THE SERPENT IN PARADISE "ENVY, cupidity, and ambition remove man (Adam) from the world." The ministering angels spake before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all Worlds! "What is man, that thou shouldst take note of him?" (Ps. 144:3). "Man (Adam) is like unto vanity" (Ps. 144:4), upon earth there is not his like. (God) answered them: Just as all of you praise Me in the heights of heaven so he professes My Unity on earth, nay, moreover, are you able to stand up and call the names for all the creatures which I have created? They stood up, but were unable (to give the names). At once Adam stood up and called the names for all His creatures, as it is said, "And the man gave names to all cattle" (Gen. 2:20). When the ministering angels saw this they retreated, and the ministering angels said: If we do not take || counsel against this man so that he sin before his Creator, we cannot prevail against him. Sammael was the great prince in heaven; the Chajjôth had four wings and the Seraphim had six wings, and Sammael had twelve wings.⁠a What did Sammael do? He took his band and descended and saw all the creatures which the Holy One, blessed be He, had created in His world and he found among them none so skilled to do evil as the serpent, as it is said, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field" (Gen. 3:1). Its appearance was something like that of the camel, and he mounted and rode upon it. The Torah began to cry aloud, saying, Why, O Sammael! now that the world is created, is it the time to rebel against the Omnipresent? Is it like a time when thou shouldst lift up thyself on high? The Lord of the world "will laugh at the horse and its rider" (Job 39:18). A parable, to what is the matter like? To a man in whom there was an evil spirit. All the deeds which he does, or all the words which he utters, does he speak by his own intention? Does he not act only according to the idea of the evil spirit, which (rules) over him? So (was it with) the serpent. All the deeds which it did, and all the words which it spake, it did not speak except by the intention of Sammael. Concerning him, the Scripture says, "The wicked is thrust down in his evil-doing" (Prov. 14:32). A parable, to what is the matter like? To a king || who married a woman and made her supreme over all that he had. He said to her: All that I have shall be in thy hands, except this house, which is full of scorpions. A certain old man visited her; he asks, for instance, for vinegar. He said to her: Wilt thou argue that he deals kindly with thee? He deals with me (thus): over all that he possesses has he made me supreme. Thus said he to her: Behold, all that I have is given into thy hands except this house, which is full of scorpions. (The old man) said to her: Is not all the jewellery of the king indeed in this house? But he wishes to marry another woman, and to give them to her. The king is the first man (Adam), the woman is Eve, and the one who asked for vinegar is the serpent; and concerning them (the text) says, "There are the workers of iniquity fallen, they are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise" (Ps. 36:12). The serpent argued with itself, saying: If I go and speak to Adam, I know that he will not listen to me, for a man is always hard (to be persuaded), as it is said, "For a man is churlish and evil in his doings" (1 Sam. 25:3); but behold I will speak to Eve, for I know that she will listen to me; for women listen to all creatures, as it is said, "She is simple and knoweth nothing" (Prov. 9:18). The serpent went and spake to the woman: || Is it (true that) you also have been commanded concerning the fruit of the tree? She said (to him): Yes, as it is said, "Of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden" (Gen. 3:8). And when the serpent heard the words of Eve, he found a way through which he could enter (to approach her), so he said to her: This precept is nought else except the evil eye, for in the hour when ye eat thereof, ye will be like Him, a God. Just as He creates worlds and destroys worlds, so will ye be able to create worlds and to destroy worlds. Just as He slays and brings to life, so also will ye be able to kill and to bring to life, as it is said, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened" (Gen. 3:5). The serpent went and touched the tree, which commenced to cry out, saying: Wicked One! do not touch me! as it is said, "Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There are the workers of iniquity fallen" (Ps. 36:11, 12). The serpent went and said to the woman: Behold, I touched it, but I did not die; thou also mayest touch it, and thou wilt not die. The woman went and touched the tree, and she saw the angel of death coming towards her; she said: Woe is me ! I shall now die, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will make another woman and give her to Adam, but behold I will cause || him to eat with me; if we shall die, we shall both die, and if we shall live, we shall both live. And she took of the fruits of the tree, and ate thereof, and also gave (of its fruits) to her husband, so that he should eat with her, as it is said, "And she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her" (Gen. 3:6). When Adam had eaten of the fruit of the tree, he saw that he was naked, and his eyes were opened, and his teeth were set on edge. He said to her: What is this that thou hast given me to eat, that my eyes should be opened and my teeth set on edge? Just as my teeth were set on edge, so shall the teeth of all generations be set on edge.