting question.
There is nothing here other than a reference to the descendents of Eve. Since she is the one who had the confrontation with serpent (Adam comes into the picture through her) we discuss her offspring rather than Adam’s.
It is true that these verses deal with esoteric matters and a proper discussion is longer than these emails can easily contain. But, let me offer an insight about the serpent, his relationship to Man and this curse, from the commentary of Rabbi S.R. Hirsch:
From the point of view of the educational care for mankind, the eiva, the strong antipathy implemented in mankind towards snakes may be meant to bring home to his mind that it was “animal wisdom” that lead him astray, and to remind him of the gulf that separates Man from animal; and at the same time, by concrete example, to keep the fact constantly before his eyes that there must be a different criterion for good and evil than the dictates of blind instinctive inclinations. The snake bites as a result its natural impulse and still a snake bite is evil for mankind. Thus the moral evil of passion has may give satisfaction to man and still be injurious to higher matters and in other directions. So that the mere dictates of his senses may not tell Man what is good or evil. If we dare take it that the sight of a snake is henceforth to remind mankind to fight his lusts the [the verse] would say very significantly: Man is given greater strength over his lusts, than these have over him. Man can stamp his lusts on the head, they can at the most catch him on his heel. Further [the root] shuf is to catch unforeseen, when the other is careless. Only when Man is off his guard does the snake, and lust, catch him on his heel. By constant watchfulness and being always on one’s guard both can be avoided. And equally so, only when Man does not allow lusts to awake, to become passions, as long as snakes and lusts are still slumbering can he stamp both of them on the head, but not if he awakes and excites them.
I hope that this has been a bit helpful.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi M. Younger
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