778. It was an actual tree, and there were two: 1) the one that gives life to man, 2) the one that he who eats from it will know good and bad, know the good and straight path that will qualify a person, and the bad way, in which man will be corrupted. For this reason, the Creator commanded him not to eat from it lest he rejects the good and holds on to the bad.
779. This is why it is written, “From all the trees of the garden, you shall surely eat.” This is the tree of life, from which the man was to eat. But he sinned in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, of which he was commanded not to eat, as it is written, “but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
780. From here, a decree was decreed upon the man: to die, since he was taken from the earth, as it is written, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This teaches that had he not sinned, he would have had a long life. Since he sinned, the punishment is that He would shorten his days and die that same day. After he repented, He gave him the day of the Creator, which is a thousand years.
781. This is evidence that the sentence was first that he would die, for if this were not so, when he repented, He should have revoked the sentence. But when he repented, the sentence he was sentenced was revoked, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” and He prolonged his days and gave him His day, which is a thousand years.
782. He was commanded on the name and sinned in the name. He was commanded on the unique name HaVaYaH, which is ZA, the tree of life, as it is written, “and the tree of life in the midst of the garden.” He was commanded to adhere to the name HaVaYaH, and he sinned in the common name Elokim, as it is written, “And tree of knowledge of good and evil,” which is Malchut, who is called Elokim [God], for the people, too, are called by that name, as it is written, “You shall not curse the gods.”
783. One who makes an offering to that name, Elokim, the Torah said, “He who offers to any god shall be put to death.” He who replaces His unique name for the name Elokim, it is all the more so. In other words, he separates Malchut, Elokim, from ZA, HaVaYaH, and instead of HaVaYaH, adheres only to the name Elokim without HaVaYaH, and this was the sin of the tree of knowledge.
784. How do we know that he sinned in the name? It is written, “And she took of its fruit and ate.” This is an acronym [in Hebrew] of Mem-Vav-Tav [Mavet (death)], which is the name that emerges from the name Elokim that is separated from HaVaYaH, like the fruit that comes out from the tree. For this reason, the text calls the whole matter with those trees in the Garden of Eden, since life emerges from the tree of life, HaVaYaH, as fruit from the tree. And death, too, the name Elokim that is separated from HaVaYaH comes out from the tree of knowledge like fruit that comes out from the tree.
786. It is written, “And the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field.” This is the evil inclination, the serpent that incites people. As the serpent walks by twisting and not in a straight manner, the evil inclination lures a person to the bad road and not to the straight road.
787. What does it mean that he was more cunning than any animal of the field? He was more cunning than that living soul that is in the body, and he incited Adam until he was expelled from the pleasure of the Garden of Eden.
789. When the serpent incited the woman, it is written, “And the woman saw that it was good.” She agreed in her mind that it was good, as it is written, “for the Lord is good,” and as it is written, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” She agreed that Elokim without HaVaYaH is good, as the serpent advised, and that it is a delight for the eyes, the delight that the upper ones and lower ones are anxious to know and to attain. Promptly, “and she took of its fruit and ate.”
790. She exchanged governance for work, and it is forbidden to add things in the actual sin, but to delve more in the writings, according to his words. What is “and they sowed fig leaves”? Te’ena [fig] comes from the word To’ana [grievance]; Aleh [leaf] comes from the word Alilah [libel].
The middle line, the name HaVaYaH, rules over the left line and unites it with the right. If man were to adhere to the name HaVaYaH, which is the tree of life, he, too, would have had governance over the left line, and would receive from HaVaYaH Elokim together.
However, he heeded the serpent’s advice to take from the left without right, to draw illumination of Hochma from above downward, and this work spoils the unification of right and left, separates the left from the right, and death is extended from there. By this, he exchanged the governance of the middle line, which unites the two lines in the work, to work and draw the illumination of the left from above downward.
You find that he exchanged the name HaVaYaH, the middle line, which contains HaVaYaH Elokim together, with the name Elokim in separation.