Chapter 13: Leaving the Garden
On “The Good Place” Eleanor figures out that they are not in the Good Place after all, and on the podcast Jon and Rebecca discuss the essence of a Good Place and whether Eve was on to something when she got the two of them out of the Garden of Eden! The parallels between Eleanor and Eve and Moses really fly, so strap on tight!
Texts:
(Go to Jewish Lexicon on this site for more on Jewish terminology, names of texts and other background. The links here in the citations take you to the specific quotes in their full contexts.)
Attributed to Rabbi Chaim of Romshishok
"I once ascended to the firmaments. I first went to see Hell and the sight was horrifying. Row after row of tables were laden with platters of sumptuous food, yet the people seated around the tables were pale and emaciated, moaning in hunger. As I came closer, I understood their predicament.
"Every person held a full spoon, but both arms were splinted with wooden slats so he could not bend either elbow to bring the food to his mouth. It broke my heart to hear the tortured groans of these poor people as they held their food so near but could not consume it.
"Next I went to visit Heaven. I was surprised to see the same setting I had witnessed in Hell – row after row of long tables laden with food. But in contrast to Hell, the people here in Heaven were sitting contentedly talking with each other, obviously sated from their sumptuous meal.
"As I came closer, I was amazed to discover that here, too, each person had his arms splinted on wooden slats that prevented him from bending his elbows. How, then, did they manage to eat?
"As I watched, a man picked up his spoon and dug it into the dish before him. Then he stretched across the table and fed the person across from him! The recipient of this kindness thanked him and returned the favor by leaning across the table to feed his benefactor.
I suddenly understood. Heaven and Hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The critical difference is in the way the people treat each other.
I ran back to Hell to share this solution with the poor souls trapped there. I whispered in the ear of one starving man, "You do not have to go hungry. Use your spoon to feed your neighbor, and he will surely return the favor and feed you."
"'You expect me to feed the detestable man sitting across the table?' said the man angrily. 'I would rather starve than give him the pleasure of eating!'
"I then understood God’s wisdom in choosing who is worthy to go to Heaven and who deserves to go to Hell."
Genesis 2:16-18, 3:1-6
(You should read all of both chapters, not just these verses, to get the whole context! And try to forget anything you know about the story and read it fresh.)
And Adonai, God, commanded concerning the human, saying:
From every tree of the garden you shall eat, yes eat
But from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat of it
For on the day of your eating from it you shall die, yes die.
And Adonai, God, said: Not good, the human being alone
I shall make for him a corresponding helper….
And the snake was more shrewd
than all the other wild beats of the field that Adonai, God, had made;
and it said to the woman:
Did God even say you may not eat from any tree of the garden?
The woman said to the snake: From the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat.
And from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said:
Do not eat from it and do not touch it, lest you die.
The snake said to the woman: You will not surely die/you will surely not die;
For God knows that on the day of your eating from it your eyes will be opened
And you will be like God/gods, knowing good and evil.
The woman saw that the tree was good for eating
And that it was a delight/lust for the eyes
And that the tree was pleasant to contemplate/think about
And she took from its fruit and ate
And she gave also to her husband and he ate.
Exodus 2:10-15
(and again you should read the whole chapter, and also chapters 1-4!)
The child grew up and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She called his name Moshe, and she said: For from the water I drew him. And it was during those days/in that period, Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers and saw their suffering, and he saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man, of his brothers. He turned this way and that way and he saw that there was no man, and he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. He went out on the second day and look, two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the one in the wrong: Why do you strike your fellow? And he said: Who placed you as prince and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? And Moshe was afraid and said: Indeed, the matter is known. And Pharaoh heard the matter/word, and sought to kill Moshe, and Moshe fled from Pharaoh and sat/lived in the land of Midian, and sat/lived by a well.
Link: Here’s the video where the cast members learn about the twist for the first time from Michael Schur, other than Kristen Bell and Ted Danson who already knew:
Learn more about Jon and Rebecca, and how to follow them, on our Hosts page!
