Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People.
Speaker 2: Let us craft creatures in our image, imbued with our essence.
Speaker 2: Let us make man as an image of God to
Speaker 2: steward the fish of the sea, birds of the air,
Speaker 2: and creatures of the earth.
Speaker 3: It's beautiful.
Speaker 2: This is the Tree of life. Its fruit is a gift,
Speaker 2: a gift to be cherished forever. It is the life
Speaker 2: I offer you, a life of unity with me. This
Speaker 2: is the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil.
Speaker 2: You may eat of every tree in this garden, but
Speaker 2: the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall
Speaker 2: not eat.
Speaker 3: What will happen if I.
Speaker 2: Do knowledge of good and evil, which leads to evil itself.
Speaker 2: While the tree of life brings eternal life, the knowledge
Speaker 2: of evil brings death.
Speaker 4: In the garden created for us by God with love,
Speaker 4: created for us human beings in His image and with
Speaker 4: free will. In the garden, the serpent awaits it shining
Speaker 4: eyes reflecting our own sinful desires. Shallo, my friends from
Speaker 4: here in the holy Land of Israel, i'm ya l Exstein,
Speaker 4: and you're tuned into the Chosen People. In each episode,
Speaker 4: we explore stories inspired by the Hebrew Bible. Then we
Speaker 4: reflect on these ancient tales we all know so well
Speaker 4: to uncover lessons that still resonate today. If you're inspired
Speaker 4: by today's episode, please share it and subscribe. Together, let's
Speaker 4: explore our shared heritage and the Bible stories that shape
Speaker 4: our faith. We see it every day. We see it
Speaker 4: in the news. We see it in the weary eyes
Speaker 4: of the stranger sitting across from us on the train.
Speaker 4: We see it in the relentless grind of poverty and
Speaker 4: justice and despair. At times, the broken state of our
Speaker 4: world threatens to overshadow any spark of joy and hope.
Speaker 4: Why we ask, why is the world such a mess?
Speaker 4: I'm here in Israel, a place that has known brokenness
Speaker 4: and despair, a place that has experienced true evil, especially
Speaker 4: in the past year. The terrorist attacks of October seventh
Speaker 4: not only plunged the nation into war. They destroyed families,
Speaker 4: They devastated communities, They made already desperate lives even more desperate,
Speaker 4: and they reminded every single person in Israel that we
Speaker 4: are surrounded by enemies who want to kill and destroy us.
Speaker 4: This evil on display made the life saving work of
Speaker 4: the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews even more necessary
Speaker 4: and even more life saving We've been called by God
Speaker 4: to bring hope, and because of Christian friends like you,
Speaker 4: our work has continued even as the evil we face
Speaker 4: has continued as well. Yes, the evil state of our
Speaker 4: world can consume us, and we need to ask why. Well,
Speaker 4: this question of why can haunt us. We are desperate
Speaker 4: for a reason behind the brokenness. We're desperate for answers.
Speaker 4: Is it just the way things are? Or is there
Speaker 4: more to the story. Well, I believe that the answers
Speaker 4: are found in Genesis III. Adam.
Speaker 1: Over here, Eve hopped from one stone to another, her
Speaker 1: feet perfectly balanced despite the wet moss lacing the rocks.
Speaker 1: The falls roared, nearly drowning out her voice.
Speaker 5: We're almost there, Come on, catch up.
Speaker 1: Adam took a moment to catch his breath, but he
Speaker 1: lost his breath again when he saw Eve's hair blowing
Speaker 1: with the fall's wind. Adam smirked, pivoted his foot back,
Speaker 1: then burst with strength and speed. He launched off a
Speaker 1: stone with one leg onto another, leaping across the stream
Speaker 1: and onto the wet stone. He jumped straight up, grabbing
Speaker 1: a ledge and pulling himself up with his shoulders and arms.
Speaker 1: Water from the falls fell to his back and dripped
Speaker 1: down his waist and legs. He breathed in the fresh air,
Speaker 1: then made the final fo strides to the summit.
Speaker 5: Took you long enough.
Speaker 6: I was just enjoying the view. I don't know what's
Speaker 6: more beautiful, these falls surrounded by flowers?
Speaker 2: Were you?
Speaker 1: Eve blushed and leaned closer to Adam. He playfully and
Speaker 1: swiftly kissed Eve on the cheek and leaped past her.
Speaker 1: He grabbed onto a root and swung to another rock
Speaker 1: five feet across.
Speaker 6: Now you have to catch up, challenge excepting.
Speaker 1: Adam ran up the slope leading to the Tree of Life.
Speaker 1: Its leaves glowed with a brilliance matching the sun. Adam's
Speaker 1: legs moved effortlessly over the enormous roots, curling to its base.
Speaker 1: He dashed to the trunk and climbed smaller branches, coiling
Speaker 1: upward to the fruit. He sat on a branch, taking
Speaker 1: in the view. With fruit in hand. Eve sat beside him,
Speaker 1: head resting gently on his shoulder. The two of them ate,
Speaker 1: laughed and basted in the presence of God. His goodness
Speaker 1: was all around them, expressed in the sun's golden rays
Speaker 1: and the fruits life giving nourishment. Their naked bodies were
Speaker 1: exposed to each other in the elements, but there was
Speaker 1: no shame or pain, nothing to hide, nothing to fear.
Speaker 1: God walked in their midst. He was near, he was present.
Speaker 1: They were in perfect harmony with the earth, each other,
Speaker 1: and the Creator. Adam pointed to an open meadow exposed
Speaker 1: in a tree break.
Speaker 3: Eve watched a.
Speaker 1: Smirk curl on the sides of his lips as he
Speaker 1: explained his plans.
Speaker 6: See that plot of land tucked between the forest and
Speaker 6: the stream. I'm going to take some of the very
Speaker 6: son and plant them there.
