Mankind's Second Sin

The man replied, "The woman you gave to be with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate."                                                               Genesis 3:12

Adam the First was sent out of the Garden of Eden because he was ungrateful, as the verse states: “The man replied, ‘The woman you gave to be with me…’”

                        Mishnat Rebbi Eliezer 7, p. 135

         The second sin of Adam, and of mankind, was failure to express gratitude. Rather than appreciating Eve, who was his helpmate [Genesis 2:18], Adam placed the blame for his first sin on her. The severity of this sin is magnified in light of our Sages’ understanding that the first two sins occurred after Eve had given birth to Cain and Abel. Certainly, after Eve had born his sons, Adam had a deep obligation of gratitude towards his wife.

       The second sin is more severe than the first, since in the first, Adam sinned “only” against the Creator, between man and God, while in the second, he sinned against his fellow-man, and any sin between man and fellow-man is by definition also a sin between man and God, since He is the source of mitzvot between man and fellow-man.

      Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe writes that the obligation of expressing gratitude applies simultaneously between man and God, between man and fellow-man and between man and himself. Based upon this insight, when Adam responded to God’s question “Did you eat from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat?" by saying “The woman you gave me to be with, etc.” thereby failing to express his gratitude, he sinned against God, against his wife and against himself.

            Mishnat Rebbi Eliezer teaches that the primal couple was removed from the Garden of Eden not because of their first sin, but because of Adam’s second sin: failure to express gratitude. This approach is understandable based upon Rabbi Wolbe’s deep and enlightening insight.

These words are dedicated to my wife’s memory. During the years I was privileged to share with Gloria, I tried to fulfill my obligation of expressing gratitude to her, and after her death, I continue to be grateful to the Divine matchmaker and to Gloria for having given me so much. In expressing my appreciation and gratitude to Gloria, I sincerely hope that I am fulfilling my obligation to her, to God and to myself.