THE THE LEGEND LEGEND OF OF LILITH LILITH © ©

The Legend of Lilith: The Origins of Evil and the Fall of Man
• R. Isaac said: ‘It is written: AND THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED TOGETHER WITHIN HER; AND SHE SAID,
IF IT BE SO, WHEREFORE DO I LIVE? AND SHE WENT TO ENQUIRE OF YHWH. Whither did she go? To
the Academy of Shem and Eber. “And the children struggled together within her”, for there already Esau declared
war against Jacob. The term vayithrozzu (and they struggled) is akin to a root meaning “to break”, and
thus it implies that they broke asunder and drifted away from each other. Observe that the one was of the side of
him who rides the serpent, whilst the other was of the side of Him who rides on the sacred and perfect throne;
Zohar Bereshith 1:137b
In the Torah, the archetype of evil is Esav and the archetype of good is Ya’aqob. They both came from the same womb
and at the same time. They were bound together by the same blood and the same source. This teaches the student of the
Torah a great truth concerning good and evil. They are not the dualistic opposites in some great cosmic struggle for creation.
This relationship between good and evil did not begin with this set of twins. The Zohar says that in regards to the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil therein is Metatron and Samael. 52
Good and evil are both agents of YHWH and serve Heaven to accomplish the Divine purpose. We are commanded to
serve good and avoid what is evil. Just because something has been created by Elohim, its existence does not mean that
such a thing is a benefit for mankind. What most people do not realize is that it is not always easy to clearly discern the
difference between evil and good. The visage of Esav sometimes is mistaken for the visage of Ya’aqob. Thinking we are
embracing Esav, we may actually be embracing Ya’aqob. Ya’aqob came to blind Yitzchak in Esav’s garments and Yitzchak
exclaimed, “The hands are the hands of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Ya’aqob.” Ya’aqob can turn to the ways of
Esav’s hands, but his power is in his voice.
The hands of Esav, representing human endeavors that follow the natural course of the human intellect, can never guide
us in the true path of righteousness. Esav thus represents all those in life who follow the level of a detached intellect,
without the balance of the spiritual voice of Ya’aqob that ascends above and unites the conscious mind with the unconscious.
This is why the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is forbidden to mankind. It is rational intellectualism
without any psychic, spiritual, intuitive interaction that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of those who partake of its
fruit. Each bite from that forbidden fruit allows us to fall under the domination of HaSatan (the yetzor harah). The bloodline
of Esav is not just physical, but rather includes all mankind who walk in the footsteps of Esav. Righteousness is not
always defined by one’s actions, since evil people can perform good deeds. Righteousness is a state of mind that leads to a
state of being. To be righteous one has not to eat of the forbidden fruit of detached rationalism devoid of any spiritual
awareness. This is the way of religion, but not the path of spirituality. Religion elevates rationalism and mistakes it for
holiness. Most Torah study actually is following the ways of Esav and not Ya’aqob. These hypocritical leaders have the
lost the ability to discern between good and evil by mistaking Esav for Ya’aqob and do as Esav does, instead of speaking
as Ya’aqob.
• R. Hiya and R. Hizkiah were once sitting underneath a tree in the field of Ono. R. Hiya fell into a slumber and beheld
Elijah. He said to him: ‘The whole field is illumined with your presence.’ Elijah answered: ‘I am come to tell
you that Jerusalem is about to be laid waste together with all the towns of the sages, for the reason that Jerusalem
is the embodiment of judgment, and is preserved by judgment, and now judgment demands its destruction; and
children of Esav and the Children of Yisrael cannot exist, or even be reconciled in the same country. Yisrael must go their own way.
The child of Yisrael has the blessings of their parents (Chochmah and Binah/Adam and Chawah), but these are only partially comprehended.
He knows he cannot exist in subjection to the laws of Edom, but he does not know how to leave the country. In his bondage,
he cries to YHWH for deliverance. He seeks the Door to Paradise. The “Chosen People” does not mean just a nationality. It is anyone
who chooses the Torah that was offered at Mt. Sinai by YHWH. If one accepts the teachings and instruction Elohim gave to Yisrael,
then they are a Yisraelite. They have taken on the yoke of Torah and the obligation to learn and teach it to others. It is not that the
people have been chosen, it is that the people have chosen. See Romans chapters 2-3, 11.
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Jung taught that the Self is made manifest in opposites and conflicts between them; it is called coincidentia oppositorum. For Jung,
the measure of an individual and a whole culture is the ability to recognize polarity and paradox and to balance and unify oppositions.
Thus, Elohim is both male and female and man himself is incomplete unless he is both male and female; that Ein Sof is the ultimate
being and yet nothingness; man in order to achieve redemption must pay his due to the realm of evil; creation is both negation and
progress; etc.
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