Entire books & dissertations could be written about various religions that began in a more egalitarian or feminist manner, and then patriarchal attitudes suppressed and/or eradicated those voices... 😢 #ParshaChat

True. I'd wager most folks don't realize that there are many names for God in Biblical Hebrew. As a second-wave feminist, I was very pleased when I learned that several of God's names were in the feminine gender, somewhat unique, given the patriarchal nature of most religious discourse. #ParshaChat

Given the era in which the story was first told, I assume the people of that time envisioned a fig or a date or some other fruit they would have been familiar with. #ParshaChat

We're a visual culture, and many folks think it was an apple because of Michelangelo's painting. Of course, the Hebrew Bible never refers to it as an apple... #ParshaChat

Even the Tanakh uses more than one name for the deity. English translations are all "God" or "The Lord." But Biblical Hebrew (as you know) refers to God by attributes, by qualities, etc. I'd imagine that people prayed based on their experience of who God was to them. #ParshaChat

In the ancient world, to name something is to have power over it. That's why Moses wanted to know what God's name was: in Egyptian mythology, there were family gods, and if you knew their special name, you controlled them. But Moses found out that God could not be controlled. #ParshaChat

The story was written thousands of years ago, in a world where the tree was a powerful symbol of wisdom. Numerous religions have stories about key figures sitting under a tree and gaining some sort of insight. #ParshaChat

People want reassurance; they want to be told what they believe to be true is OK. They hate being told things don't have a simple, easy solution, and they absolutely don't want to be told their position is factually or morally wrong. (Must be tough to be a rabbi in times like these!) #ParshaChat

I see realism here. When God creates these things, they are good. But as times passes, changes can occur. So, plants can become poisonous. And humans can forget about ethics and lie, or steal, or even murder. Everything starts out good, but what will it become? What will we become? #ParshaChat