And what is the Rabbi’s opinion of the Book of Enoch?

And in addition, if I may ask, what would the Rabbi consider a tradition?
That is, how can one distinguish between reasoning and tradition?

I don’t have an opinion. I’m not familiar with it.
I don’t have a sharp and general criterion. If a Jewish law is said to be a law given to Moses at Sinai, then it is likely a tradition (though there are exceptions). In aggadic literature and matters of belief, it is highly doubtful that there are traditions from Sinai.

Why shouldn’t there be a tradition about the Garden of Eden and Hell? If the Holy One, blessed be He, created the Garden of Eden and Hell, then presumably He would want us to know about it; otherwise, what’s the point?

Anything can sound plausible. We do not see in the sources that such a tradition was in fact received.

So when you said that in aggadic literature and matters of belief it is highly doubtful that there are traditions, that wasn’t just a statement based on reasoning, but mainly on your interpretation of the sources?

Correct.

Enoch, as I understand it, is an apocryphal book that almost made it into the Hebrew Bible, about a prophet(?) who ascends to heaven and undergoes a journey through the Garden of Eden and Hell (although I’m not sure those are the terms used there, but presumably from what happens that’s what is being discussed.
It’s a book that predates Christianity.

A summary of the Book of Enoch, including Abraham Kahana’s detailed introduction and the contents of the books themselves (1 Enoch and 2 Enoch).

The summary is divided into three main parts:

A summary of Abraham Kahana’s introduction to 1 Enoch (the Ethiopic).

A summary of the contents of 1 Enoch (the Ethiopic), divided according to its five parts.

A summary of the introduction to 2 Enoch (the Slavonic).

1. Summary of Abraham Kahana’s introduction (1 Enoch)

Kahana’s extensive introduction provides historical, theological, and literary background essential for understanding the book.

The status of Enoch: The introduction opens by explaining that the figure of Enoch, whom “God took,” served as the basis for many legends about his ascent to heaven while still alive. Many books, known as “Enochic literature,” were written in his name, but each one served as a framework for its author’s own ideas.

The rejection of the book in Judaism: After early Christianity began using these books to support its beliefs, official Judaism rejected them. The Sages even went so far as to cast doubt on Enoch’s absolute righteousness (for example: “he was a flatterer,” “sometimes righteous, sometimes wicked”) in order to push the book out of Jewish discourse. Tannaitic literature and the Talmuds almost completely ignore it.

The return to Jewish tradition: After the separation from Christianity was complete, the figure of Enoch again became beloved, especially in the mystical tradition, where he is identified with the angel Metatron, “the great scribe.” The Zohar laments the loss of the ancient books of Enoch from Israel.

Rediscovery: The books of Enoch were lost in the West but survived in the East. 1 Enoch survived in a translation into Ge’ez (Ethiopic) and became known to the Western world in the 18th century. The Hebrew original was translated into Greek, and from Greek into Ge’ez. Fragments of the Greek translation were also found.

The structure of the book and its author: Kahana argues that the book was written by one author at different periods. It is divided into five main parts, and each has its own introduction. The central idea uniting the book is the future judgment of the wicked and the reward of the righteous at the end of days, in the messianic era.

Time and place: The book was written in the Land of Israel during the Hasmonean revolt (before the death of Judah Maccabee). The author belonged to the camp of the “righteous,” who fought against the wealthy and corrupt Hellenizers, who had abandoned the Torah and lived lives of debauchery. The book is the cry of the faithful against the social and religious injustice of its time.

Influence: The Book of Enoch had a tremendous influence on other apocryphal books (the Book of Jubilees, the Testaments of the Tribes) and on later Jewish mystical literature (the Hekhalot books, the Zohar).

2. Summary of the contents of 1 Enoch (the Ethiopic)

The book is divided into five clear parts:

Part I: The Book of the Angels (or the Book of the Watchers) (chapters 1–36)

This part describes the original cause of corruption in the world and Enoch’s journeys.

The sin of the angels: Two hundred angels (“Watchers”) descend from heaven to Mount Hermon, desire the daughters of men, take them as wives, and father giants with them (Nephilim). They teach humanity sorcery, astrology, the making of weapons and jewelry, which leads to violence, corruption, and sin on the earth.

Heavenly intervention: The cry of the earth and the tormented souls rises to heaven. The four great angels (Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel) turn to God.

The decree of judgment: God sends the angels to punish the sinners. Uriel is sent to warn Noah about the coming Flood. Raphael is commanded to bind the angel Azazel and cast him into darkness until the great Day of Judgment. Gabriel is sent to incite the giants to fight and destroy one another.

Enoch’s mission: Enoch is sent to the fallen angels to announce their eternal sentence. They ask him to pray on their behalf, but his prayer is rejected.

Enoch’s journeys: Enoch is taken on a cosmic journey in which he sees the secrets of creation: the storehouses of the winds, snow, and rain, the ends of the earth, and the seven wondrous mountains. He sees the place of punishment of the sinful angels (a valley of fire), and Sheol divided into separate compartments for the righteous and the wicked, and the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge.

