What nobody told you about ADAM and the Garden of EDEN

Adam, the first human, was created perfect – formed by God’s very own “hand.” Even before Adam’s sin, Torah relates the purpose for which he was created: “God placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and protect it” – not just to “eat of its fruit and be sated by its goodness” without any effort on his part. He was permitted to eat of all the trees in the garden, but <em>why</em> was he placed in the garden? To work it. The Hebrew word “<em>Avodah</em> – work” denotes exertion. The Alter Rebbe traces its root to a similar verb, “tanning leather” – one of the most difficult forms of labor; the same terminology is used to describe “service” of God, as well as to describe Adam’s purpose in the Garden of Eden. Now, at first glance, if Adam was originally created without the blemish of sin why shouldn’t his existence have been purely to enjoy the Garden without any toil on his part? Instead – although once there, he was permitted to eat freely – he only got there on one condition: to work and protect it, and thereafter would he be able to enjoy its fruit. In this spirit the Talmud explains that the verse, “Man is born for toil” is not speaking of exceptional cases, nor of the consequence of sin, whether outright or subtle. Rather, from the very beginning God intended man to toil. So too with the creation of the Jewish people: God told Moses: “Bring this nation out of Egypt…” – the Exodus was the birth of the Jewish People, “one nation taken from the midst of another.” When God told Moses, “Bring this nation out of Egypt…” there was no immediate talk of “freedom,” nor of “a good and spacious land,” nor of “enjoying its fruit and being sated by its goodness”…; rather, God said: Now they will have the opportunity “to serve Me upon this mountain.” Again, the same terminology is used – to “serve” – as a servant, with toil. From this we see that just as it was true when Adam was created, and just as it was true when the Jewish nation was born, so too is it true of every individual Jew: His purpose is to toil. “Resigning” oneself to this reality is not enough; a member of “the wise and understanding nation” also wants to grasp the reason for all things. So Torah explains that the only way to attain wholeness – whether for a nation or for an individual – is through toil, because only through personal toil can one attain wholeness. But isn’t the opposite true? How can it be called “good” to have to struggle and toil to overcome difficulties and obstacles? The answer: God wished to spare His creations “bread of shame.” We see in human nature: if one receives an undeserved gift with absolutely no effort on his part, he feels ashamed to enjoy it; in the words of the Jerusalem Talmud: “The bride turns aside as she eats,” because she feels that she has not yet had a chance to earn what her husband gives her, she turns her face in shame. The same is true here: God wants every Jew to enjoy the utmost good fully and completely. But if one were to receive from God without any personal effort – true, he might <em>receive</em> more, but in the end he would <em>enjoy</em> it less, for it would be undeserved. Therefore God created the opportunity for man to “serve” Him, “to work and protect the Garden.” Then, when man finally reaches “the good and spacious land,” when he is free to enjoy “the fruits of the Garden,” since he has done his part to “work and protect it,” he can fully receive and enjoy his hard-earned reward without any trace of shame. Precisely because God bestows only goodness and because God is absolutely perfect, does He want Man to enjoy true fulfillment.