“He placed at the east end of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:24, JPS 1917 Tanach
Even though Adam and Chava lived in Gan Eden, a paradise on earth, when they partook of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, contrary to G-d’s commandment not to do so, sin entered the world. This brought about inevitable death, as a consequence of severing their connection to G-d. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your G-d” (Isaiah 59:2, JPS).
Angels with flaming swords were stationed to guard the Tree of Life. The intent was to prevent Adam and Chava from living forever with their newfound knowledge of good and evil. This is a profound passage, that must be reflected upon. The disobedience of Adam and Chava led to their expulsion from the garden of Eden.
Moreover, since they were no longer in accord with G-d’s will, their lives and those of their progeny would have been in a constant state of flux forever. The discord that now existed from an admixture of good and evil in the world, would have continued in perpetuity. Even so, today, the ramifications of disobedience persist. We are subject to the jetsam and flotsam of good and evil, both within the world and within ourselves. How can we recognize this amalgamation? Only by sorting out its component parts within us through discernment using G-d’s wisdom.
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart – and through all human hearts” (Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago). Thusly said, the Russian dissident touched upon a universal truth, that sheds light on the true human condition today.
The current social climate obscures this truth in favor of a blame game, casting aspersion on so-called oppressor groups, institutions, and historical narratives that don’t give credence to the narrative norm. The solution is to look within ourselves, in order to delineate bad from good, and change our own character, based upon the realizations that we our granted through an examination of conscience. “It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each person” (ibid.). May G-d guide us in this endeavor.
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