The Garden of GOD is also known as an Orchard. In Hebrew the word for “orchard” is pardes, פַּרְדֵּס pardēs.
In the study of Torah, the Word itself is considered as the Garden of GOD. In order to pass through this garden safely, tasting the fruit which it possesses and exiting the garden/orchard in safety requires great skill, in wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
The ability to come out of the orchard with the full Counsel of GOD is the desired result. Only a few are able to emerge from the Garden.
The objective is to partake of the fruit of the garden and after having eaten of its fruit, you become skilled in the Wisdom of GOD. Or the worst can happen, you could become lost inside the garden, getting turned around or twisted up in rabbit trails.
And as the story goes….
There are some go insane. They get all tangled up in the trees, trying to consume wisdom that they can not understand, or articulate.
Some harm to themselves in the Garden. Harm can be done in a number of ways. Some start out zealous for knowledge, but not be able to sustain such things as the rigors of study, the demands of consecration, prayer, fasting, or simply the lifestyle of such a disciple.
Many begin with curiosity in the Word, but lack the attention span or self discipline it requires in order to continue. Some just have no real intention of following its precepts, but they love the sensationalism or the “knowledge hits” the Word provides.
The problem this personality type faces is, that once they possess the knowledge they sought, they are responsible for it. Harm can be done by turning away through apathy, doubt, disobedience, etc. Like I said, there are a number of ways to do spiritual harm to ourselves.
Only a few actually achieve their goal, and emerge with the highest levels of wisdom. These few possess the character traits that GOD chooses!
And so we learn in Chagigah 14b
The Sages taught: Four entered the orchard (The Garden of GOD), i.e., they dealt with the loftiest Secrets of Torah, and they are as follows:
Four Rabbi’s enter the orchard, aka, The Garden of God. Ben Azzai; and ben Zoma; Aḥer, the other, a name for Elisha ben Avuya; and Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Akiva, the senior among them, said: When, upon your arrival in the upper worlds, you reach pure marble stones, do not say: Water, water, although they appear to be water, because it is stated: “He who speaks falsehood shall not be established before My eyes” (Psalms 101:7).
Pure marble stones shine like glistening water, in the right setting (a garden) you may think you are seeing a puddle or stream of water.
Remember, the Rabbi’s are warned not to cry out, “Water, Water!” An important principle to know about the torah because speaking falsehoods will never cause one to be established in the things of GOD. The Rabbi’s want to ascend to higher realms of wisdom.. so speaking falsehoods, even about the little things in life, will them off (and us too!) from the higher realms.
Then…. The Gemara proceeds to relate what happened to each of them:
Ben Azzai glimpsed at the Divine Presence and died. And with regard to him the verse states: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones” (Psalms 116:15).
Ben Zoma glimpsed at the Divine Presence and was harmed, i.e., he lost his mind. And with regard to him the verse states: “Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you become full from it and vomit it” (Proverbs 25:16).
Acḥer chopped down the shoots of saplings.
Rabbi Akiva came out safely.
Rashi’s Analysis of The Events: (*I elaborate)
Rashi says Rabbi Azzai dies from looking at the Divine Presence.
Ben Zoma’s harm was in losing his sanity. This is a very strong statement by Rashi.
*He wanted to enter the higher worlds, i.e. higher realms and dimensions of torah study, but he could not attain it. He completely lost his mind.
Acher’s “chopping down the saplings” is telling us that he chopped away at the Word of GOD, cutting it down into pieces.
*He corrupted the Word in such a way, that no one he taught gained anything from it. They couldn’t elevate. The couldn’t protect themselves or others. They were unable to piece together any insight, knowledge or wisdom. The Word of GOD was unrecognizable from its true form. The people he taught had no power, no strength, no authority in the Word they tried to speak. Utterly powerless when it really mattered.
Acher means “The Other One.” His identity is uncertain which is why he is only remembered as Acher.
*Just like he “chopped up the Word”, so too is his identity one of many possibilities. As some of you have seen in class, the Torah is known for dropping letters from a name. It appears he lost every letter, until he simply became known as, “The Other One.” In the end, Acher lost his faith.
Akiva, in contrast to everyone else, i.e., the other three, became the leading Rabbinic figure of the time.
*Rabbi Akiva, came out whole… peacefully, in total shalom.
Lessons obtained in the Garden of GOD are terrific for understanding the potential outcomes and serious responsibility that we may have when delving into the deeper things of GOD. But, there’s another level of meaning that I want to remind you of that will help you navigate the Garden of GOD.
