In Chasidic thought, the Tree of Knowledge corresponds to the spiritual service known as clarifications (בירורים), by which we elevate the sparks of holiness (and discard the husks of impurity) from reality and return them to their source. The Tree of Life corresponds to the service known as unifications (ייחודים), by which we discover the Divine essence within reality.
A cursory reading of the description of the Garden of Eden leads to the conclusion that both the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil were inside the Garden. However, a more careful reading can yield a different understanding. Let us see how.
There is an important principle of textual analysis used by the sages, “From a definitive positive statement, you can infer a negative statement” (מכלל הן אתה שומע לאו). Applying this principle to the verse, “From the ground, God made to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.” Initially all trees were referred to—“every tree that was pleasing to sight and good for food”—then only the Tree of Life is described as being in the Garden. It follows then that the Tree of Knowledge, which is then mentioned separately, was not in the Garden!
This analysis provides us with at least a hint that what the Tree of Knowledge represents is not located in the Garden of Eden but outside the Garden. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, because once again, the Tree of Knowledge represents that which does not belong in the Garden of Eden. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam was sent “to work the earth from whence he had been taken [i.e., formed]” (אשר לקח משם). What is amazing is that the value of the two words “from... he had been taken” (אשר לקח) is the same as the value of “Tree of Knowledge” (עץ הדעת).
What this means is that the service of Clarifications is not to be found in the Garden of Eden. To rectify reality using this method of elevating the sparks of holiness, one must exhibit self-sacrifice and be willing to go out of the Garden of Eden—the state of spiritual bliss. The service of Clarifications demands the self-sacrifice needed in knowing that “You are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Following this idea, we discover that Eve’s mistake was in assuming that the Tree of Knowledge could also be found inside the Garden of Eden alongside the Tree of Life.
Another point that we learn from this analysis is that the main function of the Tree of Knowledge, the main use for which we need to put our faculty of knowledge, is to rectify and clarify our portion in the world. The deep psychological translation of this point is that we should use our knowledge, our faculty of differentiating between good and evil, by figuring out to whom to attribute the good and to whom to attribute the evil. This is one of the most important elements of Chasidic psychology, realizing that we are not victims of some external evil forces that lurk outside of us. Rather, the negativity in our lives is feeding off ourselves. In contrast, we should not be crediting the good in our lives to ourselves. Rather, the source of all the good we enjoy is God.
Being able to come to this realization requires a great deal of self-reflection and study but it is the key to completing the service of Clarifications and returning to the eternal life of the Garden of Eden.
(from Malchut Yisra’el vol. 1, pp. 307-308.)
