The snake's sin

Found 4 Search results

1. The Snake's Sin and Its Punishment

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   What was the snake's sin? Hazal and the commentators offered a variety of answers to this problem, including among others: the snake incited Chava; he spoke lashon hara; he seduced Chava; and more. The snake's sin is the source of many of the laws of the inciter (mesit), in particular, we do not search for the merit of the inciter, and he is punished without warning. Apparently the difference between the punishment of man and snake points to the preference of man, who was created "in God's image," to the animal kingdom.

2. The Image of the Snake - Between Gan Eden, the Exodus and the Entering of Eretz Yisrael

   Rabbi Dov Berkovits

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ה | |

   The image of the snake addresses fundamental issues of free will, good and evil, life and death. We will explore the richness of the text in the Gan Eden story and in the appearances of the snake in the formative events that shaped the spirit of Bnei Yisrael to deepen our understanding of the Torah's approach to the challenge of being human.

3. A Blessing of Turning to God

   Rabbi David Silverberg

4. In the Garden

   Rabbi Yaakov Beasley

   To understand properly how Adam and Chava erred and the purpose of narrating this failure for eternity, we cannot begin with the dialogue between the serpent and Chava in Chapter 3. We must also include what occurs in Chapter 2, from the creation of the Garden and the rivers within it, the placing of man in the Garden and his charge, the naming of the animals, and the creation of woman. 

   Chapter 2 plays an important role in understanding the penalties that Hashem metes out to the participants of the sin.  Each punishment reflects the reversal of the idyllic situation that previously existed. In unlocking the meaning of our narrative, we must play close attention to this structure.