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Thought for the Day: Repairing the Damage We Incurred with That First Mistake; Dying to Live

I noticed odd wording in HaShem's decision to banish Adam and Chava from Eden.  The verse says that they were banished and the entryway blocked lest they now eat from the Tree of Life.  "Lest"?!?  I would have expected "before" or "so they couldn't".  The word "lest" implies that they likely wouldn't eat from the Tree of Life, but Let's just make sure they don't.

Strange, no?  After all, if someone had just discovered that they had ingested poison, wouldn't they run to get the antidote?  Especially if the antidote was just to eat a piece of fruit from a tree in their yard.  I asked a few people; they admitted it was odd, but then just shrugged it off.  They had better things to do with their time then worry about odd wording in the minor part of the story from last week's Torah portion.  I (apparently) did not have anything better to do with my time; so I did some research.

Rabbeinu Bachya makes an observation that was a game changer for me.  HaShem, as we all know, told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (precisely what that means is beyond the scope of this TftD, but feel free to ask!).  Moreover, Adam was told that on the day they he ate that he would become a mortal being; that is, would have to suffer death.  I always read that as a punishment; but that is -- sorry, I just can't resist -- dead wrong.  Rather, says Rabbeinu Bachya, HaShem was telling them that eating from that tree will cause them damage; not, however, irreparable damage.  The damage can be repaired, but the treatment is difficult and involves experiencing actual death -- a temporary separation of body and soul.

What is this like?  A loving father gives his 16 year old son a beautiful, custom built, race car and warns him: Do not drive this car around the city; it's meant to the track.  If you cause any damage due to reckless behavior, you are going to repair it yourself.  Repairing the car is not a punishment.  The father wants the son to own this car.  By taking total responsibility, the young man will truly earn the ownership of his car, even though it was given to him as a gift.  If he is careless, he'll have to fix it.  Glass gets fixed one way, dents another, mechanical another, electrical another, and so on and so forth.

Adam was given his life, and then was careless; so Adam has to fix it.  But, you'll say, Adam is gone... your example is not precise.  Let's correct that mistake: Adam is here.  Adam, the original person, is actually comprised of the each of us.  The trials and tribulations we all face is the work of repairing the damage that we caused.  Whoever was part of Adam's hands has one sort of repair to effect, part of his eyes another, part of his mouth another, and so on and so forth.

So why was HaShem afraid that Adam would eat from the Tree of Life?  Why would Adam want to disrupt his cure?  I can answer that.  When I was enduring chemotherapy some two decades ago, I was told that my cancer was definitely curable, as long as I completed the treatment precisely as prescribed.  I asked, a bit mystified, "Why would anyone do anything different?"  They told me about a previous patient who had stopped coming one week because he was so sick.  He returned a week later and they told him that if he ever skips a week again, just don't come back.  The course of treatment works as prescribed; it's hard, but it works.  Skip one treatment, the course becomes more difficult, but it can be modified to still be successful; skip two treatments, you die.

I asked "in mystification" before starting my treatment.  As the course of treatment wore on, I had much empathy for that previous patient.  I learned from that experience that HaShem doesn't give us more than we can handle, but he doesn't give us one drop less, either.  I forced myself to continue; and I am alive.  HaShem loves us so much, that He removed the possibility of us skipping the treatment by eating from the Tree of Life; thus remaining eternally damaged.  Instead, we all live through the custom course of treatment prescribed for our unique participation.  We will all enjoy the benefit of reuniting with all of humanity to life a life of perfection; eternally basking in the Love of our Creator.

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