4 And the serpent said to the woman, “You are not going to die,
5 For God knows that on the day that you eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like angels, knowing good and evil."
Radak: He knows that your mental eyes will be opened to be like angel, who know good and evil. The serpent had heard these words only from Chavah herself in her previous words. (verse 1)
Why are the eyes such morally weak organs? Why do we read twice a day in Shema Israel,
"and you will not follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray - so that you may remember and fulfill all My commandments and be holy to your G‑d."
In my opinion an answer to this can be found in the incredible power of the eyes.
Imagine you are walking in a forest , and you hear a loud scream. What was it? It could have been a crime that just happened, it might be someone play acting, perhaps it is someone mad at something?
Now you turn to look at the scene. All of the details you wanted to know about the incident are immediately revealed to you. The eyes have tremendous power to reveal things to one.
I think that since the eyes have so much power and influence over us we naturally want more and more. If one does not guard the eyes to see good things they might stray more and more.
6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise; so she took of its fruit, and she ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Tur HaAroch: saw that the tree was good She had thought originally that the reason why G’d had forbidden the tree was because its fruit was bitter, and the poison of the fruit would result in death to those who ate it. Now she had convinced herself that its fruit was sweet.
that it was a delight to the eyes. We learn that man’s desires are activated by his eyes, by what he sees.
She rationalized because she wanted to believe the words of the serpent. G'd said not to eat of the tree, but she saw that in fact there was nothing wrong with it just as the serpent had said.
7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles.
Rashi: And the eyes of both of them were opened — Scripture speaks here with reference to intelligence (the mind’s eye) and not with reference to actual seeing; the end of the verse proves this for it states,
and they knew that they were naked — Even a blind person knows when he is naked! What then does “and they knew that they were naked” signify? One charge had been entrusted to them and they now knew they had stripped themselves of it (Genesis Rabbah 19:6).
Radak: And the eyes of both of them were opened, their mental eyes. This is why the Torah continues with , “they knew,” and not with, “they saw.” They “saw” the same objects they had seen previously.
The eyes are very powerful organs They can do the most incredible things. If you go after immodesty they will only want more and more and you would be more and more corrupt.
If you guard them to see only good things, they will only want more and more and their power will help you throughout your life.
