The Garden of Eden from a Jewish perspective

iBrian

iBrian

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I just thought I'd ask - the Garden of Eden section of Genesis is commonly discussed among Christians/non-Christians, but I would be curious to know any Jewish perspectives on this - especially about the Tree of Life and the serpent. From past experience, I expect there are a fair number of interpretations! Any suggestions of links or similar avenues of research? Any comment is also welcome. :)

PS: Please note that this discussion is in the Judaism board, where it specifically invites comments from our Jewish members. If any Christians or Atheists wish to discuss the subject, I'm sure there are other threads about it on more suitable boards. :)
 
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I am always eager to get the Jewish perspectives on their Tanakh. Rabbi Manis Friedman has several you tube videos on creation / Adam and Eve. The explanations he gives are very beautiful and insightful.

I am curious if anyone is familiar with this Rabbi?

I keep sending Dauer psychic messages to stop by I/O. I considered him a friend and I miss him.
 
iBrian said:
I just thought I'd ask - the Garden of Eden section of Genesis is commonly discussed among Christians/non-Christians, but I would be curious to know any Jewish perspectives on this - especially about the Tree of Life and the serpent. From past experience, I expect there are a fair number of interpretations! Any suggestions of links or similar avenues of research? Any comment is also welcome. :)

PS: Please note that this discussion is in the Judaism board, where it specifically invites comments from our Jewish members. If any Christians or Atheists wish to discuss the subject, I'm sure there are other threads about it on more suitable boards. :)
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I used to work at a Jewish private school that was attatched to a Chassidic rabbinical school (I don't know what happaned to the school, nor do I care in some cases.)

If I knew how to contact any of the rabbinical students from then, I could as them, or they could steer me in a legitimate direction.. Oh, and bananabrrain would have information (wish he would sign in again since he was rather knowledgeable IMHO.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine
 
Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine said:
If I knew how to contact any of the rabbinical students from then, I could as them, or they could steer me in a legitimate direction.. Oh, and bananabrrain would have information (wish he would sign in again since he was rather knowledgeable IMHO.)
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Maybe we could find someone else. I'll try to think of someone...
 
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Faithfulservant said:
I am always eager to get the Jewish perspectives on their Tanakh. Rabbi Manis Friedman has several you tube videos on creation / Adam and Eve. The explanations he gives are very beautiful and insightful.

I am curious if anyone is familiar with this Rabbi?
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I am familiar with the rabbi. I read something he wrote years ago that so was so horrid that I haven't had the stomach to watch, read or listen to anything from him since. I've been looking for my copy of the magazine, it's several years old, with the piece because I want to quote him exactly without any question that I am misrepresenting what he said. I may go on line tomorrow to see if I can find it there.
 
RabbiO said:
I am familiar with the rabbi. I read something he wrote years ago that so was so horrid that I haven't had the stomach to watch, read or listen to anything from him since. I've been looking for my copy of the magazine, it's several years old, with the piece because I want to quote him exactly without any question that I am misrepresenting what he said. I may go on line tomorrow to see if I can find it there.
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Oh no. That would be like me finding a Christian pastor on you tube that makes me cringe and see other people praise him. I don't want to listen to bad teaching out of ignorance.
 
Faithfulservant said:
Oh no. That would be like me finding a Christian pastor on you tube that makes me cringe and see other people praise him. I don't want to listen to bad teaching out of ignorance.
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All of us have complex legacies. The fact that Rabbi Friedman wrote something utterly abhorrent does not mean that everything else he has written or said is baseless. However, for me what he wrote, 15 years ago, was so toxic that I won't touch his other works. I had forgotten how great the furor was when what he wrote was published. What also irked me is that when he was called out for what he had written his response he tried to deflect the criticism by saying that what he wrote didn't mean what he wrote.

You be the judge.