Speaker 5: How are you gonna do that?
Speaker 6: The better the soil, the easier the seed will grow. First,
Speaker 6: I'll gather some of the softer earth and the waste
Speaker 6: from the animals. Then I'll take some branches and cross
Speaker 6: them over each other, and I'll secure them together with
Speaker 6: vines so they stay place. I'll put them all over
Speaker 6: the planted seeds, and when vines grow, they'll latch onto
Speaker 6: them and grow neatly, so we can pit them.
Speaker 5: But we already have all the fruit we need in
Speaker 5: the garden.
Speaker 6: But that doesn't mean we can't expand God has commissioned
Speaker 6: us to press the boundaries and multiply.
Speaker 5: Yes, multiply, Adam, imagine more of us here.
Speaker 3: This world is ours to fill.
Speaker 1: This was their calling to cultivate the land and multiply.
Speaker 1: The earth was theirs to subdue and rule as God's stewards.
Speaker 1: The garden was theirs to grow and glean from. Eve's
Speaker 1: eyes burst with curiosity and excitement. She saw all the
Speaker 1: potential in the land, the future filled with children and grandchildren.
Speaker 5: I'll help you. I can gather the seeds. Oh, we
Speaker 5: can also dig a path from the stream so they
Speaker 5: get enough water.
Speaker 1: Eve scrunched her nose and held Adam's face.
Speaker 5: Let's go see it now.
Speaker 1: She hopped off the tree and skipped down the grassy
Speaker 1: path leading back into the forest. Eve darted into the
Speaker 1: part of the woods untouched by sunlight. It was damp,
Speaker 1: with vines stretching from branch to branch. Adam called out
Speaker 1: from a distance.
Speaker 5: Eve, wad up, Come find me, Adam, where are you?
Speaker 1: Eve giggled and danced in the shadows. Feet twirled over
Speaker 1: roots and stones. Her hair rose and fell with each
Speaker 1: playful pirouette. She danced on the moss, but stopped when
Speaker 1: she heard a faint whisper echoing from the shadows. She
Speaker 1: tilted her head and peered into the darkness. A faint
Speaker 1: glow came from one of the roots. It pulsed upward
Speaker 1: like a heartbeat. The roots were thick, intertwining into thicker sections.
Speaker 1: Eve followed the roots to their source. The tree's trunk
Speaker 1: was thick and braided, like serpents coiling around each other.
Speaker 1: They glowed faint red and purple, like veins pumping blood
Speaker 1: to the trees hard. The branches shot outward and down,
Speaker 1: making its fruit low for picking. The fruit was a
Speaker 1: deep crimson and perfect for one's palm. Eve was drawn
Speaker 1: to it. She hadn't yet learned to fear. If she had,
Speaker 1: then she would have been terrified. Her body tensed with
Speaker 1: every step. As she inched closer to it, Eve heard
Speaker 1: the whisper again. The sound trickled from the branches like
Speaker 1: a small stream. She scanned the tree, weaving through the
Speaker 1: coils of the trunk was a brilliantly colored serpent. Its
Speaker 1: bright scales radiated with a similar shine as the trees.
Speaker 1: It shone as if covered with every precious stone sardius, topaz, diamond,
Speaker 1: beryl onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle. The edge of
Speaker 1: its body was crafted like gold. Eve was mesmerized. She
Speaker 1: approached the serpent and innocently gazed.
Speaker 3: Up at it.
Speaker 5: What are you?
Speaker 1: The creature responded with an indecipherable hiss. Its voice was
Speaker 1: like the echoes of a thousand whispers. Eve could no
Speaker 1: longer see it, but she could hear it.
Speaker 7: I was going to ask you the same question, who
Speaker 7: are you?
Speaker 1: Ah?
Speaker 7: I'm Eve Ah, one of God's image bearers. What an
Speaker 7: honor to be in your presence? So elogant, so powerful.
Speaker 7: It's a shame God has held so much back from you.
Speaker 8: What do you mean?
Speaker 1: Slowly and methodically, the serpent's head emerged from the leaves.
Speaker 1: Its eyes gleamed red like a blood moon. They held
Speaker 1: a dark canyon in the center, deep, mysterious and haunting.
Speaker 1: Its long tail draped over the branches, caressing the crimson fruit.
Speaker 7: Didn't God say you couldn't eat from any tree in
Speaker 7: the garden.
Speaker 5: No, God allows us to eat all the fruit in
Speaker 5: the garden. It's just this one we can't eat. We
Speaker 5: can't even touch it.
Speaker 7: Or will die die? Oh, my dear, you won't die?
Speaker 3: Do I look dead to you.
Speaker 7: God does and want you to eat it, because if
Speaker 7: you do, your eyes will be opened.
Speaker 5: My eyes will be opened. What do you mean?
Speaker 7: God is a petty and jealous one, isn't he? No us?
Speaker 3: If you eat this fruit, your eyes would be old.
Speaker 7: You'll know the secrets of the universe. You'll have knowledge,
Speaker 7: you'll have power, You'll be like God himself.
Speaker 1: Like God, Eve examined the fruit, dew dripped from its
Speaker 1: smooth skin. It looked delicious and inviting. How could something
Speaker 1: so beautiful be dangerous? Eve reached out for the fruit.
Speaker 1: The serpent coiled its tail around one of the branches
Speaker 1: and bent it closer to Eve. She recoiled for a moment,
Speaker 1: then reached again.
Speaker 5: I can be like God, knowledgeable.
Speaker 3: How yes.
Speaker 1: Eve was inches away from the fruit, her heart beat
Speaker 1: in tandem with the pulsing roots. Adam finally caught up
Speaker 1: with her and stopped at the tree.
