According to this premise, that even a minor sin by an individual corrupted the entire creation, the question arises: how do we have the right to exist in the world? Did not Ezra the Scribe, the chosen of Hashem, already say in his time (Ezra 9:6): "Our guilt has mounted up to the heavens..." How can we follow in his footsteps? After all, in every moment we fail with sins and transgressions, in our actions, senses, and thoughts. (Kohelet 7:20) "There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin." Moreover, the sins of our ancestors are also counted against us. If we add up the sins of all creatures and all generations, the account is beyond measure. So, by what merit do we exist, and even enjoy the goodness of the world? Should not the entire creation have long since turned to chaos and void?
However, if we delve into this, we find the explanation. If we look at Adam HaRishon's descent after the sin, which for him was like Gehenom, we see that by our standards it would be considered actual Gan Eden. Adam HaRishon, even after being diminished along with all creation, lived in such pleasure and delight that we cannot comprehend. Chazal tell us that in the days of the flood, people were on a lofty level: they would sow once every forty years, travel from one end of the world to the other in a short time, uproot cedars of Lebanon as they walked, and lions and tigers were as insignificant to them as a hair on their flesh (Bereishit Rabbah 11:34). If after ten generations of angering Hashem, such blessing was present, how much more so for Adam HaRishon after a single sin in the world? Yet, compared to his greatness and the exaltedness of man, the handiwork of Hashem, and his original creation to delight in eternal Eden, all these pleasures are considered nothing—indeed, they are seen as Gehenom.
All human beings throughout the generations, after all the declines and diminutions, still harbor within them the divine powers of Adam HaRishon, for this is the true essence of man, created in the image of God, a portion from above. Later generations even surpass earlier ones in their abilities, as it is written (Mishlei 17:6): "The crown of elders is their grandchildren." Every person can reach the lofty level of Adam HaRishon before the sin, able to receive all the pleasure and goodness he had, enjoying every moment, all at once, with all senses, from all delights of Gan Eden and the world, seeing from one end to the other. Indeed, there were times when these powers returned, as Chazal said (Shabbat 146a): when Israel received the Torah, their impurity ceased, and all the generation were like Adam HaRishon before the sin.
This means that even our generations, after all the declines and with barely a trace of the earlier ones, still possess the exalted human wisdom, as we are their descendants. For them, it was revealed and famous; for us, it is hidden and concealed. Chazal revealed that within us lies the supreme man, and we are viewed like the patriarchs. The Men of the Great Assembly prayed to Hashem to have mercy on them in the merit of the patriarchs and to teach them to understand and attain the levels of love and unity of Hashem, so that we would never be ashamed. This blessing was established for us as well, and we too ask to reach ultimate perfection; if not, it is a shame for us forever. This shows that man's essence does not change; even after all the diminutions, we can still rise to their level, and we pray for this in the same wording they used.
In the blessing of the righteous, we pray: "Place our portion with them and let us not be ashamed, for we have trusted in You." That is, if our portion is not with the righteous, it is a shame for us. Even in the pleasures of the physical world, we find this expression of "shame forever." In Birkat HaMazon we ask: "And give us relief from all our troubles. Please do not make us dependent on the gifts of flesh and blood, but only on Your full, open, holy, and generous hand, so that we should not be ashamed or humiliated forever." Thus, after all our declines, if we receive our sustenance through an angel or even a person, it is a shame for us, and even more so, a humiliation, the gravest punishment. When King David cursed Hashem's enemies, he said (Tehillim 6:11): "Let them be ashamed and dismayed for a moment," but did not mention "humiliation." Shame is in this world; humiliation is in this world and the next.
Included in this shame is also the request: "Please do not make us dependent... nor on loans," for if a person must take a loan, even if given respectfully, it is eternal shame. In all the conditions we ask for from "Your full, open, holy, and generous hand," if not fulfilled in their entirety, it is shame and humiliation for us forever. This means that man never loses his lofty value; everything is measured by his true greatness, and according to this, his suffering and pleasures are measured. Sometimes, even discomfort that a person does not feel is considered suffering and punishment. Therefore, Chazal said (Arachin 16b): What is the limit of suffering? Even if he reached into his pocket for three coins and took out only two. They also interpreted the entire rebuke (Menachot 103b): "Your life will hang in suspense" (Devarim 28:66)—this is one who buys bread from a baker. According to this, we are in terrible Gehenom all our lives!
Yet, we do not feel such pain and suffering. We were born into a corrupted world and have never seen true goodness. We lack the true concept of man's greatness and the pleasure he deserves. We think that all the pleasures available to man today, according to his stature and physical state, are great pleasures, and a person is fortunate if he has a share in the world's goodness. But in the heavenly court, they do not think so. There, man is judged by his true form, and if Adam HaRishon's great pleasures were considered Gehenom, how much more so our pleasures, which are considered terrible curses. All our lives, according to the true measure of man, are considered terrible suffering. We are born in prison, in darkness, and pain, and even when we rejoice at a birth, in heaven they weep for his bitter fate, for he has fallen from heaven to earth. Even if he becomes a king, they cry out from heaven, "Eicha!"—how has he fallen from his greatness?
We bless a person to live 120 years, which is the greatest blessing for us, but in truth, it is a curse, for by nature he was created to live forever...
