This week’s Torah reading speaks about the ritual impurity imparted by a woman in the niddah state. Our Sages explain that this impurity came as a result of G-d’s curse after the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge. This implies that the niddah state is not a natural phenomenon, but a result of sin, a sin so severe that it is considered the source of all subsequent sins.
A deeper appreciation of this concept can be gained by understanding the nature of Divine retribution. Consider another punishment humanity suffered because of the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge: our expulsion from Gan Eden. This punishment was not merely the penalty meted out for the sin, but instead — as are all expressions of Divine retribution — a direct result of the sin itself. The Garden of Eden was a place which could not bear the existence of evil. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam internalized evil within his being. In this state, he could no longer remain in the Garden.