Speaker 3: Shadow, Eve, what are you doing? But it was too late.
Speaker 1: Eve's fingers touched the fruit. She waited to see what
Speaker 1: would happen. Nothing, she felt the same. Her eyes gleamed
Speaker 1: with anxious curiosity. She plucked the fruit and held it
Speaker 1: firmly in her palm.
Speaker 3: She looked at Adam.
Speaker 5: Maybe it was a lie. After all, we could.
Speaker 1: Be like God. Eve stroked the fruit. Adam was frozen.
Speaker 1: He knew he should stop Eve. He knew he should
Speaker 1: smack it out of her hand, but he was drawn
Speaker 1: by a similar curiosity.
Speaker 3: Could he really be like God? With this fruit?
Speaker 1: Unl something withheld from him? Eve raised the fruit to
Speaker 1: her lips. Then, as a decisive act to claim autonomy
Speaker 1: from her creator, Eve took a bite from the fruit.
Speaker 1: Dark red juices dripped down her mouth and chin. It
Speaker 1: stained her hands a dark bloodlike color. It was the
Speaker 1: sweetest fruit she'd ever tasted. She didn't realize that the
Speaker 1: bitterness would come afterward. She looked back at her husband,
Speaker 1: who was meant to care for her soul and help
Speaker 1: her live in God's will. She held the fruit up
Speaker 1: to him with a red stained smile.
Speaker 5: It's delicious taste and see for yourself.
Speaker 1: Why shouldn't Adam's brow furrowed? He was conflicted. The voice
Speaker 1: of God echoed in his.
Speaker 2: Mind, knowledge of good and evil, which leads to who
Speaker 2: evil itself. While the tree of life brings eternal life,
Speaker 2: the knowledge of evil brings death.
Speaker 1: Adam looked at his wife She smiled at him, eyes
Speaker 1: urging him to partake. She didn't seem different.
Speaker 6: Maybe it was a lie. Maybe there's something more from me.
Speaker 3: Apart from God.
Speaker 1: He gently raised the fruit to his lips and took
Speaker 1: a bite. Adam knew what he was doing. God had
Speaker 1: made himself clear. This was a deliberate act to be
Speaker 1: like God. They had been deceived into thinking God was
Speaker 1: holding back from them, and perhaps something better awaited them
Speaker 1: if they separated themselves from him.
Speaker 3: It's great, you were right. What did I tell you?
Speaker 5: Why would God keep this from us?
Speaker 3: What else have we been missing?
Speaker 1: Adam's eyes glowed with thrill. The two laughed and took
Speaker 1: another bite. A smile edged on the sides of the
Speaker 1: serpent's mouth. His eyes pulsed with wicked pleasure. As he
Speaker 1: slid back into the dark shadows of the tree, A
Speaker 1: cold wind howled through the forest, and the earth's surface
Speaker 1: shook with a single quake.
Speaker 3: Adam looked around him.
Speaker 1: Birds flew away at the sight of him, and the
Speaker 1: plants curled back slightly. Something happened. His heart beat heavily
Speaker 1: in his chest, and sweat fell down his brow.
Speaker 5: Oh what's happening?
Speaker 3: I don't know, I ugh, something's wrong.
Speaker 1: Adam grabbed his chest and winced. It felt like a
Speaker 1: tightened grip on his heart, as if something invisible was
Speaker 1: squeezing the divinity from him. What followed was the immediate
Speaker 1: feeling of overwhelming and soul rushing shame. Adam didn't just
Speaker 1: feel naked, he felt vulnerable. He looked at Eve. She
Speaker 1: didn't look the same. She looked like a stranger. His
Speaker 1: whole body tensed. He was agitated, confused.
Speaker 3: And angry.
Speaker 1: Her face wore a similar pain and something else fear.
Speaker 1: She didn't know whether Adam was going to run from
Speaker 1: her or attack her. She felt weak, vulnerable, and alone.
Speaker 1: Her lower lip quivered. She looked at Adam's eyes, surging
Speaker 1: to discern his intentions. He was scanning her up and down.
Speaker 1: Feeling exposed, she fled like a deer into the bushes.
Speaker 1: She frantically gathered fig leaves together to cover herself. She
Speaker 1: wanted to disappear. The weight of her fear and shame
Speaker 1: was overwhelming. Panic overcame her. Adam's throat clenched. He stepped
Speaker 1: to follow her, but then he felt something shift in
Speaker 1: the air. He was cuming the creator. Adam pulled some
Speaker 1: leaves off a fig tree and covered himself. Then he ran.
Speaker 1: He ran like a frightened animal from a predator. Fear
Speaker 1: was new to him, his tensed muscles, his shaking hands.
Speaker 3: Make it stop, Make it stop, Make it stop.
Speaker 1: Adam buried himself under leaves and brush. God's presence used
Speaker 1: to feel as near as his own breath and heartbeat,
Speaker 1: But now, after eating the fruit, God seemed distant. Adam
Speaker 1: trembled in the shadows, listening to the wind and churning
Speaker 1: of leaves.
Speaker 2: Adam, where are you?
Speaker 1: God's voice was no longer comforting, but terrifying. Adam's heart
Speaker 1: was about to burst. He groaned, anxious, tears falling from
Speaker 1: his eyes. The closeness with God was gone, the sense
Speaker 1: of purpose, the feeling of destiny and endless possibilities. It
Speaker 1: all burnt to ash and blew away. With the wind
Speaker 1: rushing through the forest, the voice of the Creator called out.
Speaker 2: Again, Adam, where are you?
Speaker 1: It wasn't a question. God knew where Adam was. He
Speaker 1: didn't speak with a question, but an invitation, an invitation
Speaker 1: to return and repent, an invitation to plead for forgiveness.
