Parshat Bereshit: The Sixth Day (A Midrash on the Creation and Nature of Humanity)

 This week’s Parashah/portion is Bereshit. It takes its name from the first book of the Torah, Bereshit/Genesis, because it is the first parashah in that book. And so, of course, it begins with some of the most familiar words in our tradition B’reshit barah elohim...In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The rest, shall we say, is history. Or at least religious mythology.

As most of us have been taught through the years, God created Adam, the first man, on the sixth day. This was followed by the creation of the first woman Havah/Eve who was taken from Adam's rib. We all know the story. And yet, we don’t.

In the first Chapter of Genesis we read that on day six “God created Adam/the human in God’s own image, in the image of God was [Adam] created; male and female God created them.”  In other words, a singular human being, Adam, was created, but that Adam was male and female.

It isn’t until Genesis Chapter 2 where we read that, after God has created all the animals and Adam has named them, that God made Adam go to sleep, to a rib from him and then “ God fashioned into a woman the rib which God had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”

This would seem to contradict the narrative in Chapter 1, as the man and woman were here were created at two separate times. However, the early rabbis reconciled these two seemingly contradictory stories by the creation of a midrash. Midrash was meant to either fill gaps in the biblical story or reconcile differences. It was also a window into the beliefs of the rabbis, as there was no such thing as systematic theology then.

And so we read in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of midrashic writings on Genesis: “... Said Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Elazar: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, God created them androginous, as it is said, “male and female God created them. Said Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman: When the Holy Blessed One created the first person, God made [Adam] double-faced, and sawed [Adam in half] and made for [Adam] two backs—a back here and back there. (Gen. Rabbah 26:20). And so it was not that God took a rib from Adam, but rather, God removed one side from Adam to create Havah/Eve.

Another midrash about the creation which intrigues me is a commentary on the fact that God says  “Let us create Adam/the human in our image (Gen. 1:26)” rather than using singular pronouns. About whom was God speaking?  Many rabbis believe it referred to the angels. Rabbi Shimon said “When the Holy Blessed One decided to make the first person, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties, some of them saying: “Let the human be created!” and others saying, “Do not let the human be created!” ...[The angel of] Lovingkindness said: “Let the human be created, because he will do acts of love,” and Truth says, “Do not let the human be created, because he all lies.” Justice says, “Let him be created, for he will do acts of justice,” and Peace says, “Do not let him be created, for he is all strife.” What did the Holy Blessed One do? God took [the angel of] Truth and cast it to the earth (to the ground)… As the ministering angels were arguing and disputing with each other, God created him [Adam], and said to them: “Why are you arguing! Adam has already been created.” (Bershit Rabbah 8:5)

 Putting these two midrashim together (and switching the order in which I presented them) the creation narrative could read like this:

After creating the universe, the plants, and the animals, God decided it was time to make a new creation who would be in the divine image: Adam/the human. God asked the angels what they thought about this. An argument ensued regarding whether the creations of human beings be beneficial or detrimental to the world. Finally, God distracted the angels and in that moment God created Adam.

That human contained both male and female elements. Everything was contained within Adam. Then God put Adam to sleep and divided Adam into two distinct beings: male and female. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

This narrative presents as many questions as it does answers, not just about the idea of sex and gender, but also about the nature of human beings.

In rabbinic fashion, rather than mapping out a system of questions and answers in the form of statements of philosophical or theological beliefs, I will use midrash to raise my own questions and perhaps provide some answers, at least from my perspective. For in Judaism, the questions are often more important than what answers one might offer. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this as well, perhaps in the form of your own midrashim or your own questions. No answers are necessary.

The Sixth Day

As the sixth day began, God realized that there was something missing in this new world They had made. Looking around, there was more beauty than They ever imagined. The trees, the grass, the flowers, the stars and planets, the sky. The fish, birds, and other animals….the list could go on for as long as the universe. So what was missing? Eventually God realized that They needed to put something of Themself into the universe. For whatever reason, none of God’s creations at that point had the ability to think, feel, and converse in the same way as God. This was not to say that they were unimportant or inconsequential in any way.

On the contrary, everything which God had created was an essential part of the universe, from the smallest pebble to the largest waterfall, from the stream trickling down the mountain to rivers which then flowed to the seas to the stars, and planets, from the tiniest ant to the elephant, and from plankton to the blue whale. If any one of those creations were to disappear there would be an imbalance which could eventually bring about destruction. Yet there was still that one piece missing for God.

Why? God was able to talk and argue with the angels. They did that all the time. But they were all beyond the created world, not part of it. God needed to create something that was part of Them and part of the universe as well. And so, God decided to create something new whose form would be taken from the earth and then to make it divine, yet not divine. This was a way for God to stay deeply and eternally connected to the world of creation while still transcending it. 

And so God decided to create a new being, Adam, from the earth, adamah, and then bring it to life by breathing the Divine breath into it. In that way the goal of eternally connecting the universe and the Divine would be achieved.

