Reb Eliezer

BTW, I just noticed a Targum Yonasan arguing with the Targum Onkelos what the meaning of ערומים is. The Targum Yonasan translates Adam and Chava being חכימים, wise rather than unclothed. Maybe we find that both are true. In Samuel (19,24) we see that when Shaul got mixed up with the neviim and started to prophesize, he shed his clothes. The Redak explains that the clothing is a hinderance for the use of the spiritual mind. So for Adam and Chava because of their high intellect of wisdom, the clothing was a hinderance and unnecessary until after the eating of eitz hadaas where there spiritual mind got damaged.

As a joke, maybe when one talks in the middle of davening, we say ‘nu’ which is no good.

In the News: did the young man who refused money from inheritance consider that the people who made the money were a tinuk shenishbah?

The gemora in Meseches Chulin (139,2) says that Haman’s punishment is evident as Adam Harishon’s by the Eitz Hadaas.

The Chasam Sofer explains that by Haman’s seuda they could have filled themselves up ahead of time. The seuda would have been an achila gasa, overeating shlo kaderech achiloson, not the normal way of consumption, where accumulation does not apply as when we are eating again is in an allowed way. Since they did not do that, they were responsible. However, the Chasam Sofer explains that this seuda was made by Achashverus as a celebration for not building the Beis hamikdash, so attending was a admission of a’z where even a tiny amount was also forbidden. Therefore, according the Meharshal in Makus 24, shlo kaderech was also forbidden which makes Haman responsible for forcing them as the above advice was not possible. Similarly, by Adam Harishon, eating from the eitz hadaas was a question of emunah bordering on a’z, so a small amount, as described above, was also forbidden and therefore he got punished.

Repeating from an other topic:

It says ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון, so the Midrash says ראשון לחשבון עוונות, the Chasan Sofer explains that it provides forgiveness for the first sin.
Adam Harishon thought that only the tree is forbidden as the tastes of it and the fruit differ. He wanted to see if the fruits of other trees taste like the tree. As the earth sinned by changing the taste of the tree and fruit, he found that they tasted different. Therefore, he thought that the eitz hadaas will be the same but it was an esrug where the fruit and the tree did taste the same. So we take an esrug which providing forgiveness for the earth where it did not sin and Adam Harishon. He would have never sinned if the earth would not have sinned as he would have realized that they taste different.

The Chasam Sofer says that if Adam Harishon would have waited until shabbos, he could have eaten from the eitz hadaas as the kedusha of shabbos would have kept him in line. He might have eaten a chatzi shiur, small amount as the midrash said אכלתי ואוכל, I ate and will eat. He ate erev shabbos just before the arrival of shabbos. He said that I can eat more on shabbos, so it will not accumulate and therefore I am not responsible for what I am eating now. The Mayanai Shel Torah explains the above midrash that he wanted to indicate, he is eating letaovan, of desire and not lehachis, to anger on purpose by violating the commandment.

Being today 25 Tishri, 183 Yahr Zeit of the Chasam Sofer, I will quote an explanation where Adam Harishon excused himself that the wife given to him was at fault for eating the forbidden fruit which looks like the denying of the good. The Midrash says that he drank grape juice from a grapevine. The question is if something emanates from the strength of something else is it like the thing itself? Chavah was never commanded on the Eitz Hadaas. So mema nafshech, in either case Adam Harishan believed that he can eat from it. If the juice is not like the fruit then he had the juice and if it is, then Chavah was also like him, so why did she not die? He did not realize that the day of a Hashem is a thousand years until one can still die. Some say שלוחו של אדם כמותו, the banishing him and Chavah from the Gan Eden was like dying.

The Yismach Moshe asks the question that if we realize that Hashem is constantly in front of us how can we sin? So for that duration we forget. Maybe that is what we mean on Yom Kippur when we say that our sins be forgiven because they are bishgaga, inadvertent.

The Rabbenu Bachaya explains on ולא יהי’ בהם נגף בפקוד אותם, the Jews as a whole are all tzadikim. When we are counting them, we separate the group and the bad will be revealed therefore Hashem reviews us on Rosh Hashanah together. כל ישראל יש להם חלק, together. When Bilam wanted to curse l’a, Bolok told him, to go to a place where he only sees part of them. When seeing all, he will not be able to accomplish anything. The holy Zohar in Parashas Terumah says, not to talk mundane things in shul as it creates a separation and drives Hashem out, who wants to reside in a unity with us by showing that one does not care if He dwells with us. אנכי עומד בין ה’ ובין עמכם The Baal Shem Tov says that the ego of one stands between Hashem and us,