The soul of the female is from the female, and the soul of the male is from the male. And this is why the serpent went after Eve; he said: since her soul is from the north side, I will seduce her quickly. And what seduction was there in her? Because he came upon her.

His students asked: tell us how the matter happened. He said to them: Samael the wicked made a bond with all the hosts above against his Master, because the Holy One said, ‘and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens.’ He said: how can we cause him to sin and banish him from before Him? He descended with all his hosts and sought for himself on earth a companion like himself, and found the serpent, and it had the likeness of a camel, and he rode upon it, and went to the woman. He said to her (Genesis 3:1), ‘even though God said, of every tree of the garden?’ — but I will ask more and add, so that she will diminish [it]. She said: we were not restrained except from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden; God said, ‘you shall not eat of it and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’ And she added two things: she said ‘and from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden,’ and it had only said ‘and from the tree of knowledge’; and she said ‘you shall not touch it, lest you die.’ What did Samael the wicked do? He went and touched the tree; and the tree cried out and said: wicked one, do not touch me! as it is said (Psalm 36:12), ‘let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away’ — ‘there the workers of iniquity have fallen, they are thrust down and cannot rise.’ He went and said to the woman: behold, I have touched the tree and did not die; you too, touch it and you will not die. The woman went and touched the tree, and she saw the angel of death coming toward her. She said: woe is me, now I will die, and the Holy One will make another woman and give her to Adam; rather, behold, I will cause him to eat with me — if we die, we both die, and if we live, we both live. And she took and ate from the fruits of the tree, and gave also to her husband. His eyes were opened and his teeth were set on edge. He said to her: what is this that you have fed me, that my teeth are set on edge? Just as my teeth are set on edge, so are the teeth of all the generations set on edge. He sat in true judgment, as it is said (Psalm 9:5), ‘a righteous judge.’ He called to Adam, saying to him: why did you flee from before Me? He said to Him: I heard Your voice in the garden and my bones trembled, ‘and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid’ (Genesis 3:10) — because I am naked of my works, because I am naked of Your commandment, because I am naked of my deeds, as it is said (ibid.), ‘because I am naked, and I hid.’ What was Adam’s garment? A skin of nail. When he ate from the fruits of the tree, the skin of nail was stripped from him, and he saw himself naked, as it is said (Genesis 3:11), ‘who told you that you are naked?’ Adam said before the Holy One: Master of all the worlds, when I was by myself, did I sin against You? Rather, the woman whom You brought to me — she pushed me away from Your words, as it is said (Genesis 3:12), ‘the woman whom You gave [to be] with me.’ The Holy One said to her: is it not enough that you sinned, but you caused Adam to sin as well? She said before Him: Master of all the worlds, the serpent seduced me to sin before You. He brought the three of them and decreed upon them the judgment of nine curses and death, and cast down Samael the wicked and his party from his holy place from the heavens, and cut off the feet of the serpent, and cursed it above every beast of the field and every animal, and decreed upon it that it should shed its skin every seven years; and Samael was punished, that he was made the prince of Esau the wicked. In the future, when the Holy One uproots the kingdom of Edom, speedily in our days, He will cast it down first, as it is said (Isaiah 24:21), ‘the LORD will visit upon the host of the height on high.’ And the speaking, and the death, and the punishment — all this was because she added to the commandment of the Holy One; and of this it is said: whoever adds, diminishes. And may the Name illumine our eyes with the light of His Torah, and place His fear in our hearts, and grant us to merit to meet Him — [He] who illumines the hearts; and may He light up the heart of understanding, and make the eyes shine with radiance.