For indeed, if Adam had brought offspring with him out of the Garden of Eden, these would never have been destroyed, the light of the moon would never have been darkened, and all would have lived for ever; and not even the angels would have equalled them in illumination and wisdom, as we read, “In the image of God he created him” (Gen. 1, 27). But since, through his sin, he left the Garden by himself and bore offspring outside it, these did not endure in the world, and this ideal was, therefore, not realised.’
Said R. Hizkiah: ‘How could they have begotten children there, seeing that, had the evil inclination not enticed him to sin, Adam would have dwelt for ever in the world by himself and would not have begotten children? In the same way, if Israel had not sinned by making the golden calf, they would not have borne children and no new generations would have come into the world”
R. Abba replied: ‘If Adam had not sinned, he would not have begotten children from the side of the evil inclination, but he would have borne offspring from the side of the holy spirit. But now, since all the children of men are born from the side of the evil inclination, they have no permanence and are but short-lived, because there is in them an element of the “other side”.
But if Adam had not sinned and had not been driven from the Garden of Eden, he would have begotten progeny from the side of the holy spirit-a progeny holy as the celestial angels, who would have endured to eternity, after the supernal pattern. Since, however, he sinned and begat children outside the Garden of Eden, these did not take root, even in this world, until Noah arose, who was a righteous man and entered the ark, so that from the ark there went forth all the future generations of mankind, who spread thence into the four quarters of the earth.’
תָּא חֲזֵי, אִלּוּ אַפִּיק אָדָם תּוֹלְדוֹת מִגִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן, לָא יִשְׁתֵּצוּן לְדָרֵי דָרִין. וְלָא אִתְחַשַּׁךְ נְהוֹרָא דְסִיהֲרָא לְעָלְמִין. וְכֻלְהוּ הֲווּ קָיְימִין לְעָלְמִין. וְאֲפִילּוּ מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאִי לָא קָיְימֵי קָמַיְיהוּ בִּנְהוֹרָא וְזִיוָא וְחָכְמְתָא. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר בְּצֶלֶם אֱלהִים בָּרָא אוֹתוֹ. אֲבָל כֵּיוָן דְּגָרִים חֶטְאָה וְנָפַק אִיהוּ מִגִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן וְעֲבַד תּוֹלְדוֹת לְבַר. לָא אִתְקָיְימוּ בְּעָלְמָא וְלָא הֲוִי כְּדְקָא חָזֵי.
For indeed, if Adam had brought offspring with him out of the Garden of Eden, these would never have been destroyed, the light of the moon would never have been darkened, and all would have lived for ever; and not even the angels would have equalled them in illumination and wisdom, as we read, “In the image of God he created him” (Gen. 1, 27). But since, through his sin, he left the Garden by himself and bore offspring outside it, these did not endure in the world, and this ideal was, therefore, not realised.’
אָמַר רַבִּי חִזְקִיָּה וְכֵי הֵיךְ יָכְלִין לְמֶעְבַּד תּוֹלְדוֹת תַּמָּן דְּהָא אִלְּמָלֵא לָא אִתְמְשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ יֵצֶר הָרָע וְחָטָא אִתְקְיַּים אִיהוּ בְּעָלְמָא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי וְלָא יַעֲבִיד תּוֹלְדוֹת. כְּגַוְונָא דָא אִלְּמָלֵא דְּחָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֶגְלָא וְאַמְשִׁיכוּ עֲלַיְיהוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע לָא עֲבָדוּ (במדבר קפט א) תּוֹלְדוֹת לְעָלְמִין וְלָא יֵיתוּן דָּרִין אָחֳרָנִין לְעָלְמָא.
Said R. Hizkiah: ‘How could they have begotten children there, seeing that, had the evil inclination not enticed him to sin, Adam would have dwelt for ever in the world by himself and would not have begotten children? In the same way, if Israel had not sinned by making the golden calf, they would not have borne children and no new generations would have come into the world”
אָמַר לֵיהּ אִלְמָלֵא לֹא חָטָא אָדָם לָא עָבִיד תּוֹלְדוֹת כְּגַוְונָא דָא מִסִּטְרָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע. אֲבָל עָבִיד תּוֹלְדוֹת מִסִּטְרָא דְּרוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא. דְּהַשְׁתָּא לָא עָבִיד תּוֹלְדוֹת אֶלָּא מִסִּטְרָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע. וּבְגִין דְּכָל תּוֹלְדוֹת דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא כֻּלְהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע, בְּגִין כָּךְ לֵית לוֹן קִיּוּם. וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹן לְאִתְקָיְימָא, דְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא אִתְעָרַב בְּהוּ. (ז"ח ל"ג ואפשר לון בסטרא אחרא).
R. Abba replied: ‘If Adam had not sinned, he would not have begotten children from the side of the evil inclination, but he would have borne offspring from the side of the holy spirit. But now, since all the children of men are born from the side of the evil inclination, they have no permanence and are but short-lived, because there is in them an element of the “other side”.
אֲבָל אִלְּמָלֵא לא חָטָא אָדָם וְלָא אִתְתָּרַךְ מִגִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן. הֲוָה עָבִיד תּוֹלְדוֹת מִסִּטְרָא דְּרוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא דְּקַדִּישִׁין כְּמַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאִין קָיְימִין לְדָרֵי דָרִין כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעֵילָא. כֵּיוָן דְּחָטָא וְאוֹלִיד בְּנִין לְבַר מִגִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן, וְלָא זָכָה לְאַפָּקָא לוֹן מִגִּנְתָּא, לָא אִתְקָיְימוּ אֲפִלּוּ לְאִשְׁתְּרָשָׁא בְּעָלְמָא דָא. עַד דְּאָתָא נֹחַ דְּאִיהוּ צַדִּיק וְעָאל בַּתֵּבָה. וּמִן תֵּבָה נָפְקוּ כָּל דָּרִין דְּעָלְמָא. וּמִתַּמָּן אִתְבַּדְּרוּ לְכָל אַרְבַּע רוּחֵי עָלְמָא. (שייך לקמן ריש סב):
But if Adam had not sinned and had not been driven from the Garden of Eden, he would have begotten progeny from the side of the holy spirit-a progeny holy as the celestial angels, who would have endured to eternity, after the supernal pattern. Since, however, he sinned and begat children outside the Garden of Eden, these did not take root, even in this world, until Noah arose, who was a righteous man and entered the ark, so that from the ark there went forth all the future generations of mankind, who spread thence into the four quarters of the earth.’