Knowledge of Good and Evil

pg. 213-214

Commentary on the Torah: Nahmanides

Genesis 2:9

Nahmanides did not believe that the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge caused man to possess sexual desire. The idea that sexual desire originated from the Tree of Knowledge originated from the part in Genesis 2-3, when the humans clothed themselves because of their shame of their nudity. He believed that before eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam did what was "fitting to do according to nature." In other words, he did not choose between two opposite things, but rather he did what he was supposed to do. He was faithful to God and merely completed his task. But through the Tree of Knowledge, Adam was given the ability to choose between "a thing and its opposite, whether for good or for evil." As such, man was given a free will, to do as they wanted to do. This, of course, had consequences, but it was what differentiated humans from all other creatures. Mankind was given a free will, something that could overcome natural instincts, and overshadow reason. Man had the right to choose between good and evil, whether it was beneficial or not. It was both a benefit and a curse to humanity. Of course, sex was apart of this choice, as Nahmanides pointed out. Before betraying God, humans only had sex merely because it was apart of their biological behavior, a natural instinct. After betraying God, sex became more than just a means of reproduction, but a way to "gratify desire." Lastly, Nahmanides pointed out that, before the fall of man, all organs, including the sexual organs, were merely seen as they were, "like the face and the hands and they were not ashamed of them." But after they ate from the Tree, man was given a choice, which depended on his own will, to choose between good and evil. So, man chose to hide his organs because it was apart of his will.

The Guide for the Perplexed: Maimonides

On Genesis 3:5, part 1, chap. 2:

Maimonides began with an idea that he himself did not believe in. He dicussed the use of the term "Elohim," which was a homonym, denoting "God, angels, judges and the rulers of countries." This term was used in Gen 3:5, "And ye shall be like Elohim," meaning, according to this idea, that man was initially equal to the rest of the animals. In other words, man did not posess intelligence, reasoning, or a conscience. Rather, it was not until after Adam disobeyed God that he acquired the ability to distinguish between good and evil, making him perfect, since it was the "essential characteristic of the human race." In other words, this related to Darwinism, in which man was originally like animals. Since humans evolved from animals, they were originally like animals. It was not until he ate the fruit that he evolved into a human, distinguishing himself from the other creatures of the world. Mankind, through Adam, acquired characteristics of the human race, much like Darwin believed animals evolved over time. Humans, like the rest of nature, were able to adapt and change, and thus, humans had to distinguish themselves from animals at one point in time, since they possess emotions, conscience, greater intelligence, and reasoning. It was through Adam's disobedience that this evolution from beast to human took place.

However, Maimonides elucidated that this notion was false. He said that this was "equivalent to saying that a certain man was rebellious and extremely wicked, and wherefore his nature was changed for the better." He explained that, if one looked closer, they would see that intellect was bestowed on Adam before he ate from the Tree of Knowledge. He referenced Genesis, which stated that "man was created in the form and likeness of God." Thus, man was originally created superior to the animals. He also argued that God could not command humans without humans having intellect, since "no commandments are given to the brute creation or to those who are devoid of understanding." Then, Malmonides distinguished between apparent and necessary truths. He believed that Adam possessed necessary truths, being able to distinguish between true and false, before he disobeyed God. He explained that with man's intellect originally allowed him to have the ability of necessary truths. However, before eating from the Tree, Adam was not able to understand the principles of apparent truths, or morals. In other words, before the fall, Adam did not acknowledge the fact that he was naked, because "he could not comprehend why it should be so." However, after Adam's fall, in which he gave way to his "desires which had their source in his imagination and to the gratification of his bodily desires, as it is said, 'And the wife saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to the eyes.' (Gen 3:6), Adam was punished by losing this intellectual aspect. By obtaining the knowledge of apparent truths, he lost this intellectual aspect, and rather acknowledging what was true or false, Adam distinguished between what was "proper and improper." Then, Malmonides explained that because Adam and Eve "knew they were naked," this implied that their had realized they were naked before, but they believed it was wrong after eating from the Tree. In other words, Adam and Eve always saw their nakedness, but they believed it was morally wrong to be naked in front of one another. It was not as if they had not seen their bodies before, but rather they thought nothing of it before the fall of Adam.

Malmonides suggested that, before the fall, Adam was both pleasured and happy. In the Garden, pleasure, happiness, and security made Eden a grand paradise. But when Adam's "appetite grew stronger" and gave into his bodily desires, he was punished by depriving him of everything, forcing him to work for his food, by the sweat of his brow. Malmonides, then, pointed out that Adam was essentially brought back down to the level of animals after the fall, since he was banished from Eden, and forced to live on "the ground whence he was taken." God reminded Adam that he was merely dust of the soil, and he would eventually return to that soil because of it. In other words, Malmonides believed that man started out with an intelligence that surpassed all animals of the earth. But after eating from the Tree of Knowledge, mankind lost this intellect, gained a knowledge of apparent truths (of good and evil, of morally right and wrong, or essentially a conscience), but were brought back to the level of animals. Because mankind was made from the same material as animals, they too would have to work for their food and live a life of suffering. Furthermore, mankind demonstrated that he too would give into bodily desires and natural instincts, much like an animal. This further established the notion that the punishment given to them by God was fitting. Humans may have acquired a new kind of knowledge, but they demonstrated their animalistic attributes by giving into bodily pleasures and desires. Thus, they were "brought to the level of the dumb beast." (Ps. 49:13)

Personal Thoughts about the Knowledge of Good and Evil:

Knowledge of good and evil was referring to a conscience of some sort, a way of distinguishing between what was morally right and wrong, much like Malmonides elucidated. However, I believe that the banishment from Paradise did not bring down humans to the level of animals, much like he explained. Rather, humans were superior to animals both before and after the fall. Mankind originally possessed greater knowledge and intellect than animals, but when they ate from the tree, they were given the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. As such, man did not lose one form of intellect over the other. Rather, mankind was given the choice between thinking intellectually and thinking morally. They possessed both an inner conscience and intellect that separated them from the rest of the animal kingdom. God clearly stated that mankind was originally created in God's image, and thus, were distinguished from the beasts.

One distinct clue that established the notion of this "knowledge of good and evil" was Genesis 3:6, right after Eve ate from the Tree, in which she realized that the "tree was good for eating/ and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to contemplate." Before eating from the tree, Adam and Eve could recognize the tree and decided that they should not eat from it because it would kill them. But when Eve discovered that she would not die from eating from the fruit, since the snake told her so, she did not see any wrong in eating from the tree. She gave into her bodily desires and ate the fruit, and immediately she recognized that she was nude. There was nothing wrong with the human body, but revealing one's nude self, today, was viewed as morally wrong. As such, the author of this text attempted to describe how this idea that nudity was morally wrong in public originated. After eating from the tree, both Adam and Eve hid themselves, because they knew what they did was wrong. Before, they saw nothing wrong with eating from the tree, since they discovered it was not fatal to eat from. After eating the fruit, they realized they had disobeyed God, and hid themselves. Thus, the Tree of Knowledge caused them to acquire a knowledge of what was wrong and what was right.