“Did God really say you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?” There is a major difficulty with this matter: If the woman added the prohibition of touching [the tree] on her own accord, then she knew the truth that God did not command about touching. If so, how was she persuaded by these meaningless words to say “just as there is no death from touching, so too there is no death from eating”? At first glance, it appears we can explain that the woman did not hear the command directly from God, but rather from her husband. This is what is meant by [the verse] (verse 16) And the Lord God commanded the man saying — what is meant by saying? Rather, that he should also tell his wife that this eating is dangerous. This is why it says commanded upon [al] the man and not “to [el] the man” — meaning regarding/concerning not bringing himself into danger. The man, using his intellect, decided to make a protective fence and add to the command by prohibiting his wife even from touching [the tree], so that she would not come to eat from it. Eve thought that everything was commanded directly by God, and therefore this mistake came to her, as the serpent found a way to deceive her. With this explanation, we don’t need Rashi’s interpretation that the serpent didn’t approach Adam because women are light-minded and easily persuaded. For in any case, this is not a difficulty, since the serpent wanted to prove from touching that there would be no death from eating. With Adam, he couldn’t prove anything, because Adam knew the truth that God had not commanded about touching, and that he had added it on his own.

It seems appropriate to further explain that Eve was uncertain whether the serpent’s intention was for their benefit — that they should become like God knowing good and evil — or perhaps his intention was that Adam should die so that he could marry Eve. And he spoke to Eve because women are of lighter mind and easily persuaded, and he knew that she would certainly give [the fruit] to her husband first. Therefore, Eve said that this would be the test of the serpent’s intentions, and she added the prohibition of do not touch so that all their interaction would be about touching [the tree], because with touching, there was no reason she would put her husband first as there was with eating. And when the serpent pushed Eve against the tree, Eve then said “Now I know that the serpent is correct, because if his intention was for Adam to die, then why did he push me? What would he gain from my death? Rather, it must certainly be as he says — to become like God,” and therefore she gave credence to his words. And see above for a precious explanation about the serpent’s conversation with Eve in the verse a tree bearing fruit according to its kind.

And that it was a delight to the eyes. For in every sin, the good inclination has an argument with the evil inclination, as the good inclination promises spiritual reward in the World to Come, but the evil inclination responds and claims that it is better to follow the desires that are tangible to the seeing eye, for the desires of this world are visible to everyone’s eye, rather than following the desirable things of the World to Come which no eye has seen. Therefore it says And the woman saw — she saw the words of the serpent and his arguments were pleasing in her eyes, that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes — for the desires of this world are visible eye to eye, in contrast to the desirable things of the World to Come which no eye has seen. And one who wishes to lie distances his witnesses (Rosh, Shevuot 6:13).

And she gave also to her husband with her. The word “with her” is explained by the commentators to mean so that he would be with her always and not marry another when she dies. It could also mean that she gave it to him while he was literally with her [sexually], for then she pressured him, similar to what is said about Samson: and she pressed him (Judges 16:16). Because at another time, perhaps he would not have listened to her to transgress God’s command. And regarding this, he said in his defense: The woman whom You gave to be with me. [Meaning:] At the time when she was literally with me, she overcame me — for according to the simple meaning, there is no justification for this defense. And regarding his claim she gave me from the tree, perhaps he meant to say as a defense that since the command did not state “from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge you shall not eat” but rather said from the Tree of Knowledge you shall not eat, I thought that the intention was that I am not permitted to pluck the fruit from the tree, but if it was already plucked and available, I thought it was permissible for me to eat it. And now, she gave me from the tree, and I did not take it from the tree myself.

And there are those who say that he [Adam] said: “Since You gave the woman to be with me to cook and prepare all the household needs, I thought that she could be trusted not to feed me anything forbidden. Therefore, I thought that this fruit was from a different tree.”

You shall be cursed more than all cattle and all beasts of the field. Following what our Sages of blessed memory said (Taanit 8a): In the future, all the animals will gather around the snake and say, “A lion hunts and eats, etc., but you — what pleasure do you get, etc.” Therefore, it is said that it will be cursed more than all animals and beasts, for they all derive some pleasure from their hunting and mauling, but the snake has no pleasure at all, for there is no benefit to the master of the tongue. Therefore, it will have no pleasure in its mauling, as mentioned. And if you wish to say that the letter mem in mikol [from all] is not indicating comparison [more than], rather interpret it this way: that you will be cursed from [indicated by the letter mem] the mouth of all, for all the animals will gather against you and curse you and despise you, and to your face they will testify to your wickedness, saying, “What pleasure do you get?”

