Sunday, June 26, 2005
G_d to Adam: "Get out of my Paradise"
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
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
Comments:
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I'm copying this, because it's how I originally understood the post, and indeed, how I still understand it...unless I read it your way, in which case it makes a little more sense.
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Eliyahu, I completely disagree with that take on Lashon Hara. That's not what my parents would do for me- I receive/ suffer for the consequences of my actions, else how am I supposed to learn? If my parents lied or "covered" for me they would be doing me the greatest disservice in the world.
I believe in truth and justice. I don't believe in lying on behalf of others, and I certainly am not going to "cover" for Toby when she accuses me of outrageous things.
I specifically connect to the medrish about Adam and Chava that states that Adam had appointed a "geder" for the Torah, and he had been the one to tell Chava not to touch the tree. He had forgotten to make the distinction between his part of the command and God's, so Chava honestly believed the snake when he pushed her against the tree-trunk. Otherwise, the commonly asked question is- wouldn't Chava consciously know she was adding on to the command? If she knew, what would being pushed against the tree-trunk prove?
Adam was punished because he put the blame on her and said "it was this woman you gave me" rather than taking responsibility for the fact that the misunderstanding came about because of his unclear statement.
What you are advocating- to "cover up" for people- is disturbing. I wouldn't cover up for my child, and I wouldn't want my parents to cover up for me. I know some people who could do absolutely no wrong- their parents always took the blame. Needless to say, that didn't work out well. People need to be punished/ reprimanded in consequence to their actions. To suggest otherwise is to pervert justice.
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Eliyahu, I completely disagree with that take on Lashon Hara. That's not what my parents would do for me- I receive/ suffer for the consequences of my actions, else how am I supposed to learn? If my parents lied or "covered" for me they would be doing me the greatest disservice in the world.
I believe in truth and justice. I don't believe in lying on behalf of others, and I certainly am not going to "cover" for Toby when she accuses me of outrageous things.
I specifically connect to the medrish about Adam and Chava that states that Adam had appointed a "geder" for the Torah, and he had been the one to tell Chava not to touch the tree. He had forgotten to make the distinction between his part of the command and God's, so Chava honestly believed the snake when he pushed her against the tree-trunk. Otherwise, the commonly asked question is- wouldn't Chava consciously know she was adding on to the command? If she knew, what would being pushed against the tree-trunk prove?
Adam was punished because he put the blame on her and said "it was this woman you gave me" rather than taking responsibility for the fact that the misunderstanding came about because of his unclear statement.
What you are advocating- to "cover up" for people- is disturbing. I wouldn't cover up for my child, and I wouldn't want my parents to cover up for me. I know some people who could do absolutely no wrong- their parents always took the blame. Needless to say, that didn't work out well. People need to be punished/ reprimanded in consequence to their actions. To suggest otherwise is to pervert justice.
# posted by 
: 2:28 PM
: 2:28 PM
Chana, i hear your point, that we each have to answer for our deeds. That being said, keep in mind that western civilization has a strong bias to view each person as individual, and not so much part of the whole. Reb Shlomo lived through the Shoach, where indeed covering for someone could be the difference between life and death.
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