The Tree of Life and the Tree of Mind

“The tree of Life was amid the garden and the Tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9)

Last week we read ‘Parashat Bresheet,’ the first Torah portion of the Book of Bresheet (AKA “Genesis”). The Parasha recounts the two stories of Creation. The first narrates the creation of the universe, the second details the creation of Man and Woman and the account of the Garden of Eden, which G-d charged them with the duty to protect.

Some of you may raise their eyebrows in wonder upon reading the title of this essay. Yes, we have all heard about the Tree of Life but what is the Tree of Mind?

This question brings me back to a subject that I have dwelt on in the past, a painful subject I might add and the source of some serious concern to me. I am referring to the translation or rather the mistranslation of the Tanach first to Greek and later to other languages.

The mistranslation of the account of the name of the tree of “knowledge,” in the Garden of Eden is a case in point.

Those who read, speak and understand Hebrew will surely agree with me that the Hebrew refers to the Tree of Mind (Da’at) rather than Knowledge (Yeda). Da’at (Mind) is a very wide concept. The Cambridge Dictionary defines “mind” as “the part of a person that makes it possible for him or her to think, feel emotions and understand things.”  Mind, therefore, encompasses wisdom, understanding AND knowledge.

The forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve ate did not provide them with knowledge only. It gave them the understanding, the ability to acquire Moral Knowledge, to process, internalize and use it. To reduce the Tree of Mind or minimize its qualities to mere “knowledge” is, in my view, a gross injustice to G-d, to its role and to humans.

To explain my point, I enlist the help of the wise Maimonides. In part 1 of Chapter 1 of his “Guide for the Perplexed,” Maimonides distinguishes between physical appearance and the essence of humans, Tzelem. When the Torah describes Man as having been created B’Tzelem Elohim,” Rambam refers to it as “sechel” (intellect), man’s rational and analytical faculties. That was part of Man’s genetic code from the outset.

               “On account of this gift of intellect, man was addressed by G-d, and received                  His commandments, as it is said : ‘And the Lord commanded Adam’                              (Genesis 2:16) – for no commandments are given to the brute creation or to                    those who are devoid of understanding.” 

In other words, Man was created with the potential to learn, understand and assimilate knowledge.

Evidently, there was a missing element in the process, for as the story unfolds, we learn that Man and Woman were not fulfilling the task that they were entrusted with. What was missing is the component that would help translate Man’s inherent gift from G-d into a useful and productive learning curve.

That was the role of fruit of The Tree of Mind.

Only AFTER they ate from the Tree were Adam and Eve able to distinguish between Good and Evil, as we learn from the Parashah. The snake, the “most shrewd creature of all,” who was aware of it revealed that to Eve : “For G-d knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like G-d, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5).

Knowledge (Yeda) deprived of the galvanizing effect of wisdom and understanding is akin to giving someone a fishing rod without teaching them how to fish or a car without teaching them how to drive. The fruit of the Tree of Mind was the missing link, the trigger that connected the two realms, knowledge and comprehension, and jump started our learning process.

Rambam further suggests that Adam and Eve were right for eating from the Tree of Mind even at the threat of death. That spark of Tselem in which Man was created dictated that it is better to be mortal yet knowledgeable and aware of his surrounding rather than forever be stuck in a fool’s paradise without any wisdom’ understanding and knowledge. G-d, who created us in His image knew that we will have the desire and the curiosity to learn more.

May we continue to learn, grow and apply the moral lessons which the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Mind was meant to help us acquire albeit at, what some consider, a very dear price.

The Ultimate Craftsman

The Machzor is the prayer book that is used during the High Holidays. As I was reading through it, on Yom Kippur, I was yet again, as I am every year, captivated by the way it was compiled, consisting of special prayers for the occasion as well as the various Torah readings.  The Machzor is an assembly of all that the praying persons need for the Holy Day. It is aimed at their convenience.

A close review of its content will reveal that the Machzor is also a treasure trove of not only meaningful prayers but a collection of literary pearls in the form Piyyutim, poems which add much value and meaning to this day of awe.

