Published Date: July 24, 2017
Sharon asked:
(May the Lord put His words in your mouth and may He cover you with the shadow of His hand. (Isaiah 51:16a, NKJV) May you speak what is right and may it be of value to others. (Proverbsx 16:13, TNIV )
Rabbi: in Gen 2 Adam is commanded by HaShem RE “not to eat (of tree of knowledge of good and evil) lest you die.” In Gen 3, Chava answers the serpent, “Elohim commanded not to eat of it, not to touch it, lest you die.”Did Chava (Deut 4:2) add to/change Hashem’s words?
Rabbi Gidon Ariel answered:
Shalom Sharon,
I wonder if you heard this question or just noticed it now?
Partly because this story is one of the first in the Book, it actually gets a lot of attention from commentators and interpreters.
In turn, the messages and lessons of these midrashim are among the best known, and therefore among the most important imho in the basis of what a Jew believes, thinks, and even acts.
With that introduction, I will say that absolutely, Eve (Chava in the original Hebrew) added on to God’s commandment. Ultimately, this led to her downfall.
Our takeaway from this imho is that we should be very careful with our words and with those of others.
Thanks for asking!