By Rabbi Moshe Pogrow
Hashem’s curse of the earth is the first place in the Torah where we see that its success depends not only on sunshine and rain, but also on man’s faithfulness to G-d.
Divine judgment cursed the earth and the serpent, but not man. Nothing changed in man’s calling or in his ability to fulfill it—only the external conditions. To this day, every newborn baby emerges from G-d’s hand in purity, as Adam did; every child comes into the world as pure as an angel.
But what a miserable and hopeless picture is drawn by those who deny this! On the basis of one story, they have concocted a lie that undermines the morality of mankind—the idea of “original sin,” on whose basis they have built a spiritual structure that goes against every fiber of Judaism.
It is true that, because of the sin in Eden, Adam’s descendants live in a world that no longer smiles at them as it once did. But this is because the same sin is still being committed, over and over again. The purpose of the conflict between man and earth is to guide man toward moral perfection, paving the way for his return to Paradise.
Man as an individual, and mankind as a whole, can always return to G-d. He needs no intermediary but his own devotion, and it is within the abilities of every person.
This is attested to by all of Jewish history. In every generation, G-d became close to men of purity, just as He was to Adam before the sin. Avraham, Moshe, Yeshayahu, Yirmiyahu, and others like them attained G-d’s nearness by their faithfulness to duty.
The dogma of original sin is a regrettable error. Its believers think that sinfulness is innate, and man can only be saved from it by belief.
But the story of Gan Eden never mentions a curse against man. Jews wake up every day and say, “My G-d, the soul that You have given me is pure.” As our Sages teach, “There is no age in which people like Avraham, Yaakov, Moshe and Shmuel do not live” (Bereishis Rabba 56:7). In every generation, man is capable of ascending to the highest levels of morality and spirituality.
Let us also note: the earth was cursed because of man. As man’s evil increased, so did the curse. The earth today is not the same as it was, or as it will be.
When Israel was settled on its own land, under the influence of the Torah, its land resembled paradise on a small scale. They then produced men—like Eliyahu, Yeshayahu and other neviim—who heard the Word of G-d; flesh and blood men like we are, mortals born to mortals.
To refine and elevate earthly life, and bring life near to G-d and to His Presence—that is the essence of the Torah.
Based on the commentary of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l on Chumash, with permission from the publisher.
