In Genesis 3 there is a description of the interaction between Adam, Chavah (Eve) and the serpent (nakash) with reference to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. YHWH had warned Adam that eating of the fruit of the tree would bring death to him. Adam was, at this time connected to YHWH through the Tree of Life in his spiritual life, and to the tree of knowledge of good and evil in his physical life (hence the two deaths in Gen 2 v 17 – “dying you will die”). To eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evils severs the connection to the Tree of Life and transfers it to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Tree of life is in the Spiritual realm inhabited by YHWH, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is in the physical realm and is thus cut off from YHWH.
Someone had passed YHWH’s warning on to Chavah, but not quite accurately, YHWH told Adam he must not EAT of the fruit, Chavah tells the serpent that she must not TOUCH the tree. The serpent could therefore demonstrate to Chavah the ‘fallibility’ of YHWH by touching the touching the tree and not being struck dead. We are not told how Chavah got the mis-information, but by default, we must assume that it came from Adam.
Chavah is basically ‘tricked’ into eating the forbidden fruit, however, it is not really quite that simple because Chavah also wants to be as YHWH. She wants to be in command of her own ‘knowledge of good and evil’ not relying on that of YHWH. Knowledge is the key word here, and this is the play that the adversary is making.
YHWH is the creator and His knowledge is infinite, the knowledge that the serpent is offering Chavah is a knowledge that is based only upon her physical senses, but he does not tell Chavah this and hence the deception.
Chavah has access to YHWH’s knowledge, but in this instance she believes the serpent, omitting to trust and rely on YHWH. So, trusting the apparent knowledge of the serpent, he having demonstrated (by touching the tree) to her that YHWH was ‘keeping her in the dark’ about the real nature of the tree, Eve eats of the fruit and is irrevocably changed.
Adam also has access to YHWH’s knowledge, but we must assume that, since he knew what YHWH really said about the tree, he desired his own ‘godship’ more than that of YHWH. He sees that Chavah is changed, and did not instantly ‘die’, so he makes a calculated decision to trust and rely on the serpents knowledge, not that knowledge imparted to him by YHWH.
The ability to judge between right and wrong (good and evil) is a function of a ‘god’, in human terms this is obfuscated because ‘good and evil’ becomes a rather arbitrary view based on a ‘consensus’ of mankind’s physical ‘wisdom’ and his inherited ‘culture’.
For an example of this we must look at Rivka (Rebeccah) who ‘fell off her camel’ when she saw Yitzac (Isaac), He was in his thirties, she was about 14. They immediately (and apparently mutually) consummated their union. In this country, at this time, Yitzac would be regarded as a criminal and locked up in gaol for ‘statutory rape’.
YHWH’s knowledge of Good and Evil does not change, but mankind’s knowledge of good and evil is relative to his current physical circumstances.
So Adam and Chavah become ‘gods’ of the ‘physical’ realm with their knowledge of godship (good and evil) tied to physical senses (“your eyes will be opened”) .
When YHWH comes ‘looking’ for them in the spiritual (“the breath of the day”) realm, they can only hear him, they cannot see him and they hide. YHWH finds them and confronts them.
Chavah confesses and takes personal responsibility for her actions (“I was beguiled by the serpent”).
Adam evades personal responsibility, and in doing so sets up the first religion (“She did it, the woman You gave me”).
Religion is any contrivance set up to enable mankind to avoid taking personal responsibility, before YHWH, for his actions, especially those where, by using his own ‘godship’ he breaks the first commandment.
We too must make Chavah’s confession before we go through the blood drenched portal that is pesach (Passover). We too must take personal responsibility for our own actions before YHWH, if not, then we are in religion.
I was beguiled by the world, I have put my ‘godship’ before that of YHWH, I have broken the first commandment, I have broken many of YHWH’s commandments.