THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD. She [Eve] had thought that the fruit of the tree was bitter and poisonous and this was why He admonished them against eating thereof, but now she saw that it was good and sweet food.

AND THAT IT WAS A DELIGHT TO THE EYES, i.e., that by means of its fruit, one attains desire and goes about after his own eyes.

AND THAT THE TREE WAS TO BE DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE for by means of its fruit, one becomes wise to desire. Now she ascribed “delight” to the eyes and “desire” to the mind. The principle is that [by eating the fruit of the tree], one can will and desire a thing or its opposite.

AND THE EYES OF THEM BOTH WERE OPENED. Scripture speaks here with reference to intelligence, and not with reference to actual seeing. The end of the verse proves this: and they knew they were naked. [Even a blind person knows when he is naked! It must therefore refer to intelligence], as [explained in] the words of Rashi. In a similar sense is the verse, Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.³⁷⁵

footnotes: ³⁷⁵ Psalms 119:18. Here too “the opening of eyes” has reference to understanding.

AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE ETERNAL G-D WALKING IN THE GARDEN. The Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:³⁷⁶ “Rabbi Chilfi said that from here we may learn that a voice ‘walks,’ for it is said, And they heard the voice of the Eternal G-d walking.” And so did the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] write in Moreh Nebuchim.³⁷⁷ that is modified by walking.” And so is the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra that “walking” refers to “the voice,” just as in the verse: The sound thereof shall go like the serpent’s.³⁷⁸ And Ibn Ezra further says that the meaning of toward the cool of the day is that they heard the voice towards evening. And he mentioned in the name of Rabbi Jonah ibn Ganach³⁷⁹ that the meaning of the verse is: “and man was walking in the garden toward the cool of the day,” [the sense of the verse thus being that while man was walking in the garden, he heard the voice of G-d]. In my opinion, the sense of walking in the garden of Eden is similar to that of the verses: *And I will walk among you;*³⁸⁰ *And the Eternal went as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham;*³⁸¹ I will go and return to My place.³⁸² All these verses indicate a revelation of the Divine Presence in that place or the departure from the place wherein He was revealed. The sense of the expression, toward the cool of the day, is that with the revelation of the Divine Presence comes a great and strong wind, even as it says, And, behold, the Eternal passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal.³⁸³ Similarly we find: *Yea, He did swoop down upon the wings of the wind;*³⁸⁴ and in the book of Job it is written, Then the Eternal answered Job out of the whirlwind.³⁸⁵ Therefore Scripture says here that they heard the voice of G-d as the Divine Presence was revealed in the garden approaching them in the wind of the day, because the breath of the Eternal blew upon it,³⁸⁶ that is, in the garden, like the wind of ordinary days, not a great and strong wind as in the vision of other prophecies, in order that they should not be frightened or terrified. Yet Scripture says that in spite of this they hid themselves on account of their nakedness. In Bereshith Rabbah³⁸⁷ we find that the Rabbis also said: “Said Rabbi Aba the son of Kahana: ‘Mehalech (walking) is not written here but mith’halech (meaning “it leaped and ascended).”³⁸⁸ Rabbi Aba thus interpreted the word mith’halech similarly to that of And the Eternal went,³⁸¹ as we have explained the term “walking,” except that he explained the verse before us as referring to the withdrawal of the Divine Presence that dwelt in the garden of Eden and its retiring therefrom on account of the sin of Adam, even as it says, I will go and return to My place.³⁸² We interpret it to mean the revelation of the Divine Presence in that place, which is the correct and fitting explanation of the verse.

footnotes: ³⁷⁶ 19:12. ³⁷⁷ I, 24: “It is the voice ³⁷⁸ Jeremiah 46:22. ³⁷⁹ Also known as Jonah ibn Janach (990-1050), considered the greatest Hebrew grammarian. He is the author of the Rikmah (Many Colored Web) and the Book of Roots, a lexicon. ³⁸⁰ Leviticus 26:12. ³⁸¹ Genesis 18:33. ³⁸² Hosea 5:15. ³⁸³ I Kings 19:11. ³⁸⁴ Psalms 18:11. ³⁸⁵ Job 38:1. ³⁸⁶ Isaiah 40:7. ³⁸⁷ 19:13. ³⁸⁸ This means that when Adam sinned, the Divine Presence went from the earth to the first heaven, and then with every successive generation of sinners it departed to yet another higher heaven. This is so clearly explained in Bereshith Rabbah there (19:12). ³⁸¹ Genesis 18:33. ³⁸² Hosea 5:15.

