The Seven Positive Adamic Laws
What would the seven Noahide/Adamic laws have been had not Adam sinned?
We ask this knowing that the seven Noahide laws, according to the Sages, are the expansion of the one universal commandment that G-d gave to Adam in the beginning.
The Universal Commandment
"And Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam, saying, of all the trees of the garden you may freely eat!"
It is Hashem who commands. One does not obey the words only. One obeys the one who commands.
The Commandment As A Commandment of Reverence And Fear
And this is to say, the commandment is not a commandment from one who is below but is the personal commandment of the One who is the Highest. Obedience to the commandment must first be the obedience of reverence and fear toward the One who cannot be known unless He personally makes Himself known. For He makes Himself known with authority and love.
For the sinner, this became the commandment not to commit Blasphemy.
But had Adam not sinned...
This would have been the commandment to fear and love the Name of G-d in song, in all the mitzvot of life — to make songs to His Name in all the activities of receiving and giving life in obedience to His word.
It is G-d, Elokim, the Creator, the Judge who commands...
The Commandment As The Commandment To Know The Mind Of G-d
And this is to say not to obey the commandment because of the wisdom or understanding that you can discern in it, but to obey solely because it is the commandment of the Ruler and Judge of all that exists.
For the sinner, this became the commandment not to commit idolatry.
But had Adam not sinned...
This would have been the commandment to have the mind of God in all their judgments and to blaze the trail of life for all creatures to walk in, according to the commandment of G-d which was given to them.
The giving of a commandment is an exercise of authority that authorizes the receiver to take responsibility.
The Commandment To Be The Apprentice Of G-d
And this is to say that G-d created Adam with the intention that they sit as one at His right hand, to learn judgment and mercy and to walk humbly with their G-d, leading the way on the trail of life that they blaze for all creatures, that all who follow them might not only do as they say but also as they do.
For the sinner this became the positive commandment to establish courts of justice.
For in the world fallen from its head to its foot into sin there would be no permanent inheritance of justice. Every generation would corrupt itself and every generation would need the commandment to establish and re-establish courts of justice.
But had Adam not sinned...
This would have been the commandment to be the apprentice of G-d, and to become the choirmaster of all spirits and all souls to conduct the great song of praise and thanksgiving at the Assembly of Eternal Life, to praise and thank the Creator, who created all things on the foundation of mercy, having anchored mercy with justice, and joined these together with His seal of truth.
For now, due to our sins, we must continually establish courts of justice, but had Adam not sinned, had sin never entered the world, all lips in heaven and earth would have been sanctified by the universal commandment, the mitzvah of G-d. In the Assembly of Eternal Life, being free of judgment, all lips would have obeyed G-d in song, with wisdom and understanding. And in hearing their song, justice and mercy would have kissed, and all eyes would have radiated with the light of truth.
"And Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam..."
I have written on this aspect of the commandment out of the order where it comes, at this point, here in the universal commandment. I have written on it below, following all but the last of the seven commandments, for reasons that I believe will be apparent.
It would have been sufficient for the commandment to be formed as the statement that Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam to eat freely of all the trees of the garden. That the commandment included the word, "saying", meant that G-d was ready to elucidate the commandment.
The Commandment To Hear Faithfully
"Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam, saying..."
And this is to say, He commanded them to have faith and to be faithful in hearing the commandment.
His commandment was not given over entirely in its letters but also was given over with an unwritten intention, which was to be understood. The commandment was given in letters to be written down in due time. It also had a spirit, which could be known but never fully written about. It was a commandment saying something through its letters and between its letters.
By its letters, the commandment could be heard to say one thing. Between its letters the commandment could be heard to be saying something that was multiplied by the intention of G-d seven times. And those seven times could also be heard to be multiplied again, according to the conditions of obedience, or disobedience, according to the conditions of life, or death, and according to the conditions of the service of justice, or the service of mercy.
For the sinner, this came to be the commandment of moral faithfulness, neither to commit adultery, nor to break faith in any relationship before G-d.
But had Adam not sinned...
This would have been the commandment of joy, the commandment of full realization of love, so that all obedience to G-d could become fully the obedience of love. This was the commandment to interpret the commandment faithfully, and in so doing, to rise to the level of all knowledge, understanding and wisdom in doing the will of G-d.
This would have been the commandment to learn how to learn through the indwelling of the Divine Presence within the soul, heart and mind of Adam, in the performance of His word.
G-d had previously commanded the earth to bring forth all manner of vegetation. But then He acted personally in planting a garden for the Adam that would provide all the Adam's needs. He did not command them to eat at will of any and every thing that the earth brought forth, but instead commanded them to eat freely of herbs and trees He, Himself, planted for them in the garden. As to what grew wild, the Adam would learn from the Master Gardener how to tame it.
