Devar/5771/Bereshit
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< Devar | 5771
עברית
English
male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created (Gen 5:2)
Before this, the Torah describes the creation of Adam and his wife in a different manner: first, Adam is created, Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground (ibid 2:7) and after that he "builds" his wife, And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made He a woman (ibid 2:22). Then Adam names her kind "woman", because she was taken out of Man.
To make things more interesting, in an even earlier location, the Torah says: And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (ibid 1:27). Since the earlier and later verses match, it remains to understand the middle verse, that is the story of the "building" of woman from man's rib.
There is a fascinating midrash in Bereshit Rabbah 8:1 -- Ribbi Yirmiya son of Elazar said, 'when the Holy One, blessed is He, created Adam, He created him androgynous. That is the meaning of the verse: "male and female created He them"'. Ribbi Shemuel son of Nachman said, 'when the Holy One, blessed is He, created Adam, he made him with two fronts, and split him and gave him two backs facing each way'. They objected, 'but it is written: "He took one of his ribs"!'. He told them, 'that is what the verse "'rib' of the Tabernacle" means, e.g. "side" of the Tabernacle' . In short, R' Yirmiya says God created man androgynous; that is, both male and female. And R' Shemuel adds that he was created with two 'fronts', which God cut into two (male and female). They are asked with astonishment, "but the Torah says God took a rib from Adam!", to which they respond that 'rib' is a synonym for 'side', as in the 'side of the Tabernacle'.
We don't find a similar story regarding any other creature; rather, each species is initially created whole. Only man is created in bits and pieces -- whether two in one body, or one from another's body. One might say that God wished to teach Adam that his wife is unique and precious to him -- as indeed Adam states, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (ibid 2:23). The Torah there explains: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. Because initially they were indeed one flesh, and they long to return to the state of wholeness, of unity. Therefore even God permits His holy name to be erased in order to return the couple to a state of wholeness and peace, as the Torah tells us regarding the "wayward wife" (Num 5:12 et. seq.).
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