The Ultimate Comeback Story: How a Bad Apple, 70 Bulls, and a Donkey Save the World

Honorable Rabbi Yosef Edery
12 minutes ago
8 min read

Why you are more important to the universe than you think, and how to fix the one thing that started it all.

Introduction: We Need to Talk About Adam

Let’s be honest. We live in a world of "Oops." We send the text to the wrong person. We hit "Reply All." We eat the cake we swore we wouldn't touch.

But the mother of all "Oops" moments happened in a garden a long time ago. We aren't just talking about a dietary violation involving a piece of fruit. We are talking about the moment humanity’s software got a virus. According to the Torah, Adam and Eve had one job—well, two, actually: Eat from the Tree of Life (Positive Command), and Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Negative Command).

Simple, right? Don’t press the red button.

The Creator said, "On the day you eat from it, you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17). The secret of the Torah reveals something profound here: God is everlasting.

Since we are made in His image, our default setting was immortality.

We weren't supposed to die.

We weren't supposed to age. We were supposed to be like the elves in Lord of the Rings, but with better food and less drama.

The sin didn’t just break a rule; it "disrupted the code." It introduced entropy, death, and that feeling you get on Sunday night before Monday morning.

The Family Business: Why You Are Involved (Even If You Didn't Ask To Be)

We are all called "Bnei Adam" (Children of Adam). He is the father of all mankind. This means one crucial thing: His destiny is our destiny.

In Judaism, we don't believe in original sin in the sense that you are born guilty of his crime. But we absolutely believe in original damage. The shattered glass is on the floor, and we are the generation tasked with sweeping it up.

You might be thinking, "Wait, isn't this Israel's job? Aren't the Jewish people the 'Chosen People'?"

Yes and no.

The Jewish people are not the CEO of the company; they are the Spearhead. Or, better yet, they are the Maintenance Crew.

Think of the 70 bulls that were sacrificed in the Holy Temple during Sukkot (Numbers 29:12-34). The Talmud (Sukkah 55b) explains that these 70 bulls correspond to the 70 Nations of the World.

Why sacrifice for the nations? Why does Israel play "priest" for the whole globe? Because Israel’s covenant isn't just about saving themselves; it is about spearheading a fixing for all mankind.

The Magic Number 70: It’s Everywhere

The Torah loves the number 70. It’s not just a random number; it is the mathematical signature of "Humanity."

70 Souls went down to Egypt with Jacob (Exodus 1:5). This was the seed of the nation.
70 Elders made up the Sanhedrin, the High Court (Numbers 11:16).
70 Years of Exile between the First and Second Temples (Jeremiah 29:10).
70 Languages were taught to Joseph by the angel Gabriel to prepare him to speak to Pharaoh (Sotah 36b).
70 Nations (Genesis 10).

Why does this matter to you? Because the fixing isn't just for the "insiders." A cleansing cannot happen with a priest alone. The nations need to participate. It’s like a 12-step program: The sponsor (Israel) can guide you, but you have to do the steps.

The Great Event: The Resurrection of the Dead

Christians and Jews both have this built into their faith: Techiyat HaMetim (The Resurrection of the Dead). Maimonides lists it as one of the 13 Principles of Faith. Many believe it, but few stop to ask, "Why is this the endgame?"

If you remember the beginning of this article, Adam was supposed to live forever. Death is an anomaly. It is the result of a corrupted file in the operating system.

The Goal is not to go to a cloudy heaven and play a harp.

The Goal is to come back to Earth and get the body back.

God is not interested in dissolving the physical world; He is interested in fixing it.

The Prophet Isaiah (25:8) says: "He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces."

When the Resurrection happens, the psychopaths and narcissists—the spiritual descendants of Pharaoh who rule by ego and slavery—cease to have power. The Torah takes its place as the law of the land.

Darkness, corruption, and despair end.

Everlasting life resumes, just as it was before the sin.

Everlasting life is not a reward we seek; it is the default setting we need to restore.

The Two Names of God: Elokim vs. YHVH

Here is where the mysticism gets fun. In the Holy Tongue (Hebrew), God has different names. These aren't just titles; they are different frequencies of energy.

1. Elokim (אלוקים): The Nature Channel

In Hebrew, the numerical value (Gematria) of Elokim is equal to the word HaTeva (The Nature). This represents the physical commandments (Mitzvot) we perform with our bodies in space and time. When we keep kosher, give charity, or honor our parents, we are "fixing nature." We are working within the rules of the game.

2. YHVH (י-ה-ו-ה): The Miracle Channel

This is the four-letter name. The letters in Hebrew (Hayah, Hoveh, Yihyeh) scramble to mean "Past, Present, and Future." It is the transcendent level—the dimension of miracles.

The Transition:

When we fix "Nature" (Elokim) sufficiently, we merit to see the "Miracles" (YHVH).

This is the story ofJacob turning into Israel.

