Rabbi Boruch David - Adam and Eve: The Rest of the Story-Secrets from the Ancient Wisdom of the Jews

ADAM

AND EVE

The Rest of the Story Secrets from the Ancient Wisdom of the Jews

RABBI BORUCH DAVID

Copyright 2021 by Rabbi Boruch David

torahfornations@gmail.com

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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or manner, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Created in the United States of America

ISBN:Softcover 978-1-63871-819-2

eBook978-1-63871-820-8

Republished by: PageTurner Press and Media LLC

Publication Date: 12/29/2022

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AdAm And EvE

The Rest of the Story

sEcRETs fRom ThE A nciEnT Wisdom of ThE JEWs

ThE ToRAh foR nATions sERiEs

Rabbi Boruch David

In memory of my

Father

who inspired my passion for Torah

In memory of my

Mother

who taught me that a homburg
is nothing more than a fancy hat

And in appreciation of my

Wife

Your love and patience lets me be me.

Contents

E

A Doctrine of Dependenc y79

Introduction

This book is a chronicle of humanitys struggle in accepting truth and living by its tenets. Its stories are as integrated as they are independent and as timeless as the moment they happened. Ultimately, they are a single narrative transcending time, because it is the story of time.

Some may call it an adventure, but doing so limits the scope of its intensity and the lessons to be learned. It tells of heroes and villains, the innocent and the wicked. It records cosmic battles between the righteous and the evil, neither of whom makes excuses for who they are or what they believe in. The prize they each seek is always the same. For one, it is control of the universe, and for the other, it is control of self. Both battle for the soul of humanity.

The battle lines seem clear. There is the black and white of good and evil and the not-so-obvious choice between now and eternity. But we all know that human stories are never really that simple or that clear. This telling of the greatest of all stories will show the human complexity without obscuring the clarity and simplicity of truth. It will make the Bible story more human by exposing its undeniable divinity. It will touch the eternal by never losing sight of its humanity. It will present the choice of evil without denying the inherent potential for goodness, repentance, and forgiveness. It will present the righteous and immortalize their courage in choosing to live with faith.

From Adam to Moses, this epic of all stories demands attention, imagination, and the humble acceptance of our mortal limitations. It is the story of G-ds manifest presence and His intention for the form He endowed with a spark of His divinity. That singular creature soars to indescribable heights or falls into the bottomless pit of self-destruction. Neither extent excludes the possibility of the other, because we have the option to accomplish greatness in all things, good and evil. Such is the power of free will.

Read this story as you would any other, but remember that it is our story, and we are all players in its unfolding script. The characters may seem to be the stuff of myth and fable, but they are no different than you and me. Their lives, challenges, successes, and failures mirror our own, and after all is said and done, we, like them, are solely responsible for the legends we leave behind.

This will not be just a story. It will be true to the original text of the Five Books of Moses, known to many of you as the Pentateuch, the Torah, and the Old Testament. With added, imagined conversations, color, and explanatory essays, it will address the myriad of scenes left untold in the text of the Bible but recorded or hinted at in the annals of ancient Jewish scholarship, literature, lore, and history. I have taken liberties with the extent of color and conversations, but at no time is the presentation or the explanatory essays contrary to traditional Jewish theology. Such a rendering of the Bible has never been attempted before and will undoubtedly be challenged by those who think that I take too many liberties. Many of the sources behind this venture have never been translated from their original Hebrew or Aramaic; however, I do not intend this to be a scholarly treatise demanding extensive provenance. Take the rendering at face value, and attribute meaning to the message behind the story, if not the story itself. For the serious biblical student capable of studying original sources and their attendant commentaries, this rendering can serve as a guide to think outside the box. It will give license to your own imagination to travel the pathways of the mind and heart while always leaving a clearly marked trail of tradition back home.

As the author of this rendering, I hope to remain cloaked within the shadow of a pen name. Who I am is unimportant. The job of every teacher of Torah is to teach about G-d and foster a stronger, closer relationship between his students and G-d. At the same time, the teacher must make sure that he remains nothing more than a conduit for truth, always directing the student to greater awareness and dependency on G-d, not himself. This assumes humility on the part of the teacher and great respect for the students he wishes to guide. In choosing to remain anonymous, I aspire to such humility and offer such respect.

1. About the Three Different Type Sets

   I have employed three different typestyles to distinguish between actual texts of the Bible, imagined conversations, and explanatory essays. Textual quotes will be in bold italics with proper attribution. Imagined conversations will be in regular, bold type, and explanatory essays will be in regular, nonbold type.

Opening Conversation

Sit down, My child. You are not dreaming or in the trance you have come to recognize as prophecy. You are fully conscious and hearing My voice in a manner that no other person has ever experienced or ever will experience. You alone will receive My instructions in this fashionnot in visions, images, or dreams, but in direct and unambiguous conversation. Your job will be to deliver My teaching to My chosen people with the same clarity that I teach you.

We have a lot of work to do, more work than is possible for a single lifetime, let alone the forty days you will be here. But while you are here, you will exist outside the frame of time and be able to absorb the knowledge of the ages. Your every physical need will be sustained, and you will not experience hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Moreover, you will not need to attend to your spirituality through prayer and classic devotion. Those activities are necessary to help freewill people remain focused in a world designed to otherwise challenge and distract them from Me. For the time being, I have also suspended your free will so that you can receive My truth without ego or mistake. For now, you are a part of My eternity and the laws of nature and physics do not apply.

The universe has been prepared for this moment from its inception. Nothing happens by itself, and nothing happens without My command and foreknowledge. The master plan of time is Mine and Mine alone. Your eighty meager years of life have served Me as intended. My children trust and fear you, and you will need to wield both in awakening them to the task and purpose of their creation. Moreover, I have chosen you and your nation as My priests, and you must eventually administer and teach all My children My intent. That is how you are to serve Me.