Speaker 1: But anxiety and shame wrapped around Adam's heart like weeds
Speaker 1: to a flower. He was motionless. The earth pulsed again,
Speaker 1: this time with rage. Adam fell forward and out of
Speaker 1: the bushes. He remained on his knees, eyes fixed on
Speaker 1: the ground. His arms were crossed, fingers gently stroking his
Speaker 1: skin for comfort. He wouldn't turn his gaze upward. He
Speaker 1: couldn't here.
Speaker 6: I am, he heard you coming, and I was afraid.
Speaker 2: Why were you afraid? Adam? What have you to fear?
Speaker 3: I'm naked. I didn't want you to see me.
Speaker 2: Who told you you were naked?
Speaker 3: Nobody?
Speaker 2: I I Did you eat of the tree? Adam? Did
Speaker 2: you eat of the tree? I commanded you not to eat?
Speaker 1: God's voice rumbled with the quaking earth. A chilly air
Speaker 1: blew around Adam. He felt even more exposed. Adam's eyes
Speaker 1: finally darted up wide with worry. His face curled forward,
Speaker 1: then tensed into anger. He shook his head, warring with himself.
Speaker 1: He didn't want to own his shame. He wanted it gone.
Speaker 1: Then a thought slithered into his mind. It was a
Speaker 1: new thought, something evil. The tree had given him knowledge
Speaker 1: of how to sin, how to lie, how to hurt.
Speaker 1: Adam stood in anger, and pointed to the bushes where
Speaker 1: Eve hid.
Speaker 3: It was the woman, the woman you gave me.
Speaker 6: It's her fault, not mine. She give me the fruit
Speaker 6: and I hate it. Talk to her, She's the one
Speaker 6: to blame.
Speaker 1: Eve's breath became frantic. She thought of running away. Instead,
Speaker 1: she froze, unable to move. She felt God's anger thicken
Speaker 1: the atmosphere.
Speaker 2: What have you done?
Speaker 5: It wasn't my fault. I it was the serpent. He
Speaker 5: deceived me. I only ate it because of what he said.
Speaker 5: If I had known that this would happen.
Speaker 1: I would have Suddenly, a ferocious wind blew through the forest.
Speaker 1: The trees all bent, as if bowing to a king.
Speaker 1: The tree of Knowledge shook, and the serpent was thrust downward,
Speaker 1: convulsing on the floor. God's rage fell upon the serpent,
Speaker 1: the satan. The voice of God boomed, shaking the entire garden.
Speaker 1: The beautifully adorned creature writhed in pain. Adam and Eve
Speaker 1: looked with dismay. For a moment, they saw the serpent
Speaker 1: for who he truly was. The majestic creature was possessed
Speaker 1: by something else, something heavenly, beautiful and terrifying. Something otherworldly
Speaker 1: was happening in front of them. Flashes of light and
Speaker 1: fire filled the atmosphere. God spoke to Lucifer, the angel
Speaker 1: underneath the skin.
Speaker 3: Of the serpent.
Speaker 2: You were this signant of perfection, full of wisdom, imperfect
Speaker 2: and beauty. I pleased you hear in Eden as an
Speaker 2: anointed guardian. I set you on this holy mountain. You
Speaker 2: were blameless in your ways from the day you were created,
Speaker 2: but your heart was proud because of your beauty.
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve couldn't see what was happening in Heaven's plane.
Speaker 1: All they could see were clouds circling above God's presence,
Speaker 1: circled Satan.
Speaker 2: Your corrupted your wisdom for power, and now unrighteousness has
Speaker 2: tarnished your glow. I would destroy you with stone and fire.
Speaker 1: Lightning flashed, and Adam and Eve could see the serpent again,
Speaker 1: quivering with pain and fear. Its scales were muted, and
Speaker 1: its legs and wings were torn. God's judgment was cast
Speaker 1: upon the serpent.
Speaker 2: Cursed it are you, serpent? You will tremble under the
Speaker 2: feet of a live stock. On your belly you shall crawl,
Speaker 2: and the dust shall be your food day and night.
Speaker 1: The serpent's eyes glowed red with rage. It bore its
Speaker 1: fangs up to God in defiance. He slithered toward Eve,
Speaker 1: bent on striking. It looked at Eve with blood lust.
Speaker 1: She turned to run, but God toss'd the serpent against
Speaker 1: the rocks. Blood curdling screams poured forth from the creature.
Speaker 2: I will put enmity between you and the woman. Your
Speaker 2: offspring and her offspring will be at war with one another.
Speaker 2: But an offspring of Eve shall rise against you. You
Speaker 2: will bruise his heel, but do not mistake it for victory.
Speaker 2: He shall veng.
Speaker 3: Uish you and cross your head.
Speaker 1: Those words resounded in Eve's ear. It echoed forward into
Speaker 1: the future, a prophecy of deliverance. One day a son
Speaker 1: of Eve would crush the serpent and undo what was
Speaker 1: set in motion. The serpent turned to Eve again, then
Speaker 1: slithered away in defeat, retreating into the shadows of the canyons.
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve stood there awaiting a word from the Creator.
Speaker 1: His presence was directed to Eve. She fell to her
Speaker 1: knees and gripped the dirt. God's voice resonated.
Speaker 2: I called you to multiply and fill the earth. Now
Speaker 2: I will multiply your anguish as you bring children into
Speaker 2: the world, you will be at war with yourself and
Speaker 2: your husband. You will contend with him, but he will
Speaker 2: boo over you. Eve crumbled into herself. She wanted autonomy
Speaker 2: from God that couldn't fathom the consequences. God turned to Adam,
Speaker 2: the man fashioned from breath and dirt, hewn in the
Speaker 2: image of himself. Adam, I called you to cultivate and
Speaker 2: steward the earth. But now it shall be cursed because
Speaker 2: of you. The earth will struggle against you. You will
Speaker 2: eat of the earth through sweat and pain. All the
Speaker 2: days of your life. You will wilt against the stones,
Speaker 2: Thorns and thistles will scrape your hands. This pain will
Speaker 2: remind you of the paradise you reject it. Then, after
Speaker 2: a lifetime of struggle, you will return to the dust
Speaker 2: of the earth. For from the dust I made you,
Speaker 2: and to the dust you shall turn.
