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Shalom TV's "Jewish 101" points out the first question in the Torah--God addressing the Man and the Woman who are hiding in the Garden. |
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Western civilization has been shaped by the classical Christian understanding of the Garden of Eden story, centering on the "original sin."
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In Christian theology, man has fallen so far because of his sexual "original sin" that he now needs a savior, Jesus, to return to God's favor. |
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In contrast to Christian teachings that view desires of the body and flesh as "unspiritual," sex is celebrated in Judaism, says Rabbi Golub.
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In Jewish tradition, all human drives come from God--both the inclination to good (Yetzer Tov), and the inclination to evil (Yetzer Ha-Rah). |
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Rabbinic scholars feel the great wrongdoing of the Man and the Woman in the Garden was that they did not take responsibility for their actions.
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