Ó
Copy Right 2022
BLOODSHED-1/
What does it Mean to Know Evil and Good?
As we move with the text from Eden to Earth, the Torah takes us from Adam’s Second Commandment , ADULTERY, to Adam’s Third Commandment , BLOODSHED.
In fact, the entire section of the Torah, from Cain and Abel up to Noah’s Flood and the Rainbow Covenant is dealing with issues surrounding BLOODSHED.
Thus, it presents
- Cain and Abel
- The killing of Cain by Tubal
- The split of Mankind into two rival camps, fighting each other to the death. One camp worshipping ELKM, the other worshipping the Merciful YHVH.
- Noah, and the Rainbow Covenant which is based on BLOODSHED Laws in details.
Hence we could paint the entire section with red,
paint Eden – presenting ADULTERY Laws- with pink
paint Chapter One with its IDOLATRY Law with gold
We could also paint the stories about Abraham fighting with THEFT in green,
paint the stories of Jacob fighting for JUSTICE in purple,
paint the stories about selling Joseph, of severe BLASPHEMY in black.
This would demonstrate clearly the fact, that the Book of Genesis is written to take the reader – us – through the Commandments one by one. In each case, dealing with each Commandment, the Torah sheds on it an insight that can’t be receive otherwise.
The Commandments in order
One implication of that arrangement is the establishment oof the right Commandment’s order, which comes first, which second, third and so on.
The order is:(I) IDOLATRY, II) ADULTERY,(III) BLOODSHED ,(IV) THEFT, VI) BLASPHEMY. You don’t have to learn it by heart. Just think of the stories in the Book of Genesis.
That order is psychologically valid
Like anthing else in the Torah, the Commandments’ order is psychologically sound.
Whoever fails IDOLATRY, would most likely stumble over ADULTERY,
then on BLOODSHED,
followed by stumbling over THEFT
then over INJUSTICE,
as evidenced in our literature and movies.
Two subgroups
As we move in the text from Eden and ADULTERY to Earth and BLOODSHED,
we can distinguish two subgroups within the Six Commandments:.
Allthough they were all given to Adam in Eden, yet only the first two, IDOLATRY and ADULTERY were relevant to their life in Eden. They could , and were, violated in Eden.
The other four – BLOODHED, THEFT, INJUSTICE and BLASPHEMY –
can be violated only on Earth, and therefore were irrelevant to Eden.
They were given to Adam as potential laws, in case he and his wife would be driven out to live on Earth.
Hence, as long as Adam and his wife lived in Eden, the four
Commandments were “theoretical,” with no real implications.
They were given to Adam on the level of “chochmah and binah,”
meaning theoretical wisdoms, rather than on the level of “daat,” a practical, real intimate level.
That explains the name of the Forbidden
“Tree of KNOWLEDGE – daat – good and Evil.” Whoever eats of it
would KNOW evil first hand, on the level of daat, real acquaintance.
In order to do BLOODSHED, you need to live in a place where the Angle of Death prevails, where you could shed blood in the real world. In short- where you can encounter Evil and emulate it. That means – on Earth.
The transition from Eden to Earth has been accompanied with
The ability to kill, living along the Angle of Death instead oof the Tree of Life in Eden,
And the acquisition of the DESIRE to kill, to do evil, that came along with the eating of the forbidden tree.
Kabalah says that in Eden, Adam and his wife were covered with COATS OF LIGHT, oor, (with aleph)
while on Earth they developed COAT OF SKIN, oor (with ain)
G-d made them “skin coats” as they were driven out.
That “skin” is a metaphor for the passions and desires we have developed here in contrast to Eden.
The Commandments, therefore, were given to help Mankind overcome our skin desires, bad inclinations, in order to restore our purity to Adam’s status prior to the Primordial Sin.
From a believer to one who knows
A personal testimony. For years I was a believer in the Torah, studying it
and loving it. But then came the History Chanel report on the History of Earth
and turned me into one who knows that the Torah is a miracle in our hands.
For how could anyone explain the perfect match between Moses’ account of Genesis
and our scientific knowledge about Earth?
Two Primordial Drives
This implies, that the first two – IDOLATRY and ADULTERY,
Are given against the two most primordial drives within our souls,
namely the Sex Drive and the Drive to Rule Over, coming from our our Ego.
These two Drives are buried deep in our souls even today, on Earth,
dominating our lives, resistant to any attempt to be tamed or controlled.
Crimes between Man and Man
There is another distinction between the six Commandments.
Whereas IDOLATRY is relevant even to an individual person,
and is a sin between Man and G-d,
ADULTERY is a crime between Man and G-d besides Man and Man.
The rest four – BLOODSHED, THEFT and INJUSTICE, however,
are crimes between Man and Man. That is why they became applicable,
only at the transition between Eden to Earth.
Having said that, we realize that Judaism has elevated those crimes
Between Man and Man to ALSO between Man and G-d.
As Rabbi Sacs ZL has pointed out: that by itself was a great revolution
Against what was known to Mankind before the Torah
Acquiring the Passion to Sin
In Eden, in addition of acquiring the perception of YHVH,
they also acquired the passion to perform “evil in YHVH eyes.”
For their eyes opened and they noticed that-
“the tree is good for eating, and that it is a delight to the eyes,”
meaning that sin became a desirable act, pleasing their hearts and mind,
a sweet deed to enjoy.
That Drive to do the ‘evil in YHVH’s eyes’ is called Yezer Harah “evil drive.”
Henceforth, Adam and his wife would enter a new inner struggle
between the Drive to follow the sweet sin, Yezer rah,
and the Drive to follow YHVH values, Yezer tov .
The more Adam perceives of YHVH and her values,
the more his passion to do the opposite grows.
To our discussion, it means that henceforth BLOODSHED would be committed
with Passion, with joy to do or see it – in the Colosseum, or on our silver screens,
Eve’s Personal Knowledge of YHVH
The transition between Eden to Earth is beautifully presented by the Torah
with regard to our mother, Eve. The Torah s
“Adam knew his wife Eve And she conceived and bore Cain,
Saying: I have acquired a man with YHVH.” (4: 1)
What special about Eve’s words, is the fact that she mentions YHVH
The first time ever ALONE, without ELKM by Her side.
It means that after EXPERIENCING hard labor, (as she had been curded)
even facing the Angle of Death, she came out with the first child in her bosom.
So as her blood was flashed with hormone, and her heart was filled by
happiness, love, compassion, mercy and good hopes for the future,
Eve became aware of the Merciful YHVH in her full glory.
Thus her previous theoretical awareness of YHVH before the sin,
And her semi awareness of YHVH after the sin, still in Eden,
When she covered her nakedness and hid in the bush in shame of her sin,
Now on Earth she ACQUIRED a full sense of what YHVH is all about.
That is why she said : I have acquired a man with YHVH.”
But once she and her children acquired the awareness of YHVH,
They also acquired the PASSION to perform the opposite of what YHVH loves,
Foremost among them is MURDER!
So,
If YHVH is for life,
for happiness,
for joy,
for compassion, mercy and forgiveness,
towards all Mankind,
for a good and happy future
then an evil person is
One who inflicts death,
One who inflicts misery and sorrow
One who causes people to despair
One who shows cruelty, indifference to other people’s suffering
One who is arrogant, who sees himself superior by nature to others
One who is a racist
If you want TO KNOW what YHVH is, think of our mother Eve giving birth to Cain.
If you want to KNOW what Evil is, think about Hitler and his Nazi soldiers.