Shabbat Sukkot: Guy Gilboa’s Sukkah
October 17, 2025
Genesis 2:17
וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃
When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Had Adam been wearing shoes, consider putting yourself in them for a moment. His wife Eve has just done the unthinkable: directly defied God’s command, and ate from the tree of knowledge. She did not die, as Adam and Eve expected, if it could be said that they even understood what death was. But Eve’s eyes were opened, and she knew she had broken the cardinal rule.
As Eve held out the fruit to Adam, he had a choice. He could refuse the fruit and remain in the garden. Eve would be banished, and he would be alone again. Paradise would still be his, all of his needs taken care of by the great jungle made just to fit his needs. But he would be alone. Would he live alone in paradise or suffer an unknown fate alongside Eve?
When he took the fruit, his action echoed God’s own words, “it is not good for one to be alone.” It’s a reminder to us of what is truly important. Even in paradise, there is little joy if one does not have a companion. Of course all of us seek out the comforts and delicacies of life, and for good reason. But having all the stuff you need without anyone to share this world with is not paradise at all. We need a partner, or friends, or a community to move through life with to have a hope in achieving the kind of comfort and joy our soul needs to feel at peace. So, yes. Adam ate the apple. He and Eve would forfeit paradise and enter an uncertain future, but at least he would no longer be alone.