[Avodah] Original Sin

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

Cantor Wolberg wrote:
> What I find interesting is that we don't believe in
> "original sin" and yet, the cheit eitz hadaas WAS
> the original, first sin. We all have suffered its
> consequences until this very day.

Not only do we continue to suffer for it, but we even continue to atone for it: "Another reason [why it is the woman who lights the Shabbos candles] is that she extinguished the light of the world, that she brought death to Adam Harishon." (Mishneh Brurah 463:12)

No, we don't give that sin the extreme weight that the Christians do, but we're not off scot-free either. It is just one more thing that we've inherited from our ancestors, along with various other zechusim and negatives.

> It seems to me that since Adam Harishon and Chava had no
> precedent in history (obviously) about sin, how could they
> really comprehend the nature of sin, and its gravity, never
> having even seen another case nor experienced anything like
> it. In addition, the mitzvah of not eating from the tree
> was a chok. It would seem a pretty difficult way to begin
> life by being given a chok without ever having the slightest
> idea of a rational mitzvah or a mishpat. Anyone agree?

Excellent questions, but they don't really bother me much. I'll explain why.

There are a LOT of things about Adam that I don't understand. I started to write that his understanding of the world was much deeper and stronger than that of anyone since. But that's not really accurate. Rather, his understanding of the world was of an entirely different nature than everyone else's, so much so that any comparison is undefined. Imagine - he understood the nature of each animal so well that he could give each one its perfect name!

Imagine, waking up to be the first person to ever live. With no parents to teach him, he rose as a fully-developed adult. How did he learn to walk? How did he learn to talk? How did he choose what each word meant? Adam was not merely the first human. If I remember correctly, the malachim were unsure whether he was a human or a god.

I don't know how he knew all these things. But he clearly did know them. I don't see much of a jump from Adam's knowing all that, to expecting him to understand the concept of sin. When the Creator speaks in audible tones, and says "Don't eat that!", it is a command which he should obey.

Akiva Miller

____________________________________________________________
Click now to find the perfect Christmas lights for your decorations!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/BLSrjnsLp6ciefTb8wDlrEbutcQbvCskCdhAJY24qJusOTFnSGuGJbpGeeE/