The Commandment Of The Kosher Garden
"Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam, saying, of all the trees of the garden you may freely eat."
And this was to say, only eat — but freely eat, of all that Hashem your G-d has provided for you in the garden. For the garden was the Garden of Provision for Adam, which G-d had Himself planted for them.
It was evident to one of faithful hearing, therefore, that Adam was commanded not to eat of any tree that grew of itself by nature, which G-d did not plant for them, which G-d did not provide for them.
Now, even though G-d had commanded faithful hearing of the Adam, in order that they might know this and be discerning concerning this through their faithful hearing of the commandment, G-d took an extra step in His kindness toward them. There was a tree that grew of itself by nature, according to its own commandment from G-d, which grew up in the midst of the garden. This was a tree that G-d had not planted for Adam, had not provided for Adam, and for which Adam had no need for sustenance. In His extra step of kindness toward Adam, G-d warned Adam concerning this tree growing of itself in the midst of the garden, saying, "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, do not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you will end in death."
For the sinner, the commandment to trust G-d and to eat freely (only) of all the trees of the garden, (that G-d had provided for Adam), became the commandment not to commit theft.
For the earth is Hashem's and the fullness of it. Whatever is taken but was not provided by G-d for us to take is stolen from Him.
But had Adam not sinned...
This would have been the commandment for Adam to build a palace in their hearts, a dwelling place where the One Most High could dwell fully here below. For in the commandment of G-d to trust G-d for all provisions was the commandment of all sanctification of the heart, and of all blessing of the heart, and of all thankfulness.
What became the commandment not to steal because Adam sinned would have been the commandment of holy and blessed prayer, had Adam never sinned, the commandment of communion with G-d from evening to morning: the commandment to enter Hashem's Sabbath rest.
And Hashem Elokim commanded the Adam...
Here I return to the order of the words of the universal commandment which I have taken out of order.
Adam was created to reveal the mercy of G-d at the foundation of the world.
The Commandment To Be A Vessel Of Life
And this is to say, that G-d created the Adam and put them under commandment, in order to rectify in Adam's eyes the scattered sparks of the light of His strict justice in forming the foundation of the creation, which light could not be held together as one light of praise in heaven and earth by the angels of heaven. For even His angels cannot endure the glory of G-d's strict justice, and the light of His glory shattered in their eyes.
For this reason, G-d created the Adam, as a vessel of mercy, and put them under commandment, to reveal in Adam's eyes the rectification of the light of the glory of His strict justice. In Adam, the creature of the earth, as through a veil, through a measure of concealment, the glory of the light of G-d's strict justice would be revealed through His mercy. For G-d required of Adam only faith and the obedience of faith.
For the sinner this becomes the commandment not to commit murder.
For in disobedience Adam brought death upon all their seed.
But had Adam not sinned...
Adam would have become the Temple of the glory of G-d. And all souls and spirits of heaven and earth would have worshiped G-d, their Creator, through seeing the gathered sparks of the light of the glory of God shining as one light from Adam's face.
After the Great Flood in the days of Noah, a seventh law was brought out, which was like an overview of the whole and a key that elucidated the one commandment as seven.
The Commandment Of Holy Eating
And this is to say that with these six commandments there is to be understood by faithful interpretation a seventh, one found between the letters to individually represent the whole, the one as seven. And this one, the seventh distinct law faithfully discerned from the one, would also have one form if Adam sinned and one form if Adam did not sin.
For the sinner, this became the commandment not to eat of the limb torn from a living animal.
This aspect of the universal commandment of G-d's provision of all things for Adam's need, which was to be found by faithful interpretation between all the letters of the commandment, to reveal that Adam should eat at the table of Hashem, became a commandment to restrain Adam from eating with demons at the lowest level of debasement.
Had Adam not sinned...
Adam would have sat with G-d to eat the meal of Mashiach all through G-d's eternal Sabbath Day.
Adam with King Mashiach would have apprenticed with G-d in creating worlds.
But Adam sinned and had to be commanded even with regard to not eating blood. For it can be known what the seven Noahide laws would have been, had Adam not sinned, and therefore it can be known what they are as commandments of repentance. Each will be known as a commandment of repentance in its own right. See here.
And here, in the seventh, it can be known that we are commanded to repent of partaking of blood and to partake instead of the bread of life, to partake, indeed, of the name of the G-d of Israel, which He will provide for all people to give life from the dead to all the world, to those who repent and obey through faith in Him.