The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand began by noting that the eating from the Etz HaDa'as was a seminal moment in human history and the world changed as a result. R' Frand briefly summarized the punishment of the snake (Bereishis 3:14-15) the punishment for Chava (3:16) and the punishment for Adam (3:17-19). R' Frand noted that at the end of the punishment, Adam is told that he will die, stating כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב.
Immediately thereafter, Adam gives his wife a new name as the Torah states in Bereishis 3:20 וַיִּקְרָ֧א הָֽאָדָ֛ם שֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ חַוָּ֑ה כִּ֛י הִ֥וא הָֽיְתָ֖ה אֵ֥ם כׇּל־חָֽי. But why does Adam choose this moment to give his wife a new name?
R' Frand quoted R' Jonathan Sacks who theorized that when Adam was told that he was going to die, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Prior to this point, he thought that his legacy would be himself, since he was going to live forever. But now, he is no longer immortal and he starts wondering about his legacy and what he will leave behind. Adam realized that what he would leave behind is his children as they carry your DNA, your morals and your values. But to have children, I need a wife and I just heard Hashem say that you (Chava) will enable me to have children. In so doing, you - Chava will help me achieve immortality. Previously she was just a help mate, but now she is a fundamental partner as through her, I will have immortality. This is why she called חַוָּ֑ה-- כִּ֛י הִ֥וא הָֽיְתָ֖ה אֵ֥ם כׇּל־חָֽי - she will be the mother of all the children.
R' Frand gave a second reason for the change of name at this point. It might have been logical to call her death, since she brought death into the world. I could call her death and this is how she will be remembered. But I can call her Chava and view the positive. People are not totally bad or totally good and here Adam is teaching the fundamental lesson - don't look at her as death as because of her there will be life for every person.
R' Frand closed this vort with a story about R Lazer Silver who served as a chaplain in the US Army after WWII. He was successful in organizing a room in a DP camp where people could make a minyan. One day they were short one man for the minyan and R' Silver sent someone out to ask a man who was outside to join them. The messenger returned and said that the man had refused and said that he does not want to see a siddur, or a shul or another frum Jew. R' Silver then went out and asked personally and received the same response. He asked - why do you feel that way? The man responded that when he was in the camps, there was a frum Jew who had a siddur which he used to daven before the men went out to work every day. But the man did not only use the siddur, he "rented" it out to others in exchange for half their daily ration of bread. The man was disgusted by this and did not want to see another siddur, or shul or frum Jew.
When the man had finished explaining himself, R' Silver said to him - but why don't you look at all the Jews who were willing to give up half their meager rations just so that they could daven with a siddur. The man accepted this and joined them.
[When R' Frand told this story previously, he told a related story. Thirty years later, a man spoke at a conference of major Jewish leaders and told that story. He said that he was the man who had refused to join the minyan before speaking to R' Laizer Silver. His name is Simon Wiesenthal].
R' Frand said a second vort related to Kayin and Hevel. The Torah states in Bereishis 4:8 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר קַ֖יִן אֶל־הֶ֣בֶל אָחִ֑יו וַֽיְהִי֙ בִּהְיוֹתָ֣ם בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיָּ֥קׇם קַ֛יִן אֶל־הֶ֥בֶל אָחִ֖יו וַיַּהַרְגֵֽהוּ׃. The Torah does not tell us what Kayin says to Hevel before he killed him, but there are Medrashim which say that they argued over where the Bais HaMikdash would be built, or they argued over marriage or the division of property.
But why does the Torah not give the reason for the argument explicitly? R' Frand quoted R' Bukspan from Florida who explains that it does not matter what the fight was about. A person can get into a fight and not speak with a sibling for 40 years and no one remembers what the source of the argument was about. What is important is that there was a fight, not what they were fighting over.
R' Frand then observed that Kayin's punishment was נָ֥ע וָנָ֖ד תִּֽהְיֶ֥ה בָאָֽרֶץ (Bereishis 4:12). But how does this fit the crime? How is it Middah K'Neged Middah? R' Frand that people get into arguments because they stand their ground and will not give in to the other person. I am right and you are wrong, its my way or the highway and the person stands on principle. If a person does not know how to bend or move, the punishment is that you will learn how to move.
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