Then the godless one, Sammael, went up to the tree and touched it. But the tree cried out, Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down! Touch me not, thou godless one!
Then Sammael called to the woman, and said, See, I have touched the tree and am not dead. Do you also touch it and try. But when Eve drew near to the tree she saw the Angel of Death waiting sword in hand, and she said in her heart, Perhaps I am to die, and then God will create another wife for Adam; that shall not be, he must die too. So she gave him of the fruit. And when he took it and bit, his teeth were blunted, and thus it is that the back teeth of men are no longer sharp.80
V
ADAM AND EVE AFTER THE FALL
When Adam reached the earth, the Eagle said to the Whale, with whom it had hitherto lived in the closest intimacy, Now we must part, for there is no safety for us animals since man has come amongst us. The deepest abysses of ocean must be thy refuge, and thou must protect thyself with cunning from the great foe who has entered the earth. I must soar high above the clouds, and there find a place of escape from him who is destined to be my pursuer till death.81
According to certain cabbalistic Rabbis, Adam, when cast out of Eden, was precipitated into Gehenna, but he escaped therefrom to earth, by repeating and pronouncing properly the mystic word Laverererareri.82 In the Talmud it is related that when Adam heard the words of God, Thou shalt eat the herb of the field (Gen. iii. 18), he trembled in all his limbs, and exclaimed, O Lord of all the world! I and my beast, the Ass, shall have to eat out of the same manger! But God said to him, because he trembled, Thou shalt eat bread in the sweat of thy brow.83
Learned Rabbis assert that the angel Raphael had instructed Adam in all kinds of knowledge out of a book, and this book contained mighty mysteries which the highest angels could not fathom, and knew not; and before the Fall the angels used to assemble in crowds, and listen to Adam instructing them in hidden wisdom. In that book were seventy-two parts and six hundred and seventy writings, and all this was known; but from the middle of the book to the end were the one thousand five hundred hidden secrets of Wisdom, and these Adam began to reveal to the angels till he was arrested by the angel Haddarniel. This book Adam preserved and read in daily; but when he had sinned, it fled out of his hands and flew away, and he went into the river Gihon up to his neck, and the water washed the glory wherewith he had shone in Paradise from off his body. But God was merciful, and He restored to him the book by the hands of Raphael, and he left it to his son Seth, and Enoch and Abraham read in this book.84
Along with the book Adam retained the rod which God had created at the close of the Sabbath, between sun and sun; i. e. between nightfall and daybreak, so says the Rabbi Levi. Adam left it to Enoch, and Enoch gave it to Noah, and Noah gave it to Shem, and Shem to Abraham, and Abraham delivered it to Isaac, and Isaac gave it to Jacob; Jacob brought the staff with him to Egypt, and gave it to his son Joseph. Now when Joseph died, his house was plundered by the Egyptians, and all his effects were taken into Pharaohs house. Jethro was a mighty magician, and when he saw the staff of Adam and read the writing thereon, he went forth into Edom and planted it in his garden. And Jethro would allow none to touch it; but when he saw Moses he said, This is he who will deliver Israel out of Egypt. Wherefore he gave him his daughter Zipporah and the staff. But the book Midrash Vajoscha relates this rather differently, in the words of Moses himself: After I had become great I went out, and seeing an Egyptian ill-treat a Hebrew man of my brethren, I slew him and buried him in the sand. But when Pharoah heard this he sought to slay me, and brought a sharp sword the like of which was not in the world; and therewith I was ten times smitten on my neck. But the Holy God wrought a miracle, for my neck became as hard as a marble pillar, so that the sword had no power over me. And I was forty years old when I fled out of Egypt; and I came to Jethros house and stood by the well and found Zipporah his daughter; and when I saw her, I was pleased with her, and asked her to marry me. Then she related to me her fathers custom, and it was this. My father proves every suitor for my hand by a tree which is in his garden; and when he comes to the tree, the tree clasps him in its branches. Then I asked her where such a tree was, and she answered me, This is the staff which God created on the eve of the Sabbath, which was handed down from Adam to Joseph; but Jethro saw the staff at the plundering of Josephs house, and he took it away with him from Pharaohs palace and brought it here. This is the staff on which is cut the Schem hammphorasch and the ten plagues that are in store for Egypt, and these are indicated by ten letters on the staff, and they stand thus: dam, blood; zephardeim, frogs; kinnim, lice; arof, various insects; defer, murrain; schechim, blain; barad, hail; arbeh, locusts; choschech, darkness; and bechor, first born: these will be the plagues of Egypt. This staff was for many days and years in my fathers house, till he one day took it in his hand and stuck it into the earth in the garden; and then it sprouted and bloomed and brought forth almonds, and when he saw that, he proved every one who sought one of his daughters by that tree. These are the words of the Book Midrash Vajoscha, and thereby may be seen that the staff of Adam was of almond wood; but Yalkut Chadasch, under the title Adam, says that the staff was of the wood of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.85
When Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, says the Talmud, they wandered disconsolate over the face of the earth. And the sun began to decline, and they looked with fear at the diminution of the light, and felt a horror like death steal over their hearts.