Part II: The Book of Parables (chapters 37–71)

This part, composed of three “parables,” is the most messianic and apocalyptic section.

The first parable: Describes the dwellings of the righteous and holy ones and the “Lord of Spirits.” Enoch sees the secrets of thunder, lightning, winds, and the luminaries.

The second parable: Presents a central messianic figure called “the Elect One of righteousness,” “the Son of Man,” and “the Chosen One.” This figure existed before the creation of the world and is destined to sit on the “throne of glory,” judge the world, humble wicked kings and rulers, and bring redemption to the righteous, who will dwell with him.

The third parable: Describes the future reward of the righteous, the secrets of nature, and the judgment of the kings and the wicked, who will be delivered into the hands of the righteous. At the end of this section, Enoch himself ascends to heaven and is identified with that same “Son of Man.”

Part III: The Book of the Course of the Heavenly Luminaries (the Astronomical Book) (chapters 72–82)

This part is devoted entirely to cosmology and the calendar.

The angel Uriel shows Enoch the laws of heaven: the movement of the sun and moon through twelve “gates” in heaven, regulating the length of day and night and the seasons of the year.

The book presents a solar calendar of 364 days, in contrast to the accepted lunar calendar. This calendar is regarded as perfect and divine.

Part IV: The Two Dream Visions (chapters 83–90)

This part contains two allegorical prophecies that Enoch saw in his dreams.

The first dream (the Flood): Enoch sees in a vision the destruction of the earth by the Flood as punishment for the sins of the angels and human beings.

The second dream (the Animal Apocalypse): This is the longest and most detailed vision. It surveys all of Israel’s history allegorically, from Adam to the end of days.

The figures: The patriarchs are white bulls, the Jewish people are a flock of sheep, and their leaders are rams. Israel’s enemies are various beasts of prey (lions = Assyria and Babylonia, bears = Persia and Media, wild boars = the Seleucid Greeks). The fallen angels are falling stars. The “Lord of the sheep” is God.

The history: The vision describes the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah (the building of a “high tower”), the sins of the kings, the destruction of the First Temple and the exile (the sheep are handed over to “seventy shepherds”—the angels appointed over the nations—who abuse them).

The Hasmonean period: At the end of the period, horns grow on the “lambs,” and they (the Hasmoneans) begin fighting the beasts of prey and the ravens.

The end of days: The vision ends with the great judgment, the building of a new and greater House (the new Jerusalem), the gathering of all the surviving sheep, and the appearance of a “white bull” with great horns (a messianic figure), before whom all the beasts and nations bow.

Part V: The Words of Enoch and His Rebuke (chapters 91–108)

This part is a collection of rebukes, prophecies, and blessings.

The Vision of Weeks (the Apocalypse of Weeks): History is divided into ten “weeks” (periods). Each week is characterized by a central event (Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the building of the Temple, its destruction, a generation of transgressors, the building of a new House and judgment, and finally a universal and final judgment).

A rebuke to the wicked: Enoch addresses the wicked, the rich, and the corrupt, and describes their terrible punishment at the end of days. At the same time, he encourages the suffering righteous and promises them reward and joy.

The birth of Noah: A passage describing Noah’s wondrous birth (his skin white, his hair like wool, and his eyes shining). His father Lamech fears that he is the son of angels, and turns to Methuselah, who asks Enoch. Enoch informs him that Noah is indeed his son, and that he is the one who will survive the Flood and renew humanity.

Conclusion: The book ends with a description of the blessings intended for the righteous and the eternal fire prepared for the souls of the wicked.

3. Summary of the introduction to 2 Enoch (the Slavonic)

The text also includes an introduction to the second Book of Enoch, which differs from the first.

Discovery and origin: This book survived only in a Slavonic translation (Old Russian and Serbian). Like 1 Enoch, it too was originally translated from Hebrew into Greek, and from Greek into Slavonic. The introduction notes much linguistic evidence pointing to a Hebrew original.

The contents of the book: This book focuses on Enoch’s journey through the seven heavens.

In each heaven, Enoch sees different things: in the first heaven he sees the rulers of the stars; in the second, the sinful angels imprisoned in darkness; in the third, the Garden of Eden (for the righteous) and the place of terrible punishment (for the wicked); in the fourth, the course of the sun and moon; in the fifth, the “Watchers” (the Nephilim), silent and mourning; in the sixth, the angels responsible for the order of the world; and in the seventh, the cherubim, seraphim, and the throne of glory.

The transformation of Enoch: Enoch is brought before God, removes the garments of earth, is anointed with holy oil, and puts on “garments of glory,” becoming a radiant angel. He becomes the divine scribe who writes all the secrets of creation.

Return to earth and the priesthood: Enoch is sent back to earth for 30 days to teach his sons everything he saw and to hand over to them the books he wrote (366 books!). This part of the book focuses on the transmission of the priesthood from Methuselah to the son of Nir (Methuselah’s brother), Melchizedek, who was born miraculously from a dead mother and already appeared like a high priest.

Place and time: The book was written in the Land of Israel, probably while the Second Temple still stood, because of its emphasis on the sacrificial service. The Greek translation was probably made in Egypt.