Gan Eden: The Original Olam Hazeh

It states regarding Adam Harishon "and He placed him in Gan Eden to work it and to keep it", which means that Gan Eden, which for us is the place of reward for mitzvos, was then a place of work for Adam Harishon just as "olam hazeh"* is for us now. His place of reward was above Gan Eden, and Gan Eden for him was not considered a place of reward but instead it was for him what "olam hazeh" is for us now. When it states that G-d "planted him in the Gan", the word "planted" implies the aspect of action ("asiyah"), because at that time, before the sin, the entire world of Asiyah was much much higher than it is now, and from this we can understand the elevations of the worlds that the supernal lights will be more revealed more in the vessels, until the degree that what is now Atzilus will be, in the time to come, the level of Asiyah, meaning that the world of Asiyah in the time to come will have within it the revelation that now is found in Atzilus. And the aspect of Atzilus in the time to come will be infinitely higher because greater lights will be revealed in the vessels.

Likutei Torah, Korach 52c

* Olam Hazeh = this world