And the light of heaven grew paler, and the wretched ones clasped one another in an agony of despair.
Then all grew dark.
And the luckless ones fell on the earth, silent, and thought that God had withdrawn from them the light for ever; and they spent the night in tears.
But a beam of light began to rise over the eastern hills, after many hours of darkness, and the clouds blushed crimson, and the golden sun came back, and dried the tears of Adam and Eve; and then they greeted it with cries of gladness, and said, Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning; this is a law that God has laid upon nature.86
Among the Manichean myths prevalent among the Albigenses, was one preserved to us by the troubadour Pierre de-Saint-Cloud. When Adam was driven out of Paradise, God in mercy gave him a miraculous rod, which possessed creative powers, so that he had only to strike the sea with it and it would forthwith produce the beast he might require.
Adam struck the sea, and there rose from it the sheep; then Eve took the staff and smote the water, and from it sprang the wolf, which fell on the sheep and carried it off into the wood. Then Adam took back the staff, and with it called forth the dog to hunt the wolf and recover the sheep.
Adam struck the sea, and there rose from it the sheep; then Eve took the staff and smote the water, and from it sprang the wolf, which fell on the sheep and carried it off into the wood. Then Adam took back the staff, and with it called forth the dog to hunt the wolf and recover the sheep.
According to the Mussulman tradition, Adams beard grew after he had fallen, and it was the result of his excessive grief and penitence: how this affected his chin is not explained, the fact only is thus boldly stated. He was sorely abashed at his beard, but a voice from heaven called to him, saying, The beard is mans ornament on earth; it distinguishes him from the feeble woman. Adam shed so many tears that all birds and beasts drank of them, and flowing into the earth they produced the fragrant plants and gum-bearing trees, for they were still endued with the strength and virtue of the food of Paradise.
But the tears of Eve were transformed into pearls where they dribbled into the sea, and into beautiful flowers where they sank into the soil.
Both wailed so loud that Eves cry reached Adam on the West wind, and Adams cry was borne to Eve on the wings of the East wind. And when Eve heard the well-known voice she clasped her hands above her head, and women to this day thus testify their sorrow; and Adam, when the voice of the weeping of Eve sounded in his ears, put his right hand beneath his beard, thus do men to this day give evidence of their mourning. And the tears pouring out of Adams eyes formed the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. All nature wept with him; every bird and beast hastened to him to mingle their tears with his, but the locust was the first to arrive, for it was made of the superfluous earth which had been gathered for the creation of Adam. There are seven thousand kinds of locusts or grasshoppers, of all colors and sizes, up to the dimensions of an eagle; and they have a king to whom God addresses His commands when He would punish a rebellious nation such as that of Egypt. The black character imprinted on the locusts wing is Hebrew, and it signifies, God is One; He overcometh the mighty; the locusts are a portion of His army which He sends against the wicked. As all nature thus wailed and lamented, from the invisible insect to the angel who upholds the world, God sent Gabriel with the words which were in after-time to save Jonah in the whales belly, There is no God but Thou; pardon me for Mohammeds sake, that great and last prophet, whose name is engraved on Thy throne.
When Adam had uttered these words with penitent heart, the gates of heaven opened, and Gabriel cried out, God has accepted thy penitence, Adam! pray to him alone, He will give thee what thou desirest, even the return to Paradise, after a certain time.
