KaBlogAlah

Shifra http://askshifra.blogspot.com/ asked the source when I mentioned Adam was the reason we're not still in the garden. It was Reb Shlomo Carlebach, given over by Rabbi Sholom Brodt. Here is the teaching, consider it copyrighted:

The following is a quote taken from one of Reb Shlomo's teachings, which was delivered in Ellul 5745, almost 15 years ago: "I want you to know something very deep. What was the downfall of the world? How did the downfall begin? The first person who did something wrong was our mother Eve. The Kotsker Rebbe said that he wished that one time in his life he would stand before G-d in so much holiness, on Yom Kippur, like Eve did when she stood before G-d after eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The downfall of the world was when G-d said to Adam: "Why did you eat the fruit?" and he answered, "It is Chava's fault." Is this how he loved his wife? We are created in the image of G-d! Is this what you think G-d is all about? He should have said: "It's all my fault." He should have covered up for her. If G-d forbid, my child would do something wrong and someone will come and ask: "Who did that?" I will say , "I did." When I love somebody I cover for them. We see the influence of the Tree of Knowledge. We are not permitted to lie. We have to tell the truth. So when G-d asked Adam what happened, he blamed it all on Eve. He didn't cover for his wife. He did not act like a mentsch. That's why G-d said to him: "Get out of my Paradise. I want you to know the deepest depths of Rosah Hashannah is that we cover for each other. We each say to G-d, "It's all my fault."... According to the Tree of Knowledge there is no such thing as covering for someone. If somebody did something wrong, let them fix it themselves. Why is 'lashon harah' [evil talk] such a sin? According to the Tree of Knowledge, 'lashon harah' is not a sin. If you saw somebody do something why not tell? You are telling the truth. The moment Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they didn't cover for each other....... Why is the Temple the deepest fixing? Because Aharon Hakohen is coming again.... We have a Gemarrah [Talmud] on almost everything. But we have no 'masechta' [volume] for loving each other, none for doing 'Tshuva'. Why not? Because this is the Torah of Mashiach, the Torah of the Third Temple, the Torah of Aharon, of covering for each other. How does Aharon cure the one who speaks 'lashon harah'? Aharon comes and says, "Ribbono Shel Olam, it's all my fault." The person who speaks lashon hara can only be cured when it is clear to him that there is only one way to live in this world--to cover for each other... I want to wish everyone of us a Good Year, a year in which we shall cover for each other, and we shall all be forgiven. Love Shlomo

For Shavuot, I have always found joy in re-reading the story of Ruth. The real devotion of Ruth: she trusted G_d would care for her, and she forced Boaz's hand, as Jewish women know how to do.