What he wrote was - "I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle).The first Israeli prime minister who declares that he will follow the Old Testament will finally bring peace to the Middle East. First, the Arabs will stop using children as shields. Second, they will stop taking hostages knowing that we will not be intimidated. Third, with their holy sites destroyed, they will stop believing that G-d is on their side. Result: no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war. Zero tolerance for stone throwing, for rockets, for kidnapping will mean that the state has achieved sovereignty. Living by Torah values will make us a light unto the nations who suffer defeat because of a disastrous morality of human invention."
 
RabbiO said:
All of us have complex legacies. The fact that Rabbi Friedman wrote something utterly abhorrent does not mean that everything else he has written or said is baseless. However, for me what he wrote, 15 years ago, was so toxic that I won't touch his other works. I had forgotten how great the furor was when what he wrote was published. What also irked me is that when he was called out for what he had written his response he tried to deflect the criticism by saying that what he wrote didn't mean what he wrote.

You be the judge.

What he wrote was - "I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle).The first Israeli prime minister who declares that he will follow the Old Testament will finally bring peace to the Middle East. First, the Arabs will stop using children as shields. Second, they will stop taking hostages knowing that we will not be intimidated. Third, with their holy sites destroyed, they will stop believing that G-d is on their side. Result: no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war. Zero tolerance for stone throwing, for rockets, for kidnapping will mean that the state has achieved sovereignty. Living by Torah values will make us a light unto the nations who suffer defeat because of a disastrous morality of human invention."
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Wow!
 
I was told that God felt that Adam and Eve needed to know what it would be like to have a mother-in-law. Thus the serpent entered the garden. But I could be wrong.
 
Btw, our Jewish members are welcome to give their personal perspectives. :)

I'm especially interested in:
1. Is the Garden real or allegorical?
2. What was the serpent?
3. What is the importance of both the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge
 
Faithfulservant said:
I am always eager to get the Jewish perspectives on their Tanakh. Rabbi Manis Friedman has several you tube videos on creation / Adam and Eve. The explanations he gives are very beautiful and insightful.

I am curious if anyone is familiar with this Rabbi?

I keep sending Dauer psychic messages to stop by I/O. I considered him a friend and I miss him.
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I've watched a number of his videos. I appreciate the way he explores Jewish theories of the afterlife.
 
RabbiO said:
I am familiar with the rabbi. I read something he wrote years ago that so was so horrid that I haven't had the stomach to watch, read or listen to anything from him since. I've been looking for my copy of the magazine, it's several years old, with the piece because I want to quote him exactly without any question that I am misrepresenting what he said. I may go on line tomorrow to see if I can find it there.
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Have you found it?
I've watched this Rabbi and mostly liked him. But if he has advocated something so vile you can't stand the sight of him -- yikes! I've got to know what he did or said!!
 
TheLightWithin said:
Have you found it?
I've watched this Rabbi and mostly liked him. But if he has advocated something so vile you can't stand the sight of him -- yikes! I've got to know what he did or said!!
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Wait - I realize now you did add it and I scrolled over it somehow.
So I read it.
Yikes!
 
RabbiO said:
All of us have complex legacies. The fact that Rabbi Friedman wrote something utterly abhorrent does not mean that everything else he has written or said is baseless. However, for me what he wrote, 15 years ago, was so toxic that I won't touch his other works. I had forgotten how great the furor was when what he wrote was published. What also irked me is that when he was called out for what he had written his response he tried to deflect the criticism by saying that what he wrote didn't mean what he wrote.

You be the judge.

What he wrote was - "I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle).The first Israeli prime minister who declares that he will follow the Old Testament will finally bring peace to the Middle East. First, the Arabs will stop using children as shields. Second, they will stop taking hostages knowing that we will not be intimidated. Third, with their holy sites destroyed, they will stop believing that G-d is on their side. Result: no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war. Zero tolerance for stone throwing, for rockets, for kidnapping will mean that the state has achieved sovereignty. Living by Torah values will make us a light unto the nations who suffer defeat because of a disastrous morality of human invention."
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Yikes!
It doesn't even make sense!
 
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