One such Piyyut that always captures my eyes and leaves me in amazement is the one depicting G-d as the ultimate artist, the fundamental craftsman.

The first stanza which likens G-d to a potter leans on the words of G-d through the prophet Jeremiah (18:6) “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” I particularly like this metaphor since, as someone who works with clay, I can deeply appreciate the process and identify with it. Romancing the clay, shaping it, reshaping it until it reaches the desired outcome is a skill that requires much vision and persistence. It echoes the act of the creation of man in Genesis which relates to Man being made of clay/ earth and created in G-d’s image. And who if not G-d would possess such dexterity?

The second one, compares G-d to a gifted stone mason. Through His manipulations, holding the stone or breaking it, He can bring it to its desired final shape.

The third stanza compares G-d to a sailor who proficiently negotiates the steering wheel of the ship guiding it to its destination. Another stanza compares G-d to a glazier – a skilled tradesman specializing in cutting, installing and removing glass. Another one yet, likens G-d to an embroiderer who folds and flattens the fabric as he wishes.

However, the final stanza where G-d is likened to a silversmith is my favourite one. I like this metaphor, particularly, as it brings to mind for me the parable of the Silversmith in the Book of Zachariah (13:9) where G-d equates himself to the Silversmith anxd Am Yisrael to his silver: “I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.”

I recall reading an account, once, about a woman who visited a silversmith’s workplace in order to learn the details of the process of refining silver. As he was holding the piece of silver over the fire, the silversmith explained to her that the silver needs to be held in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest for the impurities to burn away. That reminded the woman of G-d holding the Jewish People in such a hot spot in His effort to cleanse them.

The silversmith also explained to her that he must watch the furnace constantly in order to ensure that the silver is not destroyed. Again, the woman thought of G-d as the Silversmith who needs to put Am Yisrael into the furnace, closely watch each step with the intent of purifying them and bring them closer to him.

As she was about to leave, the woman wished to know how the silversmith knew when the refining was finished and the silver is pure.

“That’s rather simple,” he replied, “the process is finished when I see my image reflected in the silver.”

Yom Kippur is part of our purification process, the time when we shed our impurities, Personal and National and prepare ourselves to enter a better life, a clean future, a time where we hope that when G-d, the Ultimate Craftsman’ can look at us and see His Image.


Shabbat Shalom and a Happy Succot, fellow Jews and Am Yisrael.

The Affliction of the Soul

As we approach Yom Kippur, each year, the day seems to bear a more solemn and weighty substance, at least for me. As I grow older, the meaning and purpose of this monumental day for Jews, finally sinks in.

Why so?

On the lighter side, it is the only Jewish Holy Day where Jews do not eat (yes, I have known that, of course, but just realized it).That, we must admit to ourselves, sets it apart from all others. Anyone who is even slightly familiar with our Jewish traditions, knows that, on some Holy Days, we are commanded to rejoice, and food is always part of that joy. That is not the case on Yom Kippur.

On the more serious side, though, on this day, we are expected to atone and are charged with the duty to: “…afflict your souls … For on that day G-d shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD.” (Leviticus 16:29-30).

It is not only the consumption of food that we are required to desist from on this day, though.  Chazal, our wise elders, ruled that we assume upon ourselves other self-inflicted discomforts on Yom Kippur. These include the prohibition to wash, anoint our body with oil, wear leather shoes or engage in sexual activities.

Moreover, in Leviticus 23:29, the Torah even prescribes a punishment for those who do not adhere to engaging in what it refers to as the “affliction of the soul.” It states: “For whatever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among His People.”

One may ask and rightfully so, since all those forbidden pursuits seem to be associated with the physical or bodily realm, how come refraining from them is referred to as “affliction of the soul?”

In the world of Jewish/Hebrew wisdom, one can find different approaches to the dualism or unity between the Body and the Soul.

