GEN362 See [[GEN118]] Genesis 1:27 image KELLNER 127-8

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN363 The joy of knowledge.  When a person accustoms himself to study works of Mussar, his eyes will also be opened to see the immense reward reserved for those who perform Hashem’s will, and the goodness that is hidden away for the righteous—which not even the greatest prophet could truly comprehend (c.f. Talmud, Berachos 32b). Therefore, when he has internalized the fear of Hashem, his soul will perforce be stirred to pursue the path of goodness—whatever the degree. When this happens, not only will he not be saddened, but the opposite will occur—he will delight in his portion and “rejoice with trembling” (cf. Tehillim 2:11) – for his eyes will have been opened to know good and bad [cf. this verse] and to foresee the outcome of a deed (cf. Avos 2:13). The fear will give his strength and power. The great reward will nurture him and grant him the encouragement to improve his path even more: to save his soul from the shadowy depths of Gehinnom and to be illuminated by the precious light of life and eternal delight. His soul will be transformed, and an upright sprit will be renewed within him (cf. Tehillim 51:12). OHRYIS 130

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN364 See [[GEN115]] Genesis 1:27 image DORFFLOV 75-6

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN365 See [[GEN324]] Genesis 2:23 said BLOCH 148-9

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN367 That which separates the human being from all other creatures in the universe is his ability to choose his own path in life; only man has free choice.  This is what is meant by the Torah phrase “Man is made in God’s image.”  The first story in the Torah demonstrates man’s ability to choose. God commands man not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, but man defies Him and eats anyway (Genesis 2:16-17).  Seforno commentary, cited in AMEMEI 34

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN368 They do not die, as God had stated in Genesis 2:17. It appears that God was deceiving the two. This is alluded to in the biblical text in the words: “…and the woman saw that it was good…” (that she did not die after eating the fruit). Even more important is that according to this account the serpent is actually telling the truth and is punished for telling them what they did not need to know! FREUND

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN366 Our Link With God – The Soul.  Judaism is emphatic that man was created pure, untainted by “original sin.” This is the profession he makes at the commencement of the daily morning prayers when he exclaims: “O my God, the soul which Thou gavest me is pure.” Berachot 60b  It is this soul, the spark of divine fire which man carries with hi, that links him to God. In some, this celestial light may be dimmed by sin; in others, almost extinguished by depravity of outlook or corruption of deed. Realizing that the character of a life largely depends on the care bestowed by the individual to keep his soul unstained; knowing that it is of man’s own freewill that he becomes a sinner, Jewish ethics are tireless in insisting that it the soul, of all forces the mainspring, that raises man above mere  animal existence. …  Freedom of Will rejects the doctrine of “original sin”. That is the crown of Jewish ethical thought. The disobedience of Adam [this verse] [is not to the contrary]. … The Torah is adamant in the contention that despite the sensuous nature of man, he should be able to subdue his evil inclination. Far from being harsh, such a demand is virtually a compliment. Just because Judaism credits its adherents with the moral strength requir4ed to master their sinful disposition is temptation oft placed their way. Should this at first be difficult of achievement, it will fill him with the resolve to make amends and vow never to fall again.  LEHRMAN 156-7

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN369 See [[GEN351]] Genesis 2:25 ashamed SACKS xxv-vi

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN370 Since Jewish ethics find their source in God and are as infinite and eternal as God, they are to be practiced eternally. Not only may I, the person, not do anything unethical to another person or even to an inanimate object – for ethics come from God and are therefore eternal – but Jewish ethics are also subjective and reject the popular concept of “as long as I am not harming anyone what difference does it make what I do? Basically, however, ethical behavior is not governed by the object, the recipient, but rather by the subject, the doer. A person must act properly because proper behavior (ethics) is part of eternity. This reasoning gave rise to a great deal of seeming trivia or minutiae of Jewish halochoh whose underlying purpose is to stress some great moral concept. Thus, there is an halochoh regarding how one should treat the parts of his own body; One should favor the right half of the body over the left; he should shod his right foot before his left, wash his right hand before his left; and he should wash his head before the other pars of his body – and so on. All this because the right half of the body is to be honored more than the left and the head is to be honored before the lower extremities.  Are any parts of the body capable of understanding and appreciating this? And the answer is: Of course not! But the doer, the person, must act ethically not because of the recipient, the object, but because God is ethical always and infinite and man must emulate God and be ethical always whether the recipient appreciates the act or not. Ethics are for the doer, the person; they are subjective and not objective. God, too, is ethical to inanimate objects. For example, the Torah does not reveal the kind of fruit which Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, because as Rashi says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, does not wish to grieve any creature; that people should not shame it and say this is the one through which the world was afflicted.” The world is hardly ready for ethical practice on this high a plane, namely: to be ethical to inanimate objects. But to a Jew this presents a ready kal vochomer (a fortiori). If one must be ethical to trees and limbs, how much more so must one respect the honor due to a human being? BUILD 206-7

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN371 [W]hen [man] disobeyed and inclined toward his imaginary desires and the pleasures of his corporeal sense – inasmuch as it is said [this verse] – he was punished by being deprived of that intellectual apprehension.  EWM 131

SHOW FULL EXCERPT