Before doing so, God decided to share Their plans with the angels. In hindsight, this was not a good idea. Or perhaps it was. For as soon as God told them, the angels divided themselves into factions and began to argue with each other, as angels were wont to do. 

 “Why are you bickering once again,” God asked? It’s not like you are going to persuade me. My mind is made up.  That remark only intensified the disagreement.

First the angel of Justice spoke, “Eternal one, I know what will happen if you create Adam. They and their descendants will think only of themselves. Justice will not be on their minds. They will think how their actions will affect others.” “This is not so,” responded the angel of Mercy. “It may be true that there will be injustice and suffering in the world, but humanity will also show Mercy and Compassion. They will root out injustice and make the world a place which reflects our Divine image.” 

Then the angel of Love spoke, “But Divine Spirit, you cannot put your breath into something that is not truly divine. These creatures will think that they are above all else and care nothing for the world around them. They will not show love to other fellow beings, let alone to the animals and plants which preceded them in creation. They will hate that which is not them. They will scorn anything that gets in the way of achieving that which they desire. They will pretend to show love, and yet it will be selfish ego; the desire for glory which will guide them.”

“What you have said is only a small part of the truth,” replied the Angel of Truth. “There may be some who are guided by ego, a desire for glory, and who will not care for others. These humans will lie to themselves in order to achieve that for which they thirst. And yet, in the end, truth will rule the earth. For the forces of truth will help to show them that they are wrong. The lovers of truth, will enable all to see the reality of what existence means. They will be able to see what a gift it is that they are created from the earth and yet animated by divine spirit. They will understand and teach others that everything and everything in the universe is connected through the divine.

In the end, Adam and their descendants will make the world a place of love, peace, and compassion. It will be a world in which humans, animals, and the natural world will dwell together. It will be a world of which we divine beings can be proud.”

As God listened to the angels arguing, They knew that each one was right. Adam would be a gloriously imperfect creature. Adam and their children would do everything they could to make the world a better place. They would also do everything wrong and then they would try their best to do everything right. But that is what God wanted. God did not want everything to be neat and perfect (not that the divine world was exactly that either).

God wanted a world where God's creations would be challenged to make choices and in which they would both fail and succeed. Being a part of that world would truly be exciting.

And so God did what They knew they had to do, and what only They could do. God froze time. The angels were quiet. The rivers ceased to flow. The planets stopped in their orbits. In that moment God willed a new being, Adam, to spring forth from the earth, the adamah, below. God looked at this creature and was truly amazed. 

God being God, They were able to look at this creature and see into its future before it was even fully alive. Within Adam God saw more infinite variations than even They believed possible. And, God being God, they were able to recognize, acknowledge, and name each of these variations. That is one of the perks of being divine.

God saw within Adam what was to be known as male and female, and yet so much more. A multitude of variations existed in that moment between those two polarities. This made for a being that was truly unique and glorious. 

But these were not the only variations which God could see. For looking at Their creation God also saw a plethora of shades and colors, not only of their skin, but of their soul. God knew that as this creation grew and procreated, each individual new Adam would be different. There was no limit to what was possible for these creatures in terms of how they would appear, how they would feel, and how they would individually merge inner and outer selves to give birth to a new and beautiful creation. And even though Adam had yet to come to life God could hear words and languages flowing forth from them. Each was like an individual stream, each unique, but ultimately flowing into one, flowing back to the source from which they all were created. Even though they looked, sounded, and felt different from one another, they would eventually come to understand what God already knew. That they were all One.

In that very moment when God was able to see every one of the infinite possibilities of the human, God let out a sigh of wonderment mingled with ecstatic joy. The breath of that sigh entered Adam and they began to breath.

They looked around in wonder, just as God had done. They could feel, see and hear within themselves the multitude of realities which God had seen. In doing so, Adam became overwhelmed and afraid. How could one being contain so much within themselves? It was too much to bear. 

God realized that was true. And so, no sooner had God created Adam, then God caused a deep sleep to fall upon them. In that moment all the possibilities that were within the one split into the many, and thus the creation of the human became the creation of the human. In one glorious moment everything was within the one creature. And in one more glorious moment the one was split into a multitude of beings, each connected to one another and to the divine.

Once the creation of humanity was complete God awakened them and unfroze time. God looked down and saw humanity rejoicing in its diversity and it’s divinity. At the same time, the angels began to argue again. However, God said quietly, “my sister/brothers cease your fighting. My creation is now complete. Look down at the earth and marvel at my handiwork.”

The angels did just that. And in that moment they realized what God had known all along, that they were each both right and wrong about humanity.  It was both right and wrong, to create not just one human being, but all of humanity.

In looking down at these amazing creatures the angels uttered a blessing as one, “Blessed are you, Divine Spirit, Divine parent who has created everything in the universe and who, with overflowing love, has created these fabulous beings who will continue the work of creation each and every day, together with you and with everything else in creation, in order to give glory to you and to every single one of us. And to themselves and the world.”

And God replied, “amen.”