Everyday Holiness

Yael Eckstein  |  October 7, 2026

He wakes with the light.

Not to wonder what the day will hold, but to its quiet unfolding. Eden breathes around him—ribbons of mist drift, leaves turn to the sun.

Beside him, she rises like the morning itself.

They do not wonder what to do or where to go. Their feet find the paths already worn into the earth. Their hands move as though remembering something older than thought—tending, gathering.

The trees offer their fruit without hesitation. The rivers run where they are meant to run. Even the wind seems to know its course.

They live as the stars live—set in their places by God, faithful in their turning. What they have is what God has given them.

And over it all, His voice moves like the morning breeze—near, unquestioned, as steady as the light that calls forth the day.

Genesis 3:6

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Today’s Bible verse tells us about the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. We read that this fruit “was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.”

If we’re being honest, that sounds like a pretty perfect fruit, doesn’t it?

It tasted good. It looked good. It even promised wisdom. So what was wrong with it?

According to Jewish tradition, there was nothing wrong with it… except for one thing.

God said no… and that little detail changes everything.

The lesson of the Garden of Eden isn’t that the fruit was evil. It’s that right and wrong aren’t determined by what looks good, what feels good, or even what seems like the smart thing to do. Right and wrong are determined by God. When God says “no,” that makes something wrong.

That’s why Jewish tradition teaches us again and again that holiness isn’t just found in the big, dramatic spiritual moments.

Holiness is found in our everyday choices. Even eating—something entirely physical—becomes a sacred act when it’s done in obedience to God.

The great Bible commentator Nachmanides asks a question about today’s Scripture: What truly changed after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree? Weren’t they already intelligent? Didn’t they already know God?

Nachmanides explains that before the fruit, Adam and Eve lived their lives like the sun and the stars—created by God, purposeful, but fixed on a predetermined path. They didn’t wake up each morning wondering what they were supposed do. They simply were.

But once they ate from the Tree, something profound happened. From that moment on, they could listen to God—or ignore Him. They could choose good—or choose otherwise.

Today’s Bible verse teaches us of free will, one of God’s greatest gifts. But free will is also one of the greatest responsibilities He has given us. Some choices seem small. Others might shape the course of lives. But every choice is a chance to respond to God’s “yes” or “no.”

Holiness isn’t just found in the big, dramatic spiritual moments. Holiness is found in our everyday choices. Even eating—something entirely physical—becomes a holy act when it’s done in obedience to God.

One More Moment:

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