In this chaburah on Derashos haRan derashah #1, the Ran discusses how the process of creation led to the ultimate compound, the human being, who combines the heavenly and the earthly. However, the fruit of the tree of knowledge, being so aesthetically pleasing, made humanity overly attracted to the physical, broke the balance and led to imperfection, including mortality.

Derashos haRan is an explanation of the fundamentals of the Torah as explicated from texts in the Chumash. The first derashah explains the beginning of Breishis — from Creation through the change in humankind that came with the expulsion from Gan Eden.

The text is available on Sefaria, beginning at https://www.sefaria.org/Derashot_HaRan.1.41