Pesach and Moshiach ben Dovid Q & A

Rabbi,

I recently listened to your podcast on Pesach and Moshiach ben Dovid. I enjoyed it very much and I love the way you teach. Very clear and concise! Could you point me to the source or book where it talks about the transgression of Adam in Gan Eden taking place on Pesach? Thanks in advance for any help.

Shalom,
TJ

TJ-

Thanks for your kind words and your good question. Most of what I say is firmly grounded in sources, but there are some points that I make that I have either deduced, or have a strong sense of their being true. I usually note those types of points by distinguishing them in some way, usually prefacing them with "it could be" or other such language. This was one of those points! I do not have a source that it occurred on Pesach, but it definitely occurred in Nissan, as per the Tosfos that I quoted. There is also a reference in the Gemara in Rosh Hashana to Pesach being the "Rosh Hashana" that occurs in Nissan, so it was partly from that Gemara that I deduced it. (I must point out that the same Gemara also refers to the first of Nissan as a Rosh Hashana as well!) It is also interesting to note that there is an opinion in the Gemara that the forbidden 'fruit' that Adam ate from was actually wheat, which required no processing at that time, and could be eaten straight after being picked. This was part of the reason (according to this opinion) that he was cursed to 'eat his bread by the sweat of his brow.' This was directly connected to the sin he committed with the wheat, which he would now have to process in order to have access to. This might also support my theory, because Pesach is the time that we rectify the wheat, as it were, through eating it in a much simpler, less processed state, which we call Matzah. Another possible support for Adam's sin being on the first day of Pesach, is that we find that after his sin, the moon was diminished. This represents the fallen state of man, where we do not completely reflect spirituality, and even when we do, it is cyclic, such that we have ups and downs in spirituality. It might be said that this 'diminishing,' which we now see occurring every month with cycles of the moon, did not occur instantly, with a diminuation from the full moon to a new moon (which would have had to happen at the beginning of the month), but rather, the moon started diminishing the very next day, as it was the middle of the month! There is a possible support for this theory in a Gemara that describes how Adam and Eve saw the sun go down on the first day they were created, after their sin, and they thought that it was their fault! They cried and prayed all night long, asking God to forgive them. In the morning, the sun rose, and they realized that this was the way of the world. It is interesting that the Gemara does not describe a similar thought crossing their minds when they looked up and saw the moon was missing from the sky! Perhaps this would indicate that it was still there - it would take a few days for it to get smaller and for them to realize that it was diminished on their behalf. (This is not the strongest proof, because it could very well be that the moon was not there at all, and it was the first of the month, but they did not know that moon was supposed to be there!)

In any event, I would say that I do not have conclusive evidence to support my theory, but these are some of the thoughts that could lend it credence.

All the best,
Ari Goldwag