The Fall of Adam account in the Stick of Joseph offers us a profound testimony to its authenticity as an ancient Jewish document. Consider the following passage:

And I, Lechi, according to the things which I have read, must necessarily suppose that an angel of Elohim, according to that which is written, had fallen from Heaven. Wherefore, he became a demon, having sought that which was evil before Elohim. And because he had fallen from Heaven and had become miserable for ever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Havah— yes, even that old serpent which is HaSatan, which is the father of all lies — wherefore, he said, Partake of the forbidden fruit and you shall not die, but you shall be as Elohim, knowing good and evil. And after Adam and Havah had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were driven out from the Garden of Eden to till the earth. And they have brought forth children, yes, even the family of all the earth. And the days of the children of men were prolonged according to the will of Elohim, that they might repent while in the flesh. Wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the mitzvot which Adonai YHWH gave unto the children of men. For he gave mitzvah that all men must repent, for he showed unto all men that they were lost because of the transgression of their parents.

And now behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever and had no end. And they would have had no children. Wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy for they knew no misery, doing no good for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knows all things. Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy. And the Mashiach comes in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the Fall. And because that they are redeemed from the Fall, they have become free for ever—knowing good from evil — to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, except it be by the punishment of the Torah at the great and last day, according to the mitzvot which Elohim has given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh, and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and Eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of HaSatan, for he seeks that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nefi 1:9-10)

This account includes some unique points, which happen to agree with certain Jewish traditions about the fall of Adam. Let’s examine several of these points below.

1. The Fall of Adam and the Yetzer Ra

We read in the Torah concerning the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge:

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:9 KJV)

Ramban comments on this passage saying:

…You may think the serpent was lying to her [saying “you shall be as gods”] (in Gen. 3:5), but our tradition admits he told the truth; and see “the YHWH Elohim said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us knowing good and bad’” (Gen. 3:22). The explanation that seems best to me is that man would have done what was naturally proper for him to do, just like the heavens and all their host, surely, reliably, and without emotion; but the fruit of that tree engendered will and desire, so that those who ate it could choose a thing or its opposite, good or bad. That is why it was called “the tree of knowledge of good and bad,…”

Ramban refers back to his comments on Deuteronomy 30:6:

And YHWH your Elohim will circumcise your heart (Deuteronomy 30:6) It is this which the Rabbis have said, “If someone comes to purify himself, they assist him” [from on High]. The verse assures you that you will return to Him with all your heart and He will help you.

This following subject is very apparent from Scripture: Since the time of Creation, man has had the power to do as he pleased, to be righteous or wicked. This [grant of free will] applies likewise to the entire Torah period, so that people can gain merit upon choosing the good and punishment for preferring evil. But in the days of the Messiah, the choice of their [genuine] good will be natural; the heart will not desire the improper and it will have no craving whatever for it. This is the “circumcision” mentioned here, for lust and desire are the “foreskin” of the heart, and circumcision of the heart means that it will not covet or desire evil.”

Man will return at that time to what he was before the sin of Adam, when by his nature he did what should properly be done, and there were no conflicting desires in his will, as I have explained in Seder Bereshit.

It is this which Scripture states in [the Book of] Jeremiah 31:30], ‘Behold, the days come,’ says YHWH, ‘that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers ..etc. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Eternal, I will put my Law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it.

This is a reference to the annulment of the evil instinct (yetzer ra) and to the natural performance by the heart of its proper function. Therefore Jeremiah said further, and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My People; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know YHWH; ‘for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.’

Now, it is known that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth and it is necessary to instruct them, but at that time it will not be necessary to instruct them [to avoid evil] for their evil instinct (yetzer ra) will then be completely abolished. And so it is declared by Ezekiel, ‘A new heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will cause you to walk in My statutes.’ ” (Ezekiel 36:26)

The new heart alludes to man’s nature, and the [new] spirit to the desire and will. It is this which our Rabbis have said : “And the years draw nigh, when you shall say: I have no pleasure in them; these are the days of the Messiah, as they will offer opportunity neither for merit nor for guilt,” for in the days of the Messiah there will be no [evil] desire in man but he will naturally perform the proper deeds and therefore there will be neither merit nor guilt in them, for merit and guilt are dependent upon desire.”

