Tree Of Life
The Torah tells us that the tree of life is in the midst of the Garden of Eden, where the tree of knowledge of good and evil also is found.
Let us take a quick look at what Genesis says about the story of Adam and Chava to get a better understanding of the role that the tree of life plays relative to humanity. It seems that the Tree of life in the story of Adam and Chava takes a back seat to the events that transpire in the garden, and this is what will be our focus.
The word of G-d was manifested in the beginning by the forming of the world, and thru the word everything which is seen or unseen was created.1 By the will of G-d, man was placed in the garden to tend it. The tree of knowledge of good and evil, which was in the Garden of Eden, was the only tree that was forbidden to man for food. Man had access to every other tree of the garden, if he so desired. 2
So what was it about the tree of life that did not draw him, if hunger was his motive? And if it was not hunger that drove him, what was it? What was so appealing about this other tree that caused him to make such an irrational decision, knowing full well that if he ate of it he would surely die? 3
My purpose in this discussion is to capture the essence of what motivated Adam and Chava to make their decision on that fateful day in the Garden of Eden.Now the story of Adam and Chava provides a very interesting glimpse into humanity's struggle with Torah. Torah means law or instruction. In this case, G-d gave Adam an instruction not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I find it very odd that Adam’s reaction to G-d's command ultimately causes him to make a decision that is opposite of the command.
This shows us that man's decisions have the power to manipulate the world and to transform his surroundings, whether for good or bad, in this case resulting in Adam's expulsion from the Garden of Eden for his part in violating the Torah. What he should have done was obey G-d and remain in the harmony of his surroundings, instead of causing a disruption in his environment. But instead, his decision resulted in his expulsion from the most tranquil surroundings man could ever know.
This tree teaches us the limitations of man's own self-preservation. It teaches us about the outcome of human weakness and the result of avoiding G-d, which has disastrously culminated in a parallel world, the result of human evolutionary achievements, the source of which is found rooted in this tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of knowledge of good and evil is the catalyst for the world’s delusional view that it is in a state of grandeur. It is the reason for man's denouncement of G-d, which in reality is man's way of saying, “I am my own god. Therefore, I am accountable only to myself.” We also see that it was the snake who told Chava they would be like G-d, knowing good and evil. 4 So as a result of their heeding the snake, they have become as the snake had predicted. However, instead of the suggested positive outcome, it was negative and they became gods unto themselves, sitting in a seat which is not theirs. Today we are seeing a great deal of individualism and defiance, with organizations speaking out against G-d and his anointed, saying that G-d is not real and his anointed is a fake. We have seen the source of their attitude towards G-d, the proof that they follow the words of the snake. The source of this self-deception is found in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, at the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The characteristics of men's defiance towards G-d is revealed to us by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When you want to have a reason for someone’s behavior, on some level you can say that you already know. Remember, a man is known by his fruits. 5
1. John 1:1-5 2. Genesis 1:29 3. Genesis 2:16,17 4. Genesis 3:1-6 5. Mathew 7:15-20