Speaker 3: What do we do now? Where should we go? What
Speaker 3: is there beyond needing?
Speaker 1: Adam's trembling arms covered his body. He was like a
Speaker 1: whimpering child. The harsh wind of judgment ceased for a moment.
Speaker 1: All was still calm. A pocket of what once was
Speaker 1: the stag and dough pranced through the forest in front
Speaker 1: of them. Their innocent eyes stared blankly at them. Adams
Speaker 1: smirked for a moment. They were old friends. Then suddenly,
Speaker 1: like invisible blades slashing through the atmosphere, both the animal's
Speaker 1: throats were cut and they fell to the floor. No
Speaker 1: Adam ran to the creatures and knelt by their sides.
Speaker 1: He watched the light vanish from their eyes. They were
Speaker 1: no longer there. The breath of life had faded. Adam
Speaker 1: stared for a long while at the blood on his hands,
Speaker 1: realizing what death actually was. God removed the skin from
Speaker 1: the animals and fashioned clothing for Adam and Eve. They
Speaker 1: wore the animal's skins to keep them warm and unexposed.
Speaker 1: Adam felt the clothing and cried. An innocent life was
Speaker 1: slain so he wouldn't have to walk around in shame.
Speaker 1: The life of another covered him. Adam and Eve looked up.
Speaker 1: The light from the Tree of Life pulsed over the falls.
Speaker 1: God the Yellohim, consulted with himself in a cosmic discussion
Speaker 1: of life and death.
Speaker 2: They have become like us, knowing good and evil. If
Speaker 2: they eat from the Tree of Life, they will live forever.
Speaker 2: In darkness, they must leave. God's grief could be felt
Speaker 2: in his voice.
Speaker 1: He didn't want to cast them out, but in his mercy,
Speaker 1: he couldn't have them live forever coexisting with evil. Eternal
Speaker 1: life with evil is worse than death itself. The tree
Speaker 1: burst with light, more powerful than the sun. Eve covered
Speaker 1: her eyes and looked at the ground. The earth shook
Speaker 1: and began to crack. It split between her legs. Eden
Speaker 1: was rejecting them.
Speaker 5: Adam, what's happening?
Speaker 3: Run.
Speaker 1: Adam grabbed Eve's hand, and the two sprinted through the trees.
Speaker 1: They heard the growling of predators and the shrieks of
Speaker 1: birds behind them. The earth gave way behind them as
Speaker 1: they ran, Vines fell from the tipping trees. Eve stumbled
Speaker 1: and fell into some roots, slamming her head on a stone.
Speaker 1: Adam kept running. Selfish drive propelled him forward. Then he
Speaker 1: heard her cries.
Speaker 5: Adam help.
Speaker 1: Adam stopped, chest heaving from exhaustion. He looked at the
Speaker 1: garden's gates, then back at Eve, self preservation and convenience
Speaker 1: ward with his love for Eve. He growled, circled back
Speaker 1: to her, and ripped the roots, catching her foot. He
Speaker 1: carried her the rest of the way to the mountain's edge.
Speaker 1: Jagged rocks and dirt lay below. They tumbled down, falling
Speaker 1: onto the hard earth. Adam looked up. He could still
Speaker 1: see the faint glow of the Tree of Life up above,
Speaker 1: but as the clouds rolled through the valley, its glow disappeared,
Speaker 1: replaced by a gray haze.
Speaker 5: Can we ever come back?
Speaker 1: Just then the clouds opened and a flaming figure descended
Speaker 1: with righteous fury. It struck the earth beside the garden's entrance.
Speaker 1: Adam covered Eve from the debris. They cowered in fear
Speaker 1: until the dusts settled. They looked up and peered through
Speaker 1: dust and mist.
Speaker 3: An angel armed.
Speaker 1: With a sword of fire stood at the garden's entrance.
Speaker 1: It spun in every direction, a foreboding symbol of judgment.
Speaker 3: Paradise was lost.
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve sat in the dirt east of Eden,
Speaker 1: never to return. Their descendants would pine after Eden. Each
Speaker 1: generation would manufacture ways to reclaim Paradise. They would all fail,
Speaker 1: but Adam and Eve held on to a promise. One day,
Speaker 1: the son of Eve would rise to crush the head
Speaker 1: of the serpent. He would reclaim Eden for humanity. Heaven
Speaker 1: and earth would be joined once again.
Speaker 4: Ah the story of Eve and the Serpent, a story
Speaker 4: loaded with intrigue and full of implications that stretch far
Speaker 4: beyond that ancient biblical garden's borders. Now, let's picture the scene.
Speaker 4: The garden of Eden, lush and vibrant, the epitome of
Speaker 4: beauty and abundance. Here in this paradise, Eve walks free
Speaker 4: and curious, and then, slithering into this perfect picture of peace,
Speaker 4: comes the serpent. Shrewd and devious. He's crafty, he's the
Speaker 4: embodiment of temptation. Why not eat from this particular tree,
Speaker 4: he hisses softly. His words cast doubt not just on
Speaker 4: God's command, but on God's very character. Eat and you'll
Speaker 4: be like God, knowing good and evil, the serpent said.
Speaker 4: In that single faithful moment, the choice was presented, and
Speaker 4: with that bite of fruit, a world of pain was born.