Thus Ramban sees man’s freewill (yetzer) to choose between the good inclination (yetzer tov) and the evil inclination (yetzer ra) as resulting from the fall of Adam. One might call this a period of “probation,” as does the Stick of Joseph, above. Then ultimately in the “days of Messiah” man will naturally follow only the yetzer tov (good inclination). The notion of a probationary state, found in the Stick of Joseph, agrees with Jewish traditions concerning the yetzer ra. Here are two other statements, illustrating just how extensively this notion is taught in the Stick of Joseph.

And thus we see that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yes, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve Elohim (Alma 19:12)

And now we see by this that our first parents were cut off, both temporally and spiritually, from the presence of YHWH; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will. Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness. Therefore, as the soul could never die and the Fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal (that is, they were cut off from the presence of YHWH), therefore it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and demonic by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state. (Alma 19:13)

2. Humanity Exists Because of Adam’s Fall

We read in the Stick of Joseph:

And now behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever and had no end. And they would have had no children. (2 Nefi 1:10)

This agrees well with a tradition recorded in the Zohar concerning the Fall of Adam, which says:

For indeed, if Adam had brought offspring with him out of the Garden of Eden, these would never have been destroyed, the light of the moon would never have been darkened, and all would have lived for ever; and not even the angels would have equalled them in illumination and wisdom, as we read, “In the image of God he created him” (Gen. I, 27). But since, through his sin, he left the Garden by himself and bore offspring outside it, these did not endure in the world, and this ideal was, therefore, not realised.’ Said R. Hizkiah: ‘How could they have begotten children there, seeing that, had the evil inclination not enticed him to sin, Adam would have dwelt for ever in the world by himself and would not have begotten children? (Zohar 1:60b-61a)

3. Was there any Good from the Fall?

The Stick of Joseph also makes the following statement: “Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nefi 1:10)

This brings us to a question posed by Rabbi Nachman in the Midrash Rabbah:

Nachman said, In the name of Rabbi Shmu’el: ‘and behold it was very good’ (Gen. 1:31) refers to the yetzer ra [evil inclination]. But can the yetzer ra be ‘very good?’ Amazingly enough, yes—were it not for the yetzer ra no man would build a house, take a wife and father children, or engage in business; as Solomon said, ‘I considered all labor and excellence in work and concluded that it comes from a man’s rivalry with his neighbor’ (Eccles. 4:4)” (Gen. Rabbah 9:7).

This brings us also to Proverbs 14:34, which reads in the KJV: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34 KJV) 

צְדָקָ֥ה תְרֹֽומֵֽם־ גֹּ֑וי וְחֶ֖סֶד לְאֻמִּ֣ים חַטָּֽאת׃

The Hebrew word חסד (Strong’s 2617( can mean “reproach” but can also mean “loving kindness” so that the sages understood this to verse to mean: “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but the kindness of the nations is sin.”

The Talmud quotes this verse as follows:

Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai said to his disciples: My sons, what is the meaning of the verse, Righteousness exalteth a nation, but the kindness of the nations is sin? (Prov. 14:34) R. Eliezer answered and said: ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation:’ this refers to Israel of whom it is written, Who is like thy people Israel one nation in the earth? (2 Sam 7:23) But ‘the kindness of the peoples is sin’: all the charity and kindness done by the heathen is counted to them as sin, because they only do it to magnify themselves” (b.Babba Batra 10b).

And the Tanya cites this portion of Talmud saying:

…all the good that the nations do, is done from selfish motives. So the Gemara comments on the verse, “The kindness of the nations is sin,”— that all the charity and kindness done by the nations of the world is only for their own self-glorification, and so on. (Tanya; Likutei Amarim 1)

This traditional Jewish understanding of Proverbs 14:34 is telling us that the heathen nations do in fact perform acts of loving kindness, but they do so with selfish motives. In other words they perform acts of kindness, motivated by the yetzer ra (evil inclination). 

