The Sin of Adam HaRishon

or What is it to be a human being

• Read Guide chapter 2. (Bear in mind that the Rambam is not really concerned with explaining the Bible in a literal sense. He employs the notion "the Torah speaks in human language" to give license to figurative interpretations while still claiming adherence to the intent of the text. )

  Questions for discussion

• What is man's state before the sin? What kinds of things did he contemplate? What was he doing?
• What is man's state after the sin? With what did he engage his time?
• What is the man's sin?
• Does it make sense to say that eating of the tree was false?
• Does Rambam answer the question: How could it be wrong to eat of the tree before knowing wrong from right, i.e. How could man justly be punished?
• Was man actually punished?
• According to N. Leibowitz's explanation of Abarbanel (and Rambam), man was partly involved in questions of the physical world, his sin was over involvement. Could this be the Rambam view as well?
• Z. Harvey suggests that Rambam means that man was lead by the intellect, and his sin was being lead by physical desires. Does this fit with the Ramabam?
• Which questions did man address? (What are "mephursamot")
  1. Is this a rock?
  2. Is it good to eat a rock? Is a potatoe good to eat?
  3. Is pink a nice color to wear?
• The tree was good to eat physically, was it morally good to eat?
• Does Rambam refute each claim of the fool?