Abstract

This article discusses a contemporary interpretation of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, considering knowledge as a multi-staged process that affects individuals, societies, and their history. Deepening of knowledge often questions the consensus on rights and wrongs, influences our perception and interpretation of reality, and results in new narratives. This discussion is the result of a cross-fertilization of artistic and political concerns in the setting of the poem and musical composition Ets HaDa’at (the Tree of Knowledge), created for the Meitar Ensemble and premiered during the festival commemorating the centenary of Tel-Aviv. The proposed interpretation of Adam and Eve’s expulsion implies a recognition that knowledge remains incomplete and that, in pursuing and understanding it, we will be “expelled” many times from Eden. Expulsion may not only happen in a conceptual manner (i.e., having to rebuild our worldview) but also in other contexts: for instance, being socially ostracized, or politically and physically persecuted by those who are in positions of power. By the same measure, it may lead to mutual empathy, to understanding of the aspirations, hopes, frustrations and pain of everyone involved, and, crucially, to an understanding of our own (and others’) wrongdoings so that we initiate the long process of healing.