Speaker 4: But what does this moment from the days after creation
Speaker 4: mean for us today? So many many many years later,
Speaker 4: here and now that fruit, which the Bible tells us
Speaker 4: was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and
Speaker 4: also desirable for gaining wisdom. The Bible tells us that
Speaker 4: the fruit was good for food and pleasing to the
Speaker 4: eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom. Now doesn't that
Speaker 4: sound like the perfect food. It tastes so good, it
Speaker 4: looks so good, and it's even nourishing physically and mentally.
Speaker 4: So what is wrong with it? Well? Nothing. Our tradition
Speaker 4: actually teaches that there was nothing wrong with the fruit
Speaker 4: except for one important thing that God said no. And
Speaker 4: that is what it really comes down to. God is
Speaker 4: who we must look to an order to know right
Speaker 4: from wrong. When He tells us no, then that means
Speaker 4: something is wrong. It means to stay away. If we
Speaker 4: shape our lives based on what God has taught us
Speaker 4: is right or wrong, on whether God has said yes
Speaker 4: or no, whether it's permitted or not permitted, then everything
Speaker 4: we do, even eating, can be a holy act. And
Speaker 4: in that one moment, that choice between yes and no,
Speaker 4: everything changed. In the Garden of Eden, the Jewish sage
Speaker 4: Nachmanides asked what really changed once Adam and Eve ate
Speaker 4: from the Tree of Knowledge? What was their life before
Speaker 4: and what was it like after? And he answers that
Speaker 4: before they ate the fruit, but they didn't have the
Speaker 4: power to make decisions like the moon and the stars,
Speaker 4: their lives had been predetermined. They had their place, their
Speaker 4: garden of Eden, where everything was perfect. They were set
Speaker 4: on that certain trajectory, and before that sin that never
Speaker 4: would have changed. Just like the moon and the stars,
Speaker 4: Adam and Eve were never confronted with the need to
Speaker 4: make decisions before they ate from the tree. When they
Speaker 4: woke up in the morning, they never had to ask
Speaker 4: what they should do. And it was that way destiny
Speaker 4: taking hold until they ate the fruit. Eating from the
Speaker 4: tree gave them the power to stop just being functional.
Speaker 4: Now they could and in fact, they had to choose.
Speaker 4: And with that power to choose, with that sudden free will,
Speaker 4: Adam and Eve gained the power to be moral beings
Speaker 4: because if they choose good, if they listen to God,
Speaker 4: they were following in the holy footsteps, Or if they
Speaker 4: chose bad to go against God, they were actually choosing
Speaker 4: to be immoral beings. That was, if they did something
Speaker 4: when God said no. That gift of free will is
Speaker 4: something Jewish tradition teaches as being among the most important
Speaker 4: things we have in life. Sometimes our decisions aren't that important,
Speaker 4: and sometimes they're very important. But just like Adam and Eve,
Speaker 4: after they ate from the tree, our lives are based
Speaker 4: around making decisions, the ability to look at life and choose.
Speaker 4: When God tells us yes or no, what are we
Speaker 4: going to do? And that is what it really comes
Speaker 4: down to. God is who we must look to in
Speaker 4: order to know right from wrong. When He tells us no,
Speaker 4: then that means something is wrong. This helps us so
Speaker 4: much in a pretty confusing world. As we study the Bible,
Speaker 4: we begin to understand that God of Love is helping us.
Speaker 4: He is showing us the difference between right and wrong,
Speaker 4: just as he showed Adam and Eve in the Garden
Speaker 4: of Eden. He's leading our footsteps. He's giving us the tools,
Speaker 4: and we just have to open up our heart to listen.
Speaker 4: God is saying yes and no in order to help
Speaker 4: and encourage us to lead better lives filled with goodness,
Speaker 4: and to extend ourselves to people who need our help.
Speaker 4: In that way, bringing more light to this world, acting
Speaker 4: more in the vision of God. This is what we
Speaker 4: work so hard to do at the Fellowship. We spend
Speaker 4: our days and nights feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
Speaker 4: protecting the innocent Israelis from the agents of death, the
Speaker 4: Islamic terrorists. We provide bomb shelters to save the innocent
Speaker 4: children when there are terror attacks. What we face every
Speaker 4: day here in Israel is that in a world of wrong,
Speaker 4: we have to be even more driven to do right now.
Speaker 4: Back to the garden and back to the tree. The
Speaker 4: consequences of that one act of doing something when God
Speaker 4: said no were catastrophic. Relationships were fractured, the earth was cursed,
Speaker 4: Labor became toil, childbirth was marred by pain. All of
Speaker 4: creation began to groan under the weight of humanity's fall.
Speaker 4: And yet this dark force of sin, this corruption, does
Speaker 4: more than just alienate us from God. It alienates us
Speaker 4: from each other, from ourselves and the very earth that
Speaker 4: we were meant to stoward. It manifests not just in actions,
Speaker 4: but in attitudes, in pride and envy, and hatred and strife.
Speaker 4: It's the root of all injustice. It is the fuel
Speaker 4: for exploitation, the breeding ground for all that destroys peace.
Speaker 4: But here's the profound truth that we must also cling to.
Speaker 4: Where sin is abound, grace is even stronger. In Genesis three,
Speaker 4: we are introduced to a feeling that arose within Adam
Speaker 4: and Eve for the first time since the creation of
Speaker 4: the world. The feeling of shame, or as we say
Speaker 4: in Hebrew bousha, we can all relate to that feeling
Speaker 4: of shame. It's a primal scene etched into the collective
Speaker 4: memory of humanity. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were perfect.
Speaker 4: God saw them as he created them, and they were unflawed.
Speaker 4: They didn't know the feeling of shame. The Bible describes
Speaker 4: this very directly in Genesis two twenty five. Adam and
Speaker 4: his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Speaker 4: In Hebrew that versus viushnem aumim Adam Vito lo tcho.
