The Ashkenazi Revolution

13creation of clay who comprises a part of the Earth and is required to work itin order to maintain it in good condition.As a consolation for this demotion, God places man inheaven, “to work itand to guard it” like a tenant of the Holy-One-Blessed-be-He. But even asthe troubles of man had not yet passed, the incident inheaven occurred.Adam and his wife were banished from it. After the banishment came thefinal descent and man was forced to drink from the bitter goblet:And to man He said, “The Earth is cursed because of you. With sorrowshall you eat all the days of your life. Thorns and weeds will sprout foryou and you shall eat the grass of the field. By the sweat of your browshall you eat your bread until you return to the Earth, for from it you weretaken. For clay you are and to the clay shall you return.”Man is no more the master hunter or the master fisherman. But he is aprimitive and disgraced farmer, who eats his bread, the grass of the field,by the sweat of his brow. He ceased being a partner of God and turned intoan intrinsic part of the Earth; for he is naught but clay and to it shall hereturn.For what was this cruel decree placed upon man? The eating of the fruit ofknowledge and discernment between good and evil is not dangerous toGod. For the Jewish God does not consider intellect. The banishment is ameasure to prevent those who come to the garden from reaching theprimary treasure: The tree of life. Concerning this the verse revealswonderful things:The Lord God said, “behold, man has become like one of us, knowing goodand evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of lifeand eat of it and live forever…”Stop there! Eating from the tree of life confers eternal life. Eternity –which is the sole privilege of God. Therefore, in order to illiminate the