He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Most commentators have said that the evil inclination draws its power from the primordial serpent. The evil inclination is at first like a spider’s thread, but later becomes like the thick ropes of a wagon. This is why it says he [man] will crush your [the serpent’s] head — for if one is quick to go out and fight against his evil inclination at the beginning [that is to say, at its first approach], then he will crush you, because it is easy for a person to overcome it and tear it away like breaking a spider’s thread. However, if at the start one gives place to his inclination and follows its advice day after day until it becomes as strong as wagon ropes, then it becomes difficult to overcome, and on the contrary, it will overcome you. This is why it says to the serpent and you will strike his heel, as the heel represents the end, meaning that if at the end one tries to fight against you, then you will strike him and overcome him, because it will be difficult for the person to break the wagon ropes from himself, as the evil inclination is already bound to him with bonds of love because of the pleasures, and it is difficult to separate from this uncircumcised and impure thing. This is also an allegory about repentance that a person does in his youth, meaning at the beginning of his days, when it is easy to leave his path. However, at the heel — at the end — when he is already accustomed to his ways, even when he grows old, he will not turn from it, and then you will strike him, This can also be said about severe transgressions — idolatry, forbidden relationships, murder, and their like — your inclination cannot make you transgress these so easily, for who would be foolish enough to turn here and who would listen to such a thing, to transgress these primary sins. But with the heel, meaning the light commandments that people trample with their heels, you will strike him because it will be easy for you to make him transgress these, as this is the way of the evil inclination — it begins with the heel and rises and seeps up to the head, like the venom of the snake that begins in the heel and continues to seep until it reaches the head. Similarly, the evil inclination begins by making a person transgress the light commandments that people trample with their heels, and after this, one transgression leads to another, and it will rise from the light to the severe ones until one’s sins go over his head, as it says For my iniquities have gone over my head (Psalms 38:5). This is an allusion about the transgressions that are the head of all transgressions, which is why it says Her impurity is in her skirts, she did not consider her end (Lamentations 1:9). For the wise person will take to heart that when the evil inclination comes to defile him in his skirts, meaning in the lower place like the heel, so it will rise from there and seep up, and his end will be bitter, for it will bring him up from light transgressions to severe ones. The wicked will not understand this, but the wise will understand.

“By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.” From here there is support for the words of the doctors who say that before every meal, a person needs to engage in some form of work that warms its owner, as this aids digestion. As it is written, When you eat the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy and it shall be well with you (Psalms 128:2). This is what is meant by in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. For the word itzavon [sorrow] is a term for work, as it says regarding Job, Your hands have formed me and made me (Job 10:8). And in saying all the days of your life, it teaches that one should eat only what is necessary for life and not seek after excess, for what profit is there in toiling for the wind?

For she was the mother of all living. Why did he name her now after the sin, and furthermore, he should have called her “Chayah” [meaning “living”]. It appears that before the sin she was called “Chayah” because she was the mother of all living things, but after the sin, which brought death to future generations, her name was changed from “Chayah” to “Chavah” because “Chavah” is derived from the word “chivyah” meaning snake. The verse comes to explain why he didn’t explicitly call her “snake,” but rather [called her Chavah] because before this she was the mother of all living things and was called “Chayah.” Therefore, when changing her name, it was only necessary to change the letter yod to vav, so that a trace of the original name would remain in place.

To work the ground from which he was taken. It is not for nothing that the text mentions from which he was taken. I also found (in Midrash Shochar Tov, Psalms 92) that it states that Adam settled on Mount Moriah. From where did our sages learn to say this? Additionally, our Sages (Chullin 60a) state that Adam offered a bull with horns and hooves [as a sacrifice] — what biblical support did they find for this? It appears that the basis for all these matters comes from the phrase from which he was taken — namely, from the place about which it is said an altar of earth you shall make for Me (Exodus 20:21). As our Sages said in Bereishit Rabbah (14:8), “The Holy One, Blessed be He, created him from the place of his atonement, and may it serve as his atonement.” This refers to Mount Moriah, where God sent him to work the ground and build from it an earthen altar to offer sacrifices for his atonement. Since he was taken from that earth, and it was the gateway through which he passed — for the earth provided him with coarse and gross material which caused him to sin, as explained above in the verse tree bearing fruit (Genesis 1:11) — therefore, in the place that caused the sin, there shall be his atonement. For that place, meaning that earth, caused him to sin; therefore that earth is obligated to assist in his atonement through his working it to make from it an altar upon which to offer a bull with horns and hooves. This is a proper reason for the commandment an altar of earth you shall make for Me, for through the very thing that caused the sin, he will repair what he corrupted. And even according to the opinion that states that His dust was gathered from all the earth, this is its explanation: Since the place where it says an altar of earth you shall make for Me is where the Foundation Stone is located, and from there the entire world was founded, the dust taken from the center of the world is as if it were gathered from the entire world. This also resolves what is said The land upon which you lie, I will give to you (Genesis 28:13). Rashi explains that God folded all the land beneath him. It was not necessarily folded, but rather, since he lay on the navel of the earth and its center, it is as if he lay upon all the land.