Speaker 4: But afterwards, when Adam and he first discovered their nakedness,
Speaker 4: there was suddenly a profound, jarring sense of shame that
Speaker 4: washed over them. Let's think about it, because I believe
Speaker 4: this is meaningful for every one of us in our lives,
Speaker 4: to be ashamed before God for things we should not
Speaker 4: have done. Have you ever felt that way? Even today,
Speaker 4: when we're wearing physical clothes, we can feel that we
Speaker 4: have not lived up to the standards on our lives
Speaker 4: that God wants us to, that we aren't yet the
Speaker 4: people that God calls us to be. We all do
Speaker 4: things that we are ashamed of, but what we learn
Speaker 4: from Adam and Eve is that we can use the
Speaker 4: sense of shame to make ourselves better. So the story
Speaker 4: of Adam and Eve and their nakedness and their shame
Speaker 4: is not just their story, but it's our story too.
Speaker 4: That's relevant now today to us. We can resolve to
Speaker 4: not repeat what made us feel shame, because when we
Speaker 4: feel shame, it's usually going against something that God called
Speaker 4: us to do, to try something out when God said no,
Speaker 4: to go against God's will. But we don't have to
Speaker 4: repeat that even if we made the mistake once. This
Speaker 4: is what God wants from us, not just to feel shame,
Speaker 4: but to use it as a driving force to improve
Speaker 4: our lives, to do better, to repent. In the garden
Speaker 4: of Eden, Adam and Eve, once enveloped by God's love,
Speaker 4: we're now wrapped in the cold, hard truth of their
Speaker 4: own frailty and fear. Are we, like Adam and Eve,
Speaker 4: hiding from God because of our shame or are we
Speaker 4: seeking to bridge that gap despite our nakedness and our flaws.
Speaker 4: Let's think about their story for a moment. What was
Speaker 4: the difference between Adam and Eve's life before they ate
Speaker 4: the fruit and after they ate the fruit. Well money
Speaker 4: suggests that it's the difference of free will, what we
Speaker 4: call in Hebrew bihirah houf sheet that the only difference
Speaker 4: before and after they ate the fruit in their life
Speaker 4: was that suddenly they had the power to choose. I
Speaker 4: think of it as God telling them yes and no,
Speaker 4: and then they don't listen. And so God turns around
Speaker 4: and says, you don't want to listen, Well, you want choice,
Speaker 4: I'll give you choice. Now you have to live with it.
Speaker 4: All of us are still living with it. We have
Speaker 4: to make choices every single day. Sometimes the choices are
Speaker 4: not that important, like I don't know what will I
Speaker 4: have for lunch? But sometimes they are very important, like
Speaker 4: where do I want to live, who do I want
Speaker 4: to marry, what school should I send my children to?
Speaker 4: What kind of relationship should I have with my parents?
Speaker 4: And you know what, there's something wonderful and beautiful that
Speaker 4: we are able to make these choices. And this was
Speaker 4: the gift that God gave to Adam and to Eve
Speaker 4: after they ate from the tree. He gave them the
Speaker 4: ability to choose. Of course, God wants us to make
Speaker 4: the right choices, choices that we are proud of, not
Speaker 4: choices that we are ashamed of, choices that God would
Speaker 4: be happy with, and he tells us yes and no,
Speaker 4: good from bad, right from wrong. But think how wonderful
Speaker 4: it is that we have the free will to make
Speaker 4: these choices, to make the hard choice to get closer
Speaker 4: to God. And then the reward of making the right
Speaker 4: choice is that very act being close to God through
Speaker 4: making the right choices and being able to make those choices, Well,
Speaker 4: that's what makes us truly godly human beings and not angels.
Speaker 4: In the same chapter, among all of the different choices,
Speaker 4: among the right and the wrong, among the chaos and
Speaker 4: the curse, there is a promise of redemption and a
Speaker 4: future of hope. To speak more on this, hope is
Speaker 4: my good friend, Bishop Paul Lanier.
Speaker 8: Ay El. You have no idea how beautiful and meaningful
Speaker 8: that word hope is in my own life and my heart. Well,
Speaker 8: actually you do know, because you know my family so well.
Speaker 8: So we have a daughter named Hope, and recently she
Speaker 8: and her husband gave to us our first grandchild, a
Speaker 8: little girl whose name is Hadassa Hope. And you know
Speaker 8: that many years ago my wife and I had another
Speaker 8: little girl whose name was Hope who now plays in
Speaker 8: the streets of Zion before our God. And you know
Speaker 8: that thirty four years ago, when we were launching a ministry,
Speaker 8: we were founding a congregation, we named it Hope. So yes,
Speaker 8: the word hope has special meaning, and to me is
Speaker 8: one of the most beautiful words in all the human language.
Speaker 8: But the question now is where does this cry for
Speaker 8: hope come from? Well, I think it's important for us
Speaker 8: to know not only does the human heart wait longingly
Speaker 8: for hope, but for Christians, we look in the Christian
Speaker 8: scriptures at the Book of Romans, chapter eight, and the
Speaker 8: Apostle Paul helps us to understand that also the earth
Speaker 8: itself is waiting for the manifestation of the people of God.
Speaker 8: He helps us to understand that the earth itself, against
Speaker 8: its own will, was thrust into darkness, into chaos and confusion.
