ויקח ה' אלקים את האדם וינחהו בגן עדן לעבדה ולשמרה. (בראשית בנטו) / And the L-rd, G-d, took Adam and placed him into the Garden of Eden to work it and protect it.(Beraishis 2:15)
Having just created a fabulous world, with a special garden at its center, Hashem finishes the pinnacle of His creation, Man. He now wishes to place this Man, Adam, in the garden He has created for him, with all the benefits to enjoy. His main responsibility would be to prevent the animals from fouling it, or serving Hashem with his prayer and mitzvos, which would protect it.
However, Hashem didn't unilaterally place Adam in the garden. Rashi explains the words, "And He took," to have a similar meaning to its use by Korach, that it was with words. Hashem spoke nice words to Adam and induced him to enter the Garden. Though this was Hashem's plan all along, He did not impose His will on Adam. Instead, He explained the benefits thereof, and allowed Adam to make the choice.
Later, we find that Chava was convinced by the snake to eat from the Aitz HaDaas, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and then gave some to her husband to eat as well. When confronted about the sin, Adam gave the famous response, "The woman you placed with me, she gave it to me and I ate it." The commentaries highlight his ingratitude, essentially blaming Hashem for his sin, because of the woman Hashem gave him. Chava, for her part, also placed blame. She said, "The snake convinced me and I ate."
However, there is a great difference between the two answers. Where the blame was placed. Adam placed the blame on Chava, but more squarely, on Hashem, Himself! He took no responsibility for his sin, as if it happened against his will.
Chava, though, admitted that it was her incorrect choice which led to the sin. Yes, the snake incited her to do it, but the final choice was hers. This awareness and admission make her response more acceptable that Adam's.
Adam blamed the fact that Hashem gave him a wife, which, the Midrash tells us, was in direct response to Adam's asking Hashem for an appropriate mate. There is no mention of this in his defense to Hashem. He instead implied that the deck was stacked against him and this was unavoidable. But as we know, before even placing Adam in the Garden, Hashem gave him a choice.
Hashem's response to this failure to take responsibility was the curse that Mankind would now have to work hard for their daily bread. They would make choices on a constant basis, and live with the results of those choices. If they plant too early, or too late, and the rain comes at a time other than when they planned, they won't have food. If they choose to sell a certain commodity and there's no demand for it, it was their choice to deal in that business.
Hashem, through the Torah, suggests how to live and tells us what to choose as we go through life. But at the end of the day - just as in the beginning the choice is ours to make.
When R' Aharon Kotler z"l was raising money for his Yeshiva in Lakewood, many people had a difficult time with the concept that people would be learning Torah just for the sake of learning Torah, not as a means to become a Rabbi, and hence have a profession. Torah L'shma, for its own sake, was a foreign idea for the people looking to give their children the American Dream.
In one shul, it was going slowly, with people pledging a dollar or two. Then one man called out, "I will give fifty dollars (a huge sum in the 1930's) to Rabbi Kotler for his Yeshiva!" Hearing that, the other bidders increased their pledges and R' Aharon came away with a respectable amount raised.
Afterwards, someone told R' Aharon, "Do you know who gave that fifty-dollar pledge? He is a simple grocer, and he gave you two weeks of his profits!" R' Aharon was so impressed with the strength and conviction of this man that he blessed him to have a child who would learn Torah L'shma. Indeed, this man had a son who became a respected Rav and Posek because he was willing to stand up, and put in effort, for what was right.
