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Wisdom for Living
Rabbi Noah Weinberg on the Parashah
And Hashem God caused to sprout from the ground every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food; also the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad…. And Hashem God commanded Adam, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you must not eat thereof; for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die… And the woman perceived that the tree was good for eating and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a means to wisdom… (Bereishis 2:9, 16-17; 3:6)
The Almighty created an absolutely gorgeous Garden filled with “every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food.” Right in the center of this Garden He placed this unbelievably desirable tree called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and He warned Adam, "Watch out! You can't eat from this tree! Yes, it looks incredibly delicious and mouthwatering, but if you eat from it, you will die."
Now, would you place an exquisite table of delectable delights in front of your children, placing the most appetizing dish of all right in the middle, and then lace that dish with poison and tell them, “Watch out for that one! Although it is extremely desirable, it will kill you.” Why did Hashem bait Adam and Chava in such a seemingly cruel way and place a deadly booby trap in front of them?
The key to unlocking this mystery is to consider what would have happened if Adam had eaten from the Tree of Life before eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We can derive the answer from Hashem’s reaction after Adam mistakenly ate from the Tree of Knowledge first. The Torah says that Hashem drove Adam out of the garden to ensure that he would not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. Even after Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and became mortal, the Tree of Life could have offset his eventual death and enabled him to live forever.
Imagine how different this story would have been if Adam had eaten from the Tree of Life first. He would have become eternal, and immune to the danger of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Hashem was not dangling a booby trap in front of Adam, for Adam could have eaten from the delicious Tree of Knowledge, as long as he ate from the Tree of Life first. In fact, Hashem commanded him to eat from all the trees – including the Tree of Life – when He said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” Adam’s mistake was the order in which he ate from these two trees.
What is the Torah teaching us here? What does the Tree of Life represent, and what is represented by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? And lastly, what is the mistake that Adam made that we need to watch out for in our own lives?
The Tree of Life represents the Torah: “It is a Tree of Life to those who grasp it” (Proverbs 3:18). The Torah is the ultimate repository of wisdom; it teaches us how to live meaningfully in every single facet of life. It is the Almighty’s blueprint of creation, from which all existence flows. It is the defining source of ethics and morality, the instruction manual (Toras Chaim) on how to use this world to understand our purpose, reach our potential, and forge a meaningful connection with our Creator.
What is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and why is it problematic? This tree represents the knowledge that comes from life experience. It is the desire to go see the world and taste all its fruits, and through the process of trial and error try to discover what is good, what is destructive, and what is the proper path in life. It is the thrill of travelling across the country with no map or destination, open to whatever comes your way.
But growing from the method of experience entails running into obstacles, falling down, and getting bruised along the way. Mistakes will certainly happen, sometimes serious ones, but we hope we will eventually figure things out. This is the underlying attitude of the person who chooses to learn about life from the school of hard knocks instead of first learning Torah.
Experience without Torah is enticing, like the fruit on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but ultimately it is a death trap. Diving into the vast, alluring arena of life blindfolded inevitably leaves a path of destruction in its wake – broken hearts and homes, shattered dreams, cynicism, confusion, and alienation.
Potential baalei teshuvah experience a burning conflict when wrestling with the decision to drop what they are doing – whether it is travelling across Europe and the Middle East or enjoying themselves in college – and come to yeshiva to learn Torah. Essentially, they are choosing between the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life.
The Torah is teaching us a crucial life lesson: before indulging in the myriad experiences, we must first learn Torah, life’s instruction manual, to understand the ethical principles that govern existence and the proper parameters for engaging in this world. Once these definitions and concepts are clear, we can eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because we already know how to use the world as a vehicle to connect to Hashem and reach our potential.
Experience life! We are not meant to live in an ivory tower. But we must first gain the necessary wisdom on how to live life so that we can avoid the pitfalls and not get destroyed in the process.
For example, everyone wants to get married, and no one plans on getting divorced, but the fact is that just over 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Don't wing it. Learn Torah's wisdom on marriage and then get married.
Hashem wants us to get the most out of life. And to do that you’ve got to know what you are living for. Ask a student: Why are you going to college? I've got to get a degree. Why do you need a degree? I've got to get a job. Why do you need a job? I've got to make money. Why do you need money? I've got to buy food. Why do you need food? I've got to eat. Why do you need to eat? I've got to live. Why do you need to live? I've got to go to college...
You need to know the answer to life's most important question: what are you living for? The answer is in the Torah. First eat from the Tree of Life. Then apply your learning and experience the breathtaking beauty and meaning life has to offer.
