A Moment in Time: Reaching for the Fruit in the Garden of Eden

Dear all,

A piece of fruit in hand. A slot machine behind me.

Was I Zach in Vegas or Adam in the Garden of Eden?

In the Torah, God commanded Adam, “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil – you shall not eat from it.” (Genesis Chapter 2). I thought of this as I ate my fruit. Had I been warned in a similar way, “Do not go near those machines?” (Mom, Chapter 1).

It really made me think.

Human instinct compels our desire to reach beyond boundaries:

When a baby crawls.
When an adolescent defies.
When a young adult dreams.
When an entrepreneur invents.
When a grandparent ignores a parent’s rule and gives us cake for dinner….

Each day, opportunities will confront us, embrace us, and challenge us, enlighten us. It’s our right to feed that desire.

But human wisdom is understanding we have a responsibility to accept the consequences that come with it.

So chase after the moment in time to exceed boundaries. But make sure you also have the presence of soul to recognize the moment in time when you have gone too far. And spend your life finding the balance!

(And for bonus points – respond to this email with a one word answer: What kind of fruit did Adam and Eve eat in the Garden of Eden?)

With love and Shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro

A change in perspective can shift the focus of our day – and even our lives.  We have an opportunity to harness “a moment in time,” allowing our souls to be both grounded and lifted.  This blog shows how the simplest of daily experiences can become the most meaningful of life’s blessings.  All it takes is a moment in time.
Rabbi Zach Shapiro is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Akiba, a Reform Jewish Congregation in Culver City, CA.  He earned his B.A. in Spanish from Colby College in 1992, and his M.A.H.L. from HUC-JIR in 1996.  He was ordained from HUC-JIR – Cincinnati, in 1997. www.rabbizachshapiro.com