Speaker 8: And of course Christians and Jews approached this differently when
Speaker 8: we come to the subject of Moshiach or Messiah or
Speaker 8: the Christ. But there's something in all of us from
Speaker 8: the scriptures that helps us to know there is a
Speaker 8: blessed hope of great redemption. Yeaile, I was listening to
Speaker 8: you a moment ago talking about the massacre of October seventh,
Speaker 8: and I was grateful when you allowed me to go
Speaker 8: down south and to get a feel for the darkness
Speaker 8: that had so belligerently violated and stolen so much from
Speaker 8: God's chosen people. And then most recently our being up north,
Speaker 8: just outside the border of Lebanon where Hesbullah. While we
Speaker 8: were there, fired rockets killed twelve children on a soccer field.
Speaker 8: And then just three or four days later, flying from Paris,
Speaker 8: France with one hundred and fifty four Olim French Jews
Speaker 8: who were escaping the anti Semitism and finally making Alia
Speaker 8: coming home. Where does this darkness come from? Why is
Speaker 8: it here? Why does it seem it never goes away? Well,
Speaker 8: here we are at chapter three, where God had created
Speaker 8: this extraordinary God, and it was lush, it was beautiful,
Speaker 8: it was bountiful. It was actually an extension of the
Speaker 8: throne room of God. It was an embassy, if you will,
Speaker 8: and Adam and Eve were charged to be ambassadors and
Speaker 8: to spread God's word, to be fruitful and multiply it,
Speaker 8: feel the earth, and to rule into rain in his image.
Speaker 8: God had stipulated, I'm going to bless you and prosper you,
Speaker 8: and I have placed you in this realm where you
Speaker 8: will never suffer anything. All I require is complete obedience.
Speaker 8: I give you the garden, but you give me the tree. Wow,
Speaker 8: how many times have we failed to see the garden
Speaker 8: of God's goodness and only obsessed with some tree of
Speaker 8: an obsession in our lives. But discipline is part of
Speaker 8: who we are in God. In the Christian Scriptures, Jesus
Speaker 8: says in Matthew chapter six, when you pray, not if,
Speaker 8: but when you pray, and when you give, and when
Speaker 8: you fast. You know, sometimes when it comes to tithing,
Speaker 8: I can be so obsessed with the ten percent that
Speaker 8: I should give that I'm oblivious to the ninety percent
Speaker 8: of blessing that God has prospered in my life praying
Speaker 8: and giving and fasting. Well, that a lion piece of
Speaker 8: snake came in there and tempted them with a process
Speaker 8: that I have failed, and probably you have as well.
Speaker 8: The Bible said, he first asked a question, he brought doubt,
Speaker 8: hath God said, questioning the word of God. This is important.
Speaker 8: There's a difference between the questioning mind searching for answers
Speaker 8: and a questioning spirit searching for authority. And once we've
Speaker 8: doubted the word of God, it becomes dangerously easy for
Speaker 8: us to then deny the word hath God said became
Speaker 8: God did not. And once we've moved from doubt to denial,
Speaker 8: it's then this willbe. And that's exactly what happened to
Speaker 8: Adam and Eve. And they had been covered in the
Speaker 8: glory of the Lord, and they had never noticed or
Speaker 8: discerned their nakedness, but all of a sudden, their disobedience
Speaker 8: caused that nakedness to become obvious. And it was so
Speaker 8: tragic that God, whom they had adored and walked in
Speaker 8: the cool of the day and felt his presence, now
Speaker 8: they feared and tried to hide from him. Well, let
Speaker 8: me finish my part right here. The Bible says that
Speaker 8: the Lord God came in the garden and he called
Speaker 8: out to Adam, where art thou. And you know that
Speaker 8: an omniscient or knowing God does not ask the question
Speaker 8: because he lacks the answer. He's waiting for us to
Speaker 8: respond to him, And I'm asking of myself and you,
Speaker 8: now let's respond to him. He's reaching towards your life
Speaker 8: and my life at this very moment. Let's not hide
Speaker 8: behind something as frivolous as fig leaves or anything else.
Speaker 8: But say, here am I, Lord.
Speaker 3: Here am I.
Speaker 4: This episode may seem like the ending to a brief,
Speaker 4: tragic story, but let me tell you it is only
Speaker 4: the beginning. Just as God spoke life and light into
Speaker 4: the chaos and the void, he will speak life and
Speaker 4: light into the chaos of humanity. There is no darkness
Speaker 4: too great for God's light. And I can tell you
Speaker 4: that as I sit right now in Israel, amongst the
Speaker 4: chaos and amongst God's light. No matter how far you
Speaker 4: have fallen, believe it, know it, own it. Hope is
Speaker 4: within reach. Our God is a god of redemption, as
Speaker 4: we say in Hebrew get Oulah. His love and his
Speaker 4: power won't be made void because of humanity's mistakes. He
Speaker 4: is all knowing and he is all good. A thread
Speaker 4: will spin from Adam and Eve, weaving a tale of
Speaker 4: imperfect and fallen people desperately reaching back towards Eden. Some
Speaker 4: will try and reach Eden by force. Others will try deception,
Speaker 4: wreaking more havoc throughout the pages of history. Some will
Speaker 4: hear the voice of their creator, beckoning them to return,
Speaker 4: even after they've fallen and then humbly and faithfully God's
Speaker 4: children will follow the promise of something great. They will
Speaker 4: be His Chosen People. Here's a final blessing for you,
Speaker 4: ivarere As Shevy Schmerecher. May the Lord bless you and
Speaker 4: keep you Yeah Heir hashempanave Lehra. May the Lord make
Speaker 4: his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
Speaker 4: Ye sa hashempanave e Lehra. May the Lord turn his
Speaker 4: face towards you the assem Lera Shaloon and grant you
Speaker 4: peace with blessings here in the Holy Land Shaloon.
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Exstein
Speaker 1: add free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot
Speaker 1: Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
Speaker 1: possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yaile Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Caltefianu. Characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, My Bike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore,
Speaker 1: music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
Speaker 1: KAYLEB Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
Speaker 1: of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot
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