Genesis 2:7 establishes the dualism between the two with the soul being more eminent: “Then the Lord G-d formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’ and the man became a living being.” What this verse is telling us is that without the soul, that spark of G-d, in us, our body is worthless. Ecclesiastes 12:7, likewise, echoes the superiority of the soul and its divine eternal essence as opposed to the body which is temporal and merely serves as the vessel for it: “and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Whereas the body attempts to indulge in its desires and wishes of the here and now, the soul which, according to those two versesת belongs to G-d, constantly strives, to free itself, rise and reconnect with its Creator. In this light, the body is viewed as the enemy of the soul and its constrictor.

Only when the body is tamed and subdued can our Divine spark unshackle itself from its earthly constraints and reach its contentment and self-actualization. This concept of controlling and subduing the body to the Spirit is common in many faiths and creeds.

Yom Kippur is a day when we celebrate the fabric of our Jewish core, its importance and its magnitude. It is a time when we are expected to grant those attributes of G-d within us the power and the authority to reset our inner compass.

Only through the prescribed physical depravations listed for Yom Kippur, can our Soul, our Spirit prevail and be free to rise above our immediate needs into higher dimensions. In that realm, it can peacefully reflect upon and evaluate our past actions and the actions of others, learn their respective lessons and open the door to a tomorrow which finds us better and more deserving of the Gift of Life.

Wishing everyone an easy fast and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Judaism and Personal Responsibility

"If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?" – Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

As we enter the Jewish New Year, I spend much time pondering the purpose of the High Holy Days and their significance in our Jewish Ethics. Reflection upon and taking personal responsibility for our deeds, conduct and mistakes is, in my view, mainly what these days are about.

The premise that underlines these available courses of action in our Jewish tradition rests in the human conditions. As humans, we are destined to err and make mistakes. At the same time, however, we are given the opportunity to address them, correct them and learn from our experiences in order to become more accomplished human beings and help make our world a better place.

Our Torah and Jewish literature give us the tools to make this happen. They guide us along this complex path where on the one hand, free choice is in the realm of G-d alone and where our actions are pre-destines while, on the other, humans are expected to know Good from Evil.

The Tanach, as we know, is the story of G-d and His interactions with humans and their choices between Right and Wrong. In numerous instances, it shows us that despite the omnipotence and omnipresence of G-d in our life, humans are given the ability to distinguish between the two and make the right decisions.

The first verse that points to that is in Genesis 1:26 “And G-d created man in His image.” The image that the verse refers to is not a physical one since we do not know what G-d looks like. Rather, the text hints to some attributes that humans share with G-d, one of which is the ability to distinguish between Good and Evil. This is further reinforced in Genesis 3:22 following the eating of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, where G-d states: “Verily, this human being is unique, that he has his own mind to choose between good and evil.”

Indeed, without free will there would be no purpose to life. That is what G-d decreed to us. Free will gives a meaning to our life. It affects those around us and the world we live in.

With Free Will comes Accountability for one’s deeds and assumption of Personal Responsibility. What cements these three is Emotional Intelligence and Maturity.

Emotional Intelligence and mature conduct is another attribute of G-d’s image which Jewish Literature and Jewish sages expect to find in us.

In Judaism, no one gets punished nor dies for our sins and transgressions. We each must come to terms with our actions and bear their consequences, good AND bad. No learning, no improvement would or ever could take place if someone else takes the blame and endures punishment for our misdeeds.

Hence the numerous repetitions throughout the Tanach of the importance of each Jew doing good and be the recipient of the rewards associated with it as opposed to the punishment that follows the election to do evil.

The solemn period AKA, the Ten Days of Awe, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, each year is, therefore, of great significance for Jews. It gives us a chance to repent, evaluate, improve and above all pave our path to G-d’s ultimate commandment to “Choose Life”:

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you Life and Death, blessings and curses. Now choose Life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

This commandment is cited, rightfully, justly and most appropriately so, in the Torah portion that precedes Rosh Hashanah. It is a great reminder for us, Jews, that we are given the chance to make that commandment a reality and ensure that in the words of Rabbe Nachman of Breslov, we each are “a better person tomorrow….than today.”

Wishing Jews, the world over, Shanah Tova, a year of good deeds and abstention from evil, a year of Choosing Life.