334. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes..." (Beresheet 3:6). Come and see, people do not know, observe or pay attention that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam and honored him with supernal glory, He asked him to cleave to Him, so that he will be unique, of a single heart, in a place of single devotion - that he will never change or turn, but be in that bond of the unique Faith, to which everything is attached. This is the secret of, "the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden" (Beresheet 2:9), NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN CALLED THE TREE OF LIFE, SO THAT HE WILL BE ATTACHED TO IT, AS IT HAS NOT THE DUALITY OF GOOD AND EVIL.
335. Afterwards, they strayed from the way of Faith and left the peerless supernal tree, elevated above all other trees, WHICH IS THE TREE OF LIFE, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. And they came to cleave to a changing place that turns from one manner to another, from good to evil and from evil to good, NAMELY TO THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. They descended from above downwards and cleaved below to many changes. They left the highest, which is one and never changing. This is what is meant by, "that Elohim has made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Kohelet 7:29), NAMELY, THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL THAT CONTAINS MANY CHANGES. Their heart then changed by that very aspect, AS THEY WERE sometimes inclined towards good and sometimes towards evil, sometimes to Mercy and sometimes to Judgment. Surely it resembles that to which they clung; "they have sought out many inventions" and became attached to them.
336. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Adam, you have left life and cleaved to death. Life is as in the verse, "the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden," NAMELY a tree called life, BECAUSE whoever is attached to it never tastes death. And you cleaved to another tree. Surely death is before you.' This is what is meant by, "Her feet go down to death..." (Mishlei 5:5), and, "and I find more bitter than death the woman" (Kohelet 7:26). Surely he cleaved to the region of death and left the region of life. For that he and the whole world were sentenced to death.
337. HE ASKS, If he sinned, what is the sin of the whole world? WHY WAS EVERYBODY SENTENCED TO DEATH? You may say that all creatures came and ate of this tree and it was sampled by all. This is not so. When Adam rose to his feet, all creatures saw him and feared him. They followed him like servants before a king. And he said to him, you and I, "O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before Hashem our maker" (Tehilim 95:6), and they all followed him. When they saw Adam bowing to that place, THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, and cleaving to it, they all followed him. For THAT REASON he brought death upon himself and the whole world.
338. Adam then changed in many ways, now to good and now to evil, now to wrath and now to pleasure, now to Judgment and now to Mercy, now to life and now to death. He never remains permanently at any of them. This was brought to him by that place, THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. Hence it is called the blade of the revolving sword from one side to another, from good to evil, from Mercy to Judgment, from war to peace. It revolves in all DIRECTIONS and is called good and evil, as it is written, "but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it" (Beresheet 2:17).
339. The supernal King, whose mercy is upon His handiwork, reproved him, saying to him, "but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it." Yet he did not accept from Him but followed his wife and was banished forever, since the woman rises no higher than that place and the woman brought death unto all.
340. Come and see, of the World to Come it is written, "for as the days of a tree shall the days of My people be" (Yeshayah 65:22). "the days of a tree" REFERS TO that famous tree, THE TREE OF LIFE. Of that time it is written, "He will destroy death forever; and Hashem Elohim will wipe away tears from off all faces" (Yeshayah 25:8).