+++

Part of Elohim’s plan for the progress of our soul is that we learn to overcome the Yetzer Ra (evil inclination). This is explained very well by the Rebbe Zalman in his book the Tanya:

This is also what the Rabbis meant, “If a man consecrates himself in a small measure down below, he is sanctified much more from above,” (b.Yoma 39a; b.Shabbat 10a) apart from his having fulfilled the positive commandment of the Torah, “Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy” (Lev. 20:7) by dedicating himself [through abstemiousness] in permissible things. The meaning of “Sanctify yourselves” is “You shall make yourselves holy,” that is to say, although in truth one is not holy and separated from the sitra achra, for it is at its strength and might, as at its birth, in the left part, yet one subdues his evil impulse and sanctifies himself— then “Shall ye be holy,” that is to say, in the end one will be truly holy and separated from the sitra achra, by virtue of being sanctified in a great measure from above, and being helped to expel it from his heart little by little. (Tanya I, 27)

This is why it was Elohim’s plan that we have flesh, and with it freewill, so that we might be tested by the Yetzer Ra so that we might be sanctified, and that our souls might overcome the Yetzer Ra. Men had to be born into bodies of flesh in order to progress in this manner. This is why the first century Jewish writer Philo of Alexandria wrote:

… There are two several parts of which we consist, the soul and the body; now the body is made of earth, but the soul consists of air, being a fragment of the Divinity, for “God breathed into man’s face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7) It is therefore quite consistent with reason to say that the body which was fashioned out of the earth has nourishment which the earth gives forth akin to the matter of which it is composed; but the soul, inasmuch as it is a portion of the ethereal nature, is supported by nourishment which is ethereal and divine, for it is nourished on knowledge, and not on meat or drink, which the body requires. (Allegorical Interpretation, III, 161)

He does well here to attribute the flow of blood to the mass of flesh, combining two things appropriate to one another; but the essence of the mind he has not made to depend on any created thing, but has represented it as breathed into man by God from above. For, says Moses, “The Creator of the universe breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul,” (Gen. 2:7) who also, it is recorded, was fashioned after the image of the Creator. (Who is the Heir of Divine Things? 56)

For among created things, the heaven is holy in the world, in accordance with which body, the imperishable and indestructible natures revolve; and in man the mind is holy, being a sort of fragment of the Deity, and especially according to the statement of Moses, who says, “God breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7). (On Dreams 1, 34)

Paul likewise speaks of this conflict within each of us, which he characterizes as a conflict between the “spirit” or “inner man” and the “flesh” or “outer man.”:

[14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
[15] For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
[16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
[17] Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
[18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
[19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
[20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
[21] I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
[22] For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
(Romans 7:14-22 KJV)

[16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16 KJV)
[17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Gal. 5:17 KJV)

Unless we are born into a body of flesh, could not overcome the temptations of the Yetzer Ra. This process is presented well in the Parable of the Harlot found in the Zohar:

But, indeed, the “evil inclination” also does through this the will of its Lord. It is as if a king had an only son whom he dearly loved, and just for that cause he warned him not to be enticed by bad women, saying that anyone defiled might not enter his palace. The son promised his father to do his will in love. Outside the palace, however, there lived a beautiful harlot. After a while the King thought: “I will see how far my son is devoted to me.” So he sent to the woman and commanded her, saying: “Entice my son, for I wish to test his obedience to my will.” So she used every blandishment to lure him into her embraces. But the son, being good, obeyed the commandment of his father. He refused her allurements and thrust her from him. Then did the father rejoice exceedingly, and, bringing him in to the innermost chamber of the palace, bestowed upon him gifts from his best treasures, and showed him every honour. And who was the cause of all this joy? The harlot! Is she to be praised or blamed for it? To be praised, surely, on all accounts, for on the one hand she fulfilled the king’s command and carried out his plans for him, and on the other hand she caused the son to receive all the good gifts and deepened the king’s love to his son. Therefore it is written, “And the Lord saw all that he had made, and behold it was very good”, where the word “very” refers to the angel of death (i.e. the evil inclination). Similarly, if it were not for this Accuser, the righteous would not possess the supernal treasures in the world to come. Happy, therefore, are they who, coming into conflict with the Tempter, prevail against him, for through him will they attain bliss, and all the good and desirable possessions of the world to come; concerning which it is written: “What eye hath not seen… he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isa. LXIV, 3). (Zohar 2:163a)

+++

These unique concepts, expressed in the Stick of Joseph, have significant agreements with Jewish traditions concerning the fall of Adam, which would have been unknown to Yosef ben Yosef in 1830, once again demonstrating that the Stick of Joseph is, after all, an ancient Jewish book.