Genesis

בייה

Genesis 30 – Crisis of Identity

Our discussion is in the loving memory of Mrs Martha Reynolds ז”ל.

Some individuals are in an emotional crisis about their physical identity. Individuals, families, and society are facing an individuality crisis. The crisis is real. Yet, it is not all that different from the previous crisis humankind met. The crisis is not new to humanity: Adam and Chavah / Eve experienced a crisis. Ha, Torah teaches us that when Adam and Chavah were created, they were physically androgynous. What does this mean? How does androgen affect us? (Genesis 5.1-2) says, ‘This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God Created Adam, in the [Spiritual] semblance of God, He made him, male and female [in one body]. He created and blessed them and called their name Adam on the day they were created. (Genesis 5.1-2) explains the emotional origins of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual people. Ha, Torah discusses the sexual origins of the couple we each descended from. Adam was partly male and partly female in appearance. Chavah was partly male and partly female in appearance. Lord God formed their body with a combination of masculine and feminine sexual organs in one body. They were created androgynous. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 33

That is significant because Holy Scripture does not describe God as being androgynous. Adam and Chava being created androgynous should help us understand the physical and sexual attractions experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. This is NOT an Endorsement. This is an explanation about emotional feelings that are founded in Ha Torah. Our emotions cause us to transgress Ha Torah sometimes. The sin of Chavah and Adam was an emotional sin. Chavah emotionally desired the fruit. (Genesis 3.6) says, ‘And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, [she imagined] and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate, and also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.‘ Adam and Chavah departed from what Lord God had Commanded. ‘You may eat freely of every tree of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’ (Genesis 2.16-17). We MUST object to the emotions that do not align with what Ha Torah Commands.

(Genesis 2.7) says that, ‘When Lord God had entirely formed [the physical body of] Ha Adam, i.e., Adam and Chavah from the dust [gathered around the future Altar of the Holy Temple] then [Lord God] blew Spirit Life in their face then the Adam became a living soul.’

Genesis 5.1 says, זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם ‘This Book is the history of Adam [humankind].’Translators tend to translate תּוֹלְדֹת Toh Lihl Doht as descendants or generations rather than’ history.’ In so doing, they bypass explaining the history. Translators that renderתּוֹלְדֹת Toh Lihl Doht as history may still miss the record in (Genesis 5.1-2). Some translations render אָדָם – Adam as a man, which is correct but in this insistence, using Adam is the better choice. Why? Holy Scripture reveals, not conceals. The psalmist wrote, ‘Your Word [Torah] is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. In other words, when Holy Scripture says, ‘Ha Torah is a light to our path,’ it means the purpose of Ha Torah is to enlighten. How does translating Adam as man enlighten us? We already have a Word for ‘man’ – אִישׁ Eesh whereas the name Adam reflects and reveals the participants of a story. It’s not so general! (Genesis 5.1-2) says, ‘This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created Adam, in the [Spiritual] semblance of God, He made him; male and female. He created them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day they were created.’

Genesis 5.1 reveals the Spiritual semblance of Adam before Lord God separated Chavah from him. