Paradise Lost: The Fall From Splendour

Paradise Lost in Eden: The Fall From Splendour

Adam and Eve were not created as mere creatures—they were given dominion over all and crowned as image-bearers.

Genesis 1:26–27 (CJB) declares: “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule…, So God created humankind in His own image…”

They were formed from dust, but animated by divine breath (neshamah), endowed with moral discernment, spiritual communion, and dominion over creation. Their nature was governed by yetzer hatov—the good inclination—and their will was aligned with God’s.

In this state, they were clothed in kotnot or garments of light (Bereishit Rabbah 19:5)—radiant with divine presence. They walked with God, named creation, and lived in harmony with their Creator.

Before the fall, good and evil were defined by God’s authority. After the fall, man became the arbiter. He now made the decision to decide what was right or wrong.

Genesis 3:6 (CJB) reveals the moment when this happened.  “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate.”

This verse unveils a descent from spiritual discernment to sensory dominance. Eve’s temptation mirrors what James and John later describe: “Each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desires. Then desire conceives and gives birth to sin…” (James 1:14–15, ISV), and “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16, ISV).

This was not one mere act of disobedience—it crossed a threshold and was spiritual collapse. Hebrew sources reveal that the sin in Eden was layered. I want to examine two of those levels.

The serpent’s first move was to erode trust in God’s authority, converting obedience into suspicion and then into appetite. The real sin was distrust: the serpent’s question “did God really say….?” and his statement “you shall not surely die”, made them believe that God was withholding something good, or that He wasn’t truly forthcoming and so they both chose autonomy over intimacy. It was a transfer of allegiance from divine authority to instinctual craving.

The second layer is described as sensory over spirit: Eve’s decision was driven by what looked good, tasted good, and promised wisdom. This reflects a shift from ruach (spirit) to nefesh behamit (animal soul)—a descent into instinctual reasoning.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil paved the way for a “new burden” for them and all of humankind.

The Tree of Knowledge introduced da’at tov v’ra (the knowledge of good and evil) not divine wisdom, but duality. Humanity now had to discern good and evil without the clarity of innocence. This burden is echoed in Romans 7:23 (ISV): “But I see another law in my body parts, waging war against the law of my mind…”

The apostles understood this battle. Paul spoke of the flesh warring against the Spirit. James warned that desire gives birth to sin. Peter urged believers to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul. The fall was not just historical—it was anatomical. It rewired the human condition.

When they chose to eat that which was forbidden, they chose sensation over submission. The tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), pleasing to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and desirable for wisdom (pride of life).

This threefold temptation reflects that descent into nefesh behamit—the animal soul. The divine image of man was not erased, but obscured. The garments of light became kotnot ‘or—garments of skin. The ruling soul was dethroned, and instinct took its place.

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Derech Hashem, explains that man was designed to rule over a lower nature. The fall reversed this order. Appetite began to dictate mankind’s choices. The serpent’s appeal was not to reason, but to desire—and once desire ruled, the moral compass shattered.

This is the tragedy of Eden: humanity, once crowned with glory, fell to the level of basic animal instinct. Instead of walking by the Spirit, we now default to what feels good, tastes good, and appears good.

Instead of ruling creation, we are ruled by cravings. The divine image flickers beneath layers of appetite, pride, and fear.

This is why we must fight the flesh daily. Not because the body is evil, but because it must be ruled by the Spirit. To live in holiness is to choose the higher nature—to walk in the Spirit, to submit appetite to obedience, and to restore what was lost in Eden.

Paul writes in Galatians 5:16 (ISV): “Live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh.”

We are called to reverse the fall—not by our strength, but by surrender.

To choose what is truly good, not merely what appears good.

To walk not by instinct, but by discernment.

To reclaim the image, not indulge the appetite.

This can only be done by the blood of Yeshua- the second Adam. He was the spotless lamb who knew no sin and therefore had the power to reverse the effects of Eden.  He alone was able to take back the keys to death and the grave and regain dominion and authority once again, reclaiming mankind’s superiority over creation. Satan has lost - Yeshua reigns!

I await the full restoration of all things at His glorious return! Can I get an Amen?

Blessings,

Leisa

References

• Bereishit Rabbah 19:5

• Talmud Sanhedrin 38b

• Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Derech Hashem

• Rabbi Isaac Luria, Etz Chaim