Jacob’s Hustle: From Trickster to Truth-Teller

Jacob spent his life playing in the realm of Nature (Elokim). He tricked his uncle Laban with the spotted and speckled sheep (Genesis 30). He had to be street-smart to survive.

But when he matured, he fixed his nature. The Torah says he wrestled with an angel (Genesis 32). The angel changed his name to Israel (Yisrael), which means "He who strives with God."

Once he fixed his physical reality, he unlocked a higher level. For his children? They got unspoken miracles outside the bounds of nature. Over 30 times in the Torah, God says, "I am the Lord who freed you from the house of bondage" (e.g., Leviticus 19:36, Numbers 15:41).

Why does God emphasize this? Because the Commandments are not a burden; they are a Get Out of Jail Free card.

"The Commandments of the Torah should not be seen as a burden, but rather as a way out of pain and misery perpetrated by ourselves."

The Poor Man on the Donkey: Why is Moshiach Broke?

The Prophet Zechariah (9:9) tells us: "Behold, your king comes to you... humble and riding on a donkey."

This imagery seems strange. If this is the Messiah, shouldn't he be arriving in a private jet or, at the very least, a luxury camel?

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) states: "He comes... a poor man riding on a donkey."

Why poor?

Because at the time of Redemption, the "Heretics, Psychopaths, and Narcissists" (the Pharaohs of the world) are still in control. The rich are only those who work for "Pharaoh"—killing who Pharaoh sees fit, stealing from those Pharaoh thinks he can get away with.

But the Moshiach is poor in a deeper sense. He is "poor in ego."

He has killed his animal desires and evil inclinations through fasting, prayer, and Torah study. He isSoul controlling Matter, Body controlling Soul, Mind controlling Heart.

He has no need for the world's wealth because he owns the ultimate currency: Self-Control.

The Biggest Secret: The Walls Are Grace

We often think God is hiding from us. We think He is limiting His presence to test us.

The secret is the opposite.

"God is not hiding from us or limiting his presence; he's giving us the lived experience to create the circumstances for us to choose."

Imagine a coach putting weights on a barbell. Is he limiting the athlete? No. He is giving him the resistance necessary to build muscle.

The "impossible choices" you face? The walls and barriers that seem unresolvable? These are His grace. These are His kindness.

We are just too stubborn, egotistic, or distracted to notice them. We look at the hard math problem and curse the teacher, forgetting that the teacher is trying to make us a mathematician.

The How-To Guide: The Three Levels of Repentance (Teshuvah)

Okay, so we messed up. We are children of Adam. We have the virus. How do we debug the system? How do we "fix" it?

The Ramchal (Mesillat Yesharim) and Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance) give us a practical guide. It is not easy, but it is simple. Think of it as a 3 step detox program.

1. The Break-Up: Stop the Sin & Make a Resolution

(Azivat HaChet)

You have to stop the action. But more than that, you have to make a resolution never to do it again.

The Joke:It’s like going to the gym. Stopping the sin is like canceling your gym membership because you realize you only go there to use the sauna. You have to admit, "I am never eating an entire pizza at 2 AM again."

The Source: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return unto the LORD" (Isaiah 55:7).

You cannot fix a leaky faucet while the water is still running. Step one is turning off the valve.

2. The Clean-Up: Fix What You Broke

(Tikkun HaMa'aseh)

"Sorry" doesn't pay the rent. If you stole, you return the money. If you gossiped, you seek out the person and apologize.

This is "Charata"—regret for the past. It is the realization that you broke the machine, and you need to order the parts to fix it.

The Source: "If a man or woman commit any sin... then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof" (Numbers 5:6-7).

If you broke a window with a baseball, you don't just say, "My bad." You buy a new window.

3. The Replacement: Replace the Sin with a Positive

(Kabbalah Le'Atid)

The Sages say: "A little light pushes away a lot of darkness."

You can't just empty the brain of bad thoughts; you have to fill it with good ones.

Replace the vice with virtue.

If you were stingy: Give charity.
If you were arrogant: Serve others.
If you wasted time: Study Torah or pray.

The Joke: If you don't replace the sin, it's like taking the dog out of the yard but leaving the gate open. The dog will come back with friends.

The Source: "Depart from evil, and do good" (Psalms 34:15). You must do good! The Sages teach that the specific opposite of the sin you committed is the specific medicine you need to take (Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 2:1).

Conclusion: The Choice is Yours

We are standing at the edge of the Red Sea. The Egyptians (our egos) are behind us. The water (uncertainty) is in front of us.

We can stay slaves to Pharaoh—the narcissist who tells us we are just physical matter, that there is no meaning, that death is the end, and that the most toys win.

Or we can walk into the water.

We are the children of Adam, but we are also the builders of the Messiah. The 70 nations are waiting. The 70 bulls are lined up. The world is waiting for the "Fixing."

Every moment is a choice. Will we continue the Fall of Man, or will we start the Rise?

The walls you face are not there to stop you. They are there to show you how badly you want it.

Let's get to work. 👑🖖❤️☺️