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Regarding the Jewish textual traditions around the first verse of Genesis, and the idea that there might have been something before, midrash goes wild imagining what that might be--but the one I find most poignant is a midrash from the Afghan Jews...
This Afghan Jewish midrash imagines that one day the Eternal runs into Adam and feels bad for him, since he's having some trouble adjusting to being kicked out of Eden.
So the Eternal invites Adam back into Paradise for dinner. Adam, filled with good food and wine, starts to get comfortable now that he's back home. The Eternal nudges gently about whether he'd like to see the world. Adam's not into the idea.
(One of the things I love about this story is how it positions Adam as basically that kid who moves back home after college for what's supposed to be a temporary stay then just... won't leave.)
So finally, the Eternal is like, "Look, kid, you've gotta go. But I know it's hard out there, so you can take anything you want with you. Go ahead, look around, take what you want, and then it's closing time."
So Adam goes on a tour of all the treasures of Paradise. Gold and silver, beautiful birds and animals, the finest fruits and flowers imaginable, mountains of jewels.
He comes on a pile of diamonds and takes one the size of a watermelon, figuring that will support him for the rest of his life. And then he agrees to leave and go see the world.
But as he's passing through the gates, he looks back, and fear and doubt and homesickness hit him. He's not ready to leave. But it's too late, he's already left.
So he collapses on the bank of the river that separates Gan Eden from the rest of the world, and weeps. And the angel guarding the gate starts to get pretty annoyed that this guy won't just get on with it, already.
So the angel says, "hey, quit dawdling and cross over!" and gives Adam a shove. Adam drops his diamond into the water. Well, now he has nothing. So he starts weeping even harder.
And the angel is like, "oh, ffs, just grab your diamond out of the water and go."
Adam looks into the water and discovers that the riverbed is covered in thousands, maybe millions, of massive diamonds.
Adam looks into the water and discovers that the riverbed is covered in thousands, maybe millions, of massive diamonds.
"What's taking so long?" the angel asks.
"I can't tell which one is mine," Adam says. "Where did they all come from?"
"I can't tell which one is mine," Adam says. "Where did they all come from?"
"Did you think you're the first to be turned out of Paradise?" the angel answers (in good Jewish fashion, with a question). "Thousands have come this way before you."
(Alas, the Afghan Jewish community is down to 2 men now, feuding over a synagogue.) haaretz.com/1.5431258