Adam prayed, Lord, protect me from the further malice of my enemy Eblis.
Speak the word, There is no God but God; that wounds him like a poisoned arrow.
Lord, will not the meat and drink provided by this earth lead me into sin?
Drink water, and eat only clean beasts which have been slain in the name of Allah, and build mosques where you dwell, so will Eblis have no power over you.
But if he torment me at night with evil thoughts and dreams?
Then rise from thy couch and pray.
Lord, how shall I be able to distinguish between good and evil?
My guidance will be with thee; and two angels will dwell in thy heart, who shall warn thee against evil and encourage thee to good.
Lord, assure me Thy grace against sin.
That can only be obtained by good works. But this I promise thee, evil shall be punished one-fold, good shall be rewarded tenfold.
In the meanwhile the angel Michael had been sent to Eve to announce to her Gods mercy. When Eve saw him, she exclaimed, O great and almighty Archangel of God, with what weapon shall I, poor frail creature, fight against sin?
God, answered the Angel, has given me for thee, the most potent weapon of modesty; that, as man is armed with faith, so mayest thou be armed with shamefacedness, therewith to conquer thy passions.
And what will protect me against the strength of man, so much more robust and vigorous than I, in mind and in body?
Love and compassion, answered Michael. I have placed these in the deepest recesses of his heart, as mighty advocates within him to plead for thee.
And will God give me no further gift?
For the pangs of maternity thou shalt feel, this shall be thine, death in child-bearing shall be reckoned in heaven as a death of martyrdom.87
Eblis, seeing the mercy shown to Adam and Eve, ventured to entreat Gods grace for himself, and obtained that he should not be enchained in the place of torment till the day of the general Resurrection, and that he should exercise sovereignty over the wicked and all those who should reject Gods word in this life.
And where shall I dwell till the consummation of all things? he asked of Allah.
In ruined buildings, and in tombs, and in dens and caves of the mountains.
And what shall be my nourishment?
All beasts slain in the name of false gods and idols.
And how shall I slake my thirst?
In wine and other spirituous liquors.
And how shall I occupy myself in hours of idleness?
In music, dancing, and song.
What is the word of my sentence?
The curse of God till the Judgment-day.
And how shall I fight against those men who have received Thy revelation, and are protected by the two angels?
Thy offspring shall be more numerous than theirs: to every man born into this world, there will be born seven evil spirits, who, however, will be powerless to injure true Believers.
God then made a covenant with Adams successors; He rubbed Adams back, and lo! from out of his back crawled all generations of men that were to be born, about the size of ants, and they ranged themselves on the left and on the right. At the head of those on the right stood Mohammed, then the other prophets and the faithful, distinguished from those on the left by their white and dazzling splendor. Those on the left were headed by Kabil (Cain).
God then acquainted Adam with the names and fate of all his posterity; and when the recital arrived at David, to whom God had allotted only thirty years, Adam asked God, How many years are accorded to me?
Allah replied, One thousand.
Then said Adam, I make a present to David of seventy years out of my life. God consented; and knowing the shortness of Adams memory, at all events in matters concerning himself inconveniently, He made the angels bring a formal document of resignation engrossed on parchment, and required Adam to subscribe thereto his name, and Michael and Gabriel to countersign it as witnesses.
A very similar tradition was held by the Jews, for in Midrash Jalkut (fol. 12) it is said: God showed Adam all future generations of men, with their captains, learned and literary men. Then he saw that David was provided with only three hours of life, and he said, Lord and Creator of the world, is this unalterable? Such was my first intention, was the reply.
How many years have I to live?
A thousand.
And is there such a thing known in heaven as making presents?
Most certainly.
Then I present seventy years of my life to David.
And what did Adam next perform? He drew up a legal document of transfer, and sealed it with his own seal, and God and Metatron did likewise.
To return to the Mussulman legend.
When all the posterity of Adam were assembled, God exclaimed to them, Acknowledge that I am the only God, and that Mohammed is my prophet. The company on the right eagerly made this acknowledgment; those, however, on the left long hesitated, some said only the former portion of the sentence, and others did not open their mouths.