Re: Reward and Punishment Is It Justified??

Altman, Ben (ALTMANB@anz.com)
Sun, 16 Mar 1997 23:05:12 -0500

Lon Bliss <nhp@inlink.com> wrote:
>[Genesis 3:2] Has G-d said, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?
>And the Woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of
>the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the
>garden, G-d has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it,
>lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die:
>for G-d know on that on the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be
>opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
>
>This is the first Sin, to think that we ourselves can be as gods!

Glossary - (Chumash=bible; Odom=Adam; Chava=Eve; Hashem=G-d)

I would disagree here. I don't have a chumash in front of me, but the
language of the Chumash does not say Hashem's name 'YKVK'. It probably
uses the word 'elohim' refering to power. And as you quoted, it says
"god-like" which makes a further difference - meaning that the serpent was
not saying they would become G-d - that would be ridiculous. Also if the
serpent was saying a lie then why didn't Chava not realise that given the
level of understanding that she was definitely on. Didn't the malochim (=
angels) know the difference between good and evil already as indicated
later and melochim are also refered to as elohim.

Binyomin Altman