This week's Torah portion is Bereshit ("In the Beginning"). It's the one in which G-d creates the world. There are words about separating this from that, water from water, land from land, light from dark. The kabbalists talk about idea of "tzimtzum"- in which G-d contracts from G-d's infinite presence in order to make space for creation that is time and place-bound. It is no wonder (it is a wonder) how apples and desire crept in your consciousness on this week in which the story of Adam and Eve has been told for generations. G-d imagines us into existence; there are two versions in one story. In one, the first one, we are created as "them." We are male and female and made in the divine image. In the second one, G-d makes a human
out of soil and blows the breath of life into his nostrils. Then, for company, G-d creates animals but they do not suffice, so another human (this time a woman) is crafted from the flesh of the first. But it's not entirely clear that Eve is born of "Adam=man." Eve is born of a human. Maybe the human that was man and woman? Not sure why this is the first time I read it and thought, "a human coming out of the flesh of another human..." - why do people read that as a "Adam's rib" (the Hebrew says "side," ) when it's so clearly describing birth as we know it? Or maybe back when we were unisex beings we gave birth to each other from our sides? Regardless, it doesn't sound so much like Adam came first and made Eve. As for eating of apples, knowing of good and evil - that's all in this week's portion too. And I have been thinking a lot about "what is Evil" and humans born of the same flesh this week, considering all that is going on in the world...
This week's Torah portion is Bereshit ("In the Beginning"). It's the one in which G-d creates the world. There are words about separating this from that, water from water, land from land, light from dark. The kabbalists talk about idea of "tzimtzum"- in which G-d contracts from G-d's infinite presence in order to make space for creation that is time and place-bound. It is no wonder (it is a wonder) how apples and desire crept in your consciousness on this week in which the story of Adam and Eve has been told for generations. G-d imagines us into existence; there are two versions in one story. In one, the first one, we are created as "them." We are male and female and made in the divine image. In the second one, G-d makes a human
out of soil and blows the breath of life into his nostrils. Then, for company, G-d creates animals but they do not suffice, so another human (this time a woman) is crafted from the flesh of the first. But it's not entirely clear that Eve is born of "Adam=man." Eve is born of a human. Maybe the human that was man and woman? Not sure why this is the first time I read it and thought, "a human coming out of the flesh of another human..." - why do people read that as a "Adam's rib" (the Hebrew says "side," ) when it's so clearly describing birth as we know it? Or maybe back when we were unisex beings we gave birth to each other from our sides? Regardless, it doesn't sound so much like Adam came first and made Eve. As for eating of apples, knowing of good and evil - that's all in this week's portion too. And I have been thinking a lot about "what is Evil" and humans born of the same flesh this week, considering all that is going on in the world...