GEN382 If we look into the Bible, from the very first we see that God monitors the actions of man.  After he sins man tries to hide from God, but to no avail, since God is aware of all the actions of Adam and Eve.  When Cain tries to “pay dumb” with God after killing Abel, God says that He hears Abel’s blood screaming from the ground. Genesis 4:9-10.  In Jeremiah 23:24, God asks rhetorically if it is possible for man to hide himself and for God not to know.  Psalms 44:22 says that God knows all secrets in man’s heart.  In his parting words to his son Solomon 1 Chronicles 28:9, King David admonishes his son to obey God fully because God knows all the emotions in man’s heart and all thoughts in man’s head.  One of the basic principles of Judaism, set forth by Maimonides, is that God is indeed aware of all of man’s actions and knows all the thoughts of each person. Principles of Faith #10.  Not only is God aware of man’s thought and actions, but these actions are recorded.  When a person dies, this “videotape” plays back man’s entire life, for him to be judged after death.  Taanit 11a.  It is clear, then, that the Jewish view is that God does indeed watch us always and is aware of our thoughts and deeds.  AMEMEI 84

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GEN383 See [[GEN351]] Genesis 2:25 ashamed SACKS xxv-vi

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GEN384 A man should never enter his fellow’s house suddenly.  All can learn such good manners from the All-Present, who stood at the entrance of the Garden [of Eden] and called to Adam [to announce His presence] [this verse].  Derekh Eretz Rabbah 5:2, DORWAR 6GEN

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GEN385 Do not enter another person’s house suddenly, thereby catching the person unawares.  In modern terms, this means calling ahead.  When Adam ate of the fruit from the forbidden tree, God hid Himself, as it were, to the entrance to the Garden of Eden, and called out to Adam, “Where are you?” God, the all-knowing, obviously knew exactly were Adam was, but He did not wish to startle him Derech Eretz Rabbah 5:2, Niddah 16b, Pesachim 112a.  So, God called out, and gave Adam time to adjust to His presence.  We, too, should take care not to startle others.  The directive applies in one’s own home as well: “Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: The man who enters [even] his own house … unexpectedly, the Holy One hates” Leviticus Rabbah 21:8. Thus, parent should always knock before entering their children’s rooms; everyone, children as well as adults, is entitled to privacy. TELVOL 1:131-2

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GEN386 It was taught: “One should never enter his neighbor’s house unexpectedly, but should follow the example of the Holy One blessed be He, who stood at the entrance to the garden and called to Adam, as it is written: [this verse]. Derech Eretz 5  TEMIMAH-GEN 22

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GEN387 New or unforeseen situations can cause a person to become alarmed.  Therefore, if one wants to ask a favor from someone or influence him in some way, one must always tread lightly so that his words will not cause alarm or startle the other person.  For example, one should avoid engaging an acquaintance in a conversation about a complex topic when meeting him by chance in the street or in the beis midrash.  Rather, the most conducive atmosphere for a serious discussion is created by meeting at a prearranged location during a convenient hour.  This principle is derived from numerous sources. Masseches Derech Eretz (ch. 5) states: "One must never enter a friend's house unexpected." The Almighty Himself stood by the portal of Gan Eden and summoned Adam, as the verse says, [this verse]. (Continued at [[GEN502]] Genesis 4:9 where WAGS 118-9)  WAGS 118-20

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GEN388 The wage motive of righteousness is fed by the twin psychological roots of expectancy of reward and of fear of punishment. The fear grows out of the certainty of God’s avenging wrath for evil doing. In the words of the sage: “The wicked flee when no one pursueth; but the righteous are secure as a young lion” (Proverbs 28:1). Conscience plagues the wicked. They dread the effects of their misdeeds [this verse]. [See also “avoid” 4:14.] COHON 125

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GEN389 See [[GEN324]] Genesis 2:23 said  BLOCH 148-9

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GEN390 By referring to the Israelites as “ingrates, descendants of ingrates,” [Talmud, Avodah Zarah 5a - AJL] Moshe emphasized the fact that this trait might be traced back to an earlier generation. The Sages trace this remark back to the transgression of Adam haRishon, who likewise sought to belittle another gift of God to man. When Adam was reproached by the Almighty for having partaken of the fruit of the Eitz HaD’as – the “Tree of Knowledge,” he made a futile attempt to vindicate himself. Crying out in self-righteous justification, he replied, “The woman whom Thou have given to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.” [this verse].  Like a delinquent, pampered son who blames his waywardness, not only on his own weakness, but rather on the fact that his father supplied him with all his needs and catered, even, to his desire for self-indulgent luxuries, so, too, did Adam seek to rationalize his own weakness, and to mitigate his own guilt, by disavowing entirely the great blessing which the Almighty had bestowed upon him by providing him with a wife and helpmate. Instead of being grateful for having been blessed with a wife, and stoically accepting his own rightful share of the blame, he pointed to this blessing as the very cause of his downfall. Here, as before, Moshe viewed this reply, not merely as an attempt at self justification, but rather as a manifestation of Adam’s deep-rooted recalcitrance and inability to acknowledge God’s kindness, lest he become obligated to express his gratitude and his indebtedness to the Almighty. [In a similar vein, Rashi likewise relates the transgression of the Dor Haflagah [generation that built the Tower of Babel] to the trait of kefiyas tovah [ingratitude], which he traces, in turn, to the transgression of Adam. See Rashi, Genesis 11:5]. FENDEL 243

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GEN391 The tragedy of man’s initial sin lies not only in his disobedience of God, but in his typical and pitiful attempt to evade responsibility, to push the blame on to the other. The man says: The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” And the woman says: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” [this and following verse]. SPERO 237

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