“And God related upon man saying….from the tree of knowledge of good and evil do not eat from, for the day on which you eat from it death with occur.”

- Genesis 2:16,17

“When the redemption comes we will read this verse differently: the tree of knowledge is good, and from evil do not eat – for upon consuming evil one surely dies”

- Mei Hashiloach, the Ishbitzer Rebbe

Every moment of life is a gift and opportunity from our Creator for us to perfect ourselves and the world. It is an opportunity as well as a decision, an experience that we create. Depending on how we “eat” from it, how we consume it, how we relate to it is the extent of our experience.

For eternity the Jewish people have sought wisdom for living by studying the Torah. Yet on a superficial initial look at the Torah, no wisdom can be gained from it. The story of Adam and Eve in the garden seems like a children’s story at first glance – yet upon deeper study and meditation wondrous secrets are revealed. On a deeper level of relating to the Torah, the Ishbitzer Rebbe is teaching us a profound secret of living: that through knowledge all of life is good – but as soon as we relate to life as if it were not, we bring upon ourselves death.

Death is an illusion and life is truth. All experiences of negativity, discord, arguments, sadness, depression, lack of drive and motivation are all outcomes from eating from the tree of “evil” – for they are death. From relating to the negative. Those experiences are deadly and deathly – and God tells us in the Torah not to relate to evil, not to eat it, to see it, hear it or taste it. For God wants us to live. And we live through knowledge….

“When a person has true knowledge, he lacks nothing”

- Talmud

Knowledge and experience are the same word in Hebrew, “da’at“. Knowledge is knowing, living and experiencing that God is a giver of good and we are the recipient of that good every moment of life. And how does one receive a gift, by saying thank you.

When we walk our lives in a constant state of gratitude, saying thank you for everything with utmost joy – we live Jewishly. For the word Jew in Hebrew comes from the word to be grateful: Modeh, Yehudi. Whatever might happen to us – when we “eat” it with the knowledge of gratitude, all is good, life is good.

Upon being insulted – we should say thank you for being instructed how to improve ourselves.

Upon being hurt – we should say thank you for experiencing being humbled.

Upon losing something – we should say thank you for what we had and thank you for what can come next.

Upon failing – we should say thank you for the opportunity to better appreciate success.

When living with the knowledge of gratitude, we live with the experience that all is good, we live the good life. Joy lives within gratitude – joy lives within Judaism.

From July 9th to July 30th this year is the period in the Jewish year of the 3 weeks of destruction and exile. It all stemmed from a lack of knowing gratitude, of knowing God – of knowing good. There was gossip and slander, there was stealing and murder – there was a consumption of evil. The word in Hebrew for evil is the same as shaky, “ra’uah” and so it all came tumbling down – and the Jews were exiled from their land, scattered around the world to learn the lesson of the knowledge of gratitude, the knowledge of good, the knowledge of God.

Let us all be aroused to only be positive and speak positively. Let us all be aroused to be filled with joy and never giving into the illusory temptation of negativity. Let us all be aroused to be entirely gratefully for everything we have and everyone we know – we are more blessed than we can imagine.

The lesson of the knowledge of gratitude happened in the Garden of Eden – and upon living that lesson, we immediately enter back into the Garden of Eden.

Let this time of destruction become one of building and construction. Let this time of exile become one of redemption. Let this time of mourning become one of celebration for every Jewish person, for the entire world.