Adam and Eve Are Born (and Dropped)

In Chapter 7 we said that the last phase (and the greatest desire) is to know the Thought of Creation. To understand the Thought of Creation, it was necessary to create a special Partzuf, which would exist in a special world, where this Partzuf could study the Thought of Creation of its own free choice. This is how the Partzuf of Adam ha Rishon was formed. Although Adam ha Rishon was not born in our physical world, it was quickly brought here (or should we say, dropped here?), and was given the name Adam, after its task, to be Domeh (similar) to the Upper One, the Creator.

If you’re wondering where Eve is in this picture, she is very much in there. In Kabbalah, Adam and Eve are two parts of the same Partzuf. When Kabbalists want to emphasize the reception in this Partzuf they refer to it as Eve, and when they want to focus on its giving capabilities they call it Adam.

Tricked into Sinning

Adam was born in the worlds Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya, but was quickly elevated by them to Atzilut, where all the desires are corrected and work only to give to the Creator. In the world of Atzilut, Adam worked (received) with small desires, ones he was sure he could use altruistically, with the intention of giving to the Creator. He was told he could do anything, as long as he didn’t eat from the Tree of Knowledge, which represents the stronger desires, the ones Adam couldn’t use with the intention to give to the Creator.

At this point, Adam was considered holy, a saint. But he was unaware of his own uncorrected desires. What Adam didn’t know was that he was placed in the Garden of Eden and allowed to work with his small desires only as an example of how he should work with his coarser desires. So when they first appeared, he didn’t know how to handle them, and sinned.

When Adam finally decided to try to receive with the intention to give to the Creator, he failed, and wanted to receive for himself. He discovered that he was totally egoistic in those desires, and this (bread of) shame made him cover himself. In Kabbalistic terms, Adam learned that he was naked, without a Masach (screen) to cover his bare (egoistic) desires.

But spirituality is a failsafe mechanism. Once a correction is made, you cannot breach it. As a result of Adam’s mistake the Tzimtzum was reinstalled and all the Light in Partzuf Adam ha Rishon left it, leaving Adam and Eve outside of the Garden of Eden. However, they were not totally alone; they had their memories (Reshimot) of the corrected state and the Reshimot of their egoism. Those two seemingly bad memories are the most valuable tools for any person who wishes to discover the Creator and correct the relationship that existed between Adam and the Creator and discover His full glory.