THE WOMAN WHOM THOU GAVEST TO BE WITH ME. The sense of it is to say: “The woman whom Thy Honor Himself gave me for a help, she gave me of the tree, and I thought that whatever she says to me is a help and benefit to me.” This is why He said when meting out his punishment, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,³⁸⁹ meaning “You should not have transgressed My commandment on account of her advice.” Our Rabbis have called Adam “ungrateful” for this remark.³⁹⁰ By this they mean to explain that the sense of his answer was: “Thou caused me this stumbling for Thou gavest me a woman as a help, and she counselled me to do evil.”³⁹¹) In this he spoke ungratefully.

footnotes: ³⁸⁹ Further, Verse 17. ³⁹⁰ Avodah Zarah 5b. ³⁹¹ He thus ascribed his sin to G-d’s giving him Eve as a help. (Rashi, ibid.

WHAT IS THIS THOU HAST DONE to transgress My commandment? For the woman was included in the admonition given to Adam since at that time she was yet bone of his bones, and similarly she was included in his punishment. The reason why G-d did not say to the woman, “and thou hast eaten of the tree,” is that she was punished for both her eating and her advice, just as the serpent was punished for the advice. This is why she said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat,³⁹² as the punishment for the beguiling was greater than that for the eating. [Hence as soon as she mentioned that the serpent beguiled her, G-d meted out his punishment immediately, as is stated in the following two verses.] Thus we may derive from here the principle of punishment for those that cause people to sin in any matter, just as our Rabbis have derived it from the verse, Thou shalt not put a stumbling-block before the blind.³⁹³

footnotes: ³⁹² In the verse before us. Thus she mentioned both the eating and the advice. ³⁹³ Leviticus 19:14. In Pesachim 22 b, the verse is interpreted to mean: do not give a person who is “blind” in a matter advice which is improper for him. Advising or causing one to sin is thus included in this prohibition. Ramban is here suggesting that while the admonition against causing people to sin is derived from the verse in Leviticus, the principle of punishment for such advice is derived from here.

FROM AMONG ALL CATTLE, AND FROM AMONG ALL BEASTS OF THE FIELD. From a study of this verse, Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Chananya derived the fact that a serpent gives birth once in seven years;³⁹⁴ this they investigated and found to be so.³⁹⁵ For the Midrashic interpretations of Scripture and their allusions are all traditional, and they found in them profound secrets on procreation and all matters, as I mentioned in my introduction.

footnotes: ³⁹⁴ Bechoroth 8a. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 41. ³⁹⁵ See Bereshith Rabbah 20:7.

AND THOU SHALT BRUISE THEIR HEEL. This means man will have an advantage over you [the serpent] in the enmity between him and you for he will bruise your head but you will bruise him only in his heel, with which he will crush your brain.

‘T’SHUKATHECH’ (AND THY DESIRE) SHALL BE TO THY HUSBAND, meaning for cohabitation. Yet you will not have the boldness to demand it by word, rather he shall rule over thee. It will all be from him and not from you. Thus are the words of Rashi. But this is not correct, for modesty is praiseworthy in a woman, just as the Rabbis have said:³⁹⁶ “This is a good quality in women.” Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said: “And thy desire shall be to thy husband, meaning your obedience.” This means you will obey whatever he commands you for you are under his authority to do his desire. However, I have found the expression t’shukah used only in connection with desire and lust. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that He punished her that her desire for her husband be exceedingly great and that she should not be deterred by the pain of pregnancy and birth or that he keeps her as a maid-servant. Now it is not customary for a servant to desire to acquire a master over himself, rather his desire is to flee from him. Thus her punishment is measure for measure; she gave [the fruit of the tree of knowledge] also to her husband and he ate at her command, and He punished her that she should no longer command him, but instead he should command her entirely at his will.

footnotes: ³⁹⁶ Eruvin 100b.

AND NOW, LEST HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND. The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted His decree concerning the death of Adam to be fulfilled, and if he were to eat of the tree of life which was created to give everlasting life to those who ate of its fruit, the decree would be nullified; for either he would not die at all or his day of death would not come at the time it was decreed for him and his descendants to die.³⁹⁷ And now that Adam had the power of choice, He therefore guarded this tree from him for at first Adam did only what he was commanded and he did not eat thereof as he did not need it. Know and believe that the garden of Eden is on this earth³⁹⁸ that the garden….’” as are also the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, and from there the river comes forth and is divided into four heads³⁹⁹ which are visible to us. For the Euphrates⁴⁰⁰, 2:14. is in our land and within our border,⁴⁰¹ and Pishon,⁴⁰² according to the words of the former scholars, is the Nile of Egypt.⁴⁰² But as these are on earth so are there also in the heavens things similarly named, and those in the heavens are the foundations of these on earth, just as the Rabbis have said:⁴⁰³ “The king hath brought me into his chambers⁴⁰⁴ — this teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to show Israel the treasures on high that are chambered in the heavens. Another interpretation of The king hath brought me into his chambers is that these are the chambers of the garden of Eden. It is on the basis of this that they have said: ‘The work of the garden of Eden is like the work of the firmament.’” The rivers correspond to the four camps of angels on high, and it is from there that the power of the kingdoms on earth is derived, just as it is written, The host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.⁴⁰⁵ Thus the Rabbis said in Bereshith Rabbah,⁴⁰⁶ “Into four heads⁴⁰⁷ — these are the four kingdoms. The name of the first is Pishon⁴⁰⁸, 2:11. — this is Babylon, etc.” And the things called the tree of life and the tree of knowledge on high — their secret is high and lofty. Adam sinned with the fruit of the tree of knowledge below and on high, in deed and thought. Now if the fruit of the tree were good for food and he desired it to become wise, why did He withhold it from him? Indeed, G-d is kind and dealeth kindly; *He will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly!*⁴⁰⁹ The serpent, moreover, has today no speaking faculty, and if it did have it at first, He would surely have mentioned in His curse that its mouth become dumb, as this would have been the most grievous curse of all. But all these things are twofold in meaning, the overt and the concealed in them both being true. In Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis say:⁴¹⁰ “Another interpretation of *Le’ovdah uleshomrah (to cultivate her and to keep her)*⁴¹¹ is that these words refer to the sacrifices, as it is said, ‘Ta’avdun’ (Ye shall serve) G-d upon this mountain.⁴¹² It is this which Scripture says, ‘Tishm’ru’ (Ye shall keep) to offer unto Me in its appointed season.”⁴¹³ By this Midrash, the Rabbis hinted that the sacrifices will cause growth and expansion in the tree of life and the tree of knowledge and all other trees in the garden of Eden. It is this which constitutes their cultivation and care. Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra denies what the scholars have said, namely, that Pishon is the Nile, because they found that the Nile comes from the Mountain of Frankincense [far south of the equator], and therefore it swells during the days of summer.⁴¹⁴ But it is already known that many rivers come from their source and flow for a great distance and enter the bowels of the earth for a journey of many days, and then break forth again, and flow from under one of the mountains in a distant place. [This being the case, it is possible that Pishon is the Nile.]

footnotes: ³⁹⁷ See above, 2:17, where Ramban explained two theories. The teaching of the Rabbis is that man was originally designed to live forever. By having sinned, death was decreed upon him; by eating of the tree of life, he would thus restore himself to his original position of immortality. The opinion of the philosophers, however, is that man was originally destined to die; by having sinned, it was decreed that he die before the time designated at first. By eating of the tree of life he would thus live a long time and not die at the time decreed for him as punishment for his sin. This is the deeper meaning of Ramban’s words here in the text, “for either he would not die at all, etc.” ³⁹⁸ See my Kitvei Haramban, Vol. 1, p. 309, in notes, as to why this point that the Garden of Eden is on this earth is of such vital importance to Ramban that he writes: ‘Know and believe ³⁹⁹ Above, 2:10. ⁴⁰⁰ Ibid. ⁴⁰¹ Deuteronomy 1:1. ⁴⁰² Above, 2:11. ⁴⁰² Above, 2:11. ⁴⁰³ Midrash Shir Hashirim Zuta, 1:4, (Buber ed., pp. 9-10). ⁴⁰⁴ Song of Songs 1:4. ⁴⁰⁵ Isaiah 24:21. ⁴⁰⁶ 16:7. ⁴⁰⁷ Above, 2:10. ⁴⁰⁸ Ibid. ⁴⁰⁹ Psalms 84:12. ⁴¹⁰ 16:8. Mentioned also above, 2:8. ⁴¹¹ Above, 2:15. ⁴¹² Exodus 3:12. ⁴¹³ Numbers 28:2. ⁴¹⁴ For when it is summer time in the northern hemisphere, it is the time of the rainy season in the southern hemisphere. Hence the Nile, the source of which is in the southern hemisphere, swells during the summer time. And “we know that the Garden of Eden is near the equator, where day and night are always equal” (Ibn Ezra), it follows that Pishon is not the Nile, since the Nile originates far south of the equator. This is the opinion of Ibn Ezra. Ramban replies: “But it is already known, etc.”