B"H
The Greatest Story Never Told
The Relationship of the Gentile and the Torah
By Ariel Bar Tzadok
The Universal Laws as Given to Adam
Now that you have an understanding of the legitimacy of the Oral tradition, I will now introduce you to a Rabbinic method of Biblical interpretation. This method takes a text and reads into it certain things which do not appear obvious on the surface. A reader who is unaware of Rabbinic tradition might argue that anyone, therefore, can interpret anything one wants from any verse of scripture. This is totally untrue. The holy Rabbinic Sages never made anything up. On the contrary, they only spoke what they were allowed. Permission from Heaven had to be received in order to reveal the Divinely ordained rules of the Oral tradition.
According to our Sages, the six universal laws of social morality were all commanded to Adam concealed within the meaning of the Hebrew words that G-d spoke to him when forbidding him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil. Being that prior to the fall Adam was of a far greater spiritual stature than we his children are today, he understood G-d's concealed meanings within every Divine Word spoken.
In Genesis 2:16-17, it is written, "And the L-rd G-d commanded Adam, saying: Of every tree in the garden you may surely eat. But from the Tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil you may not eat of it, for on the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
The holy Rabbis have revealed that the statement, "And the L-rd G-d commanded" through Biblical exegesis (on Hosea 5:1) shows that the word "commanded" is used with regards to the forbiddance of idolatry. So, with one holy Word of the Torah, G-d is implying the complete forbiddance of idolatry.
The simple mention of the Name of G-d in this verse is said to be related to a similar mention of the holy Name in Lev. 24:16. Just as that reference forbids blasphemy, so here is the same prohibition discreetly concealed.
The word "commanded" refers to the prohibition against murder. A similar mention of the word is used in Gen. 9:6 where the prohibition against murder is spelled out.
The word "saying" is also used in Jeremiah 3:1. There it is used with regards to the prohibition against immorality. So it is interpreted to mean the same here.
The prohibition against theft is clear and obvious. The Tree of Knowledge and the entire Garden belonged to G-d. For Adam to violate the commandment not to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge means that he stole that fruit.
By using the double Name of G-d (L-rd G-d, HaShem Elokim) there is a reference to the universal attribute of justice, symbolized by the Name Elohim. This Name is usually translated as "G-d" but the Bible also uses the word to refer to a judge (ref. Exodus 22:27). Therefore, the mere mention of this Name in this verse teaches us the prohibition against injustice.
Now, I do not claim that this manner of Biblical interpretation is the most easy and clear path to follow. Even my own logic and rationale can pick apart this interpretation and claim that the Rabbis have read into the text something that is not there. Yet, I do not do this, for I have faith in the word of G-d and in the words of G-d's servants, the Rabbis.
I have already mentioned previously that Rabbinic interpretation is not some haphazard work that the Rabbis perform so as to prove an agenda. On the contrary, the only agenda that Rabbis have ever had is to remain as unswervingly faithful to the original meanings of the Bible as is humanly possible. The foregoing understanding of Gen. 2:16 might seem far fetched for those of you not familiar with how G-d conceals giant matters within each and every word and letter of His holy Torah. Nonetheless, for those of you with a spiritual mind and heart, you can come and see the glory of the wisdom of the L-rd.
The History of the Sins of the Pre-Flood Children of Adam According to the secret tradition of the holy Rabbis, i.e., the Kabbalah, prior to the fall Adam was a far greater person than he was afterwards. Prior to the fall Adam was more of a spiritual being than a physical one. He included within him all the souls of mankind. This does not only mean that all souls would come forth from him, but rather that each and every cell of his body was an individual, conscious soul. Adam was thus the collective soul of all mankind. It is of no wonder then that the Hebrew word for mankind and the name of the father of mankind is one and the same: Adam.
Awareness of the essential unity of all souls is important to truly understand what happened to mankind, as a race, due to the act of Adam. Mankind, together, suffered Adam's fate, not as his progeny, but as part of his collective soul. The sin that blemished Adam's collective soul caused that collective soul to fragment. Each soul, therefore, became an independent entity. Each newly independent soul now individually had the responsibility to return to G-d. Adam's sin was more of a blemish than a fall. Adam lost his original spiritual stature, but he never lost his communion with G-d. This is very clear in the Bible. In fact, we see that both Cain and Abel had a very living relationship with G-d. The only thing that changed this was their individual actions. Therefore, the Christian concept of "original sin" which damns all souls to Hell unless they are "saved" has no true Biblical foundation.
The blemish in Adam's soul affected everything around him. The Rabbis teach that as a result of Adam's blemish, not only did he cause himself to have a physical body which eventually would die, he also introduced to the entire world the absolute dichotomy of body and soul, wherein which both would exist simultaneously for only a while, later to separate. The result of Adam's blemish led to the breach of harmony and unity between the spiritual and physical dimensions. Originally they existed together as one. Now, due to Adam, they could only exist side by side, but never fully joined together as one. The holy Rabbis teach that Adam blemished all six days of creation. Therefore, the effects of his blemish was to last for 6,000 years. At this time, his blemish would be fully healed and a new era of mankind would begin. This is the meaning of the coming of Mashiah (the Messiah). From the beginning then, until now, mankind's purpose has been to rectify the world, bit by bit, bringing us eventually to the dawn of the new era.
Originally, after Adam's banishment from the Garden of Eden, the souls of all mankind were to serve as G-d's priests to collectively work to rectify the now blemished world. Cain, the first born, by right of birth was destined to be High Priest before G-d. Yet, although Cain offered a sacrifice of his heart, from the toils of his labor with the earth, G-d, nonetheless, rejected Cain's sacrifice for Cain did not offer what G-d had commanded. And Cain knew this very well! G-d had cursed the earth and its fruit. Cain knew this, but didnÕt seem to care. He made the mistake of thinking that what was in his heart was more important than the Word of G-d in his mind. What was in Cain's heart might have been well and good, but G-d demands of us to give what He commands, not what we decide to give. This is the test of faith.
It is the younger brother Abel that brings the sacrifice that G-d Himself has ordained, the sacrifice of life and of blood. Remember, that when Adam and Eve were banished from Eden G-d clothed them in animal skins. Nowhere does the Bible imply that these skins were specially created for this purpose, rather the impression is that the skins must have come from animals. The implication is that these animals were sacrificed. As it was done for Adam so did Abel follow suit. Cain should have done the same and prior to his brother Abel doing so. Nonetheless, Cain felt that the offering of his own heart and labors would be acceptable before G-d. This is, after all, many a time the case. G-d, however, rejected Cain's sacrifice. Cain, in turn, rejected G-d and proceeded to kill his brother Abel as an act of revenge. The one who was to be the High Priest had fallen from his esteemed status and had become an agent of evil.
As punishment for his crime, G-d, who Himself has ordained organized capital punishment (ref. Gen. 9:6), decrees that rather than the death penalty, Cain is to live in exile, banished from the face of G-d. Abel's blood is not to be avenged with the death of Cain for another seven generations.
Cain took his wife and moved to the other side of the earth. Just who this wife was and where she came from the Bible does not mention. Jewish tradition, however, does mention the origins of Cain's wives. These women are said to be the twin sisters that were born both with Cain and Abel.
The Bible teaches that after Cain had his first son, he built the first city. It is interesting to note that the first act of exile was the development of urbanization. There is obviously a connection here between the development of urbanization and the original state of banishment from the face of G-d. This connection needs to be explored.
