The fruit loop

The serpent was the most cunning of all the land animals HaShem made. The serpent said to the woman, "Did G-d actually say you're not to eat of any tree in the garden?" And the woman said, "We're allowed to eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden, except one. G-d said to us, 'You are not to eat the fruit of the tree that is in the center of the garden - don't even touch it, or you will die.'" But the serpent said to her, "You won't die. G-d knows that when you eat from that tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like G-d - you'll know good and evil." So when the woman saw that the fruit looked delicious, that there was plenty of it, and realized that it would make her wise, she took some and ate it. She gave some to her husband, too, and they ate together. ~ Genesis 3:1-6

For many, if not all of us, this passage from Genesis is about as basic, and elementary as it gets. Not only is it foundational, but chances are, whether or not you were raised in a home that valued scripture, you picked up some version of it from popular culture at a very early age. Is there anything more for us not-so-early-in-age to learn from this well known scripture? There certainly is.

In so many ways, this tragic event that befell our greatest of grandparents, has repeated itself in an identical, endless loop, and, still, reverberates onward even today. The multifaceted strategy the enemy employed to deceive Chavah, hasn't changed in the slightest since that calamitous day thousands of years ago. If anything, it's only gained effectiveness and bandwidth since its first use. It's a plan of attack that we'd do well to be mindful of as we approach Torah, and seek to accurately apply the Instruction of G-d to our daily lives.

Living Tree

G-d placed cherubim, fiery angels, to the East of Gan Eden to protect the Tree of Life from man - or, more than likely, to protect man from obtaining eternal life in his sinful condition - separated from G-d. This security system didn't consist only of angels, but also a "flaming sword" - lahet kherev. This flaming sword somehow extended (or turned) in all directions, which sounds like some type of force field. The Hebrew word, "lahet" can also mean flickering, hidden, or even, invisible. Incidentally, it's the same word used to describe the power used by Pharaoh's sorcerers in Exodus 7:11.

What do you think the nature of this security system or force field might have been?
What do you think would have happened to Adam had he touched it?

Living Sound

How did the voice of G-d walk (halak) in the Garden?
And what did it sound like?