245. The doors of the Garden of Eden were opened, the gates are guarded, one who comes in will not come out, and one who comes out will not come in. There are guards before the door; strong ministers rise within it. One pillar stands in the midst of the garden; that pillar is stuck in the ground of the garden, and there are three colors in it: the color of darkness, the white color, and the green color. They rise in it from hall to hall, and descend in it. Everyone craves coming into the garden, but not everyone has permission.
246. The Garden of Eden precedes the creation of the world; one governance stands over it, which was concealed in a thousand worlds, the governance of the illumination of Hochma of direct light, called “a thousand worlds,” which was concealed. All the engravings of the world were breached from it because all the restrictions and the judgments that came out only over light of Hochma, and the restrictions are called “breaching” and “engravings.” Happy is he who dwells in the Garden of Eden.
247. There are two brothers after him, gripping one another. These are the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. One, the tree of life, accepts guests and shows life. One who eats at his table lives forever. And one, the tree of knowledge, accepts guests and does not accept, and shows life and shows death; there are good and bad in it. One who eats at his table falls and dies, he has no salvation; there is no one to help him.
After the tree of life and the tree of knowledge there are loved ones. They are a delight to the eye, and pleasant to come near to, and everyone praises them. These are all the trees of the garden.
248. A blind was walking and approaching them, who is Adam HaRishon, to ask for a part of them. He approached that vision of life and vision of death, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, held it, and held his body. His friend, King Solomon, was calling about him, “And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite.” Adam HaRishon would not listen and would not lend his ear until he fell and died.
249. After these, one sweet one came out, as it is written, “And a river comes out of Eden to water the garden.” It was divided into four, as it is written, “And from there it parted into four heads,” and from each one emerges Hochma, from that great and honorable one in the garden, which is the river in the garden. From all those loved one that are pleasant to look at, which are all the trees of the garden, and from those two brothers who are gripping one another, which are the tree of life and the tree of knowledge, since all of them bestow Hochma.
250. Following them are the two Cherubim, youths, children, the guardian angels, and the blaze of the turning sword, with fire in their hands, guarding the roads and trails so that none will enter or leave except the one who did not eat and did not drink, who did not eat from the tree of knowledge and did not drink from the intoxicating wine, as it is written, “And He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and the blaze of the turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” “He placed to the east,” for they were created before this world was created [Kedem means both “east” and “before”]. From here on, all the spirits of the world were completed.
251. Another line is the left side, Hell, the side where the relics, the wicked, fall in it, the place where fire burns days and nights to cast in it those with lofty spirits who go to the left, who want to suckle from the left without right. They are sentenced in it for generations. These right and left that have been explained here preceded the creation of the world. Afterwards, the angles of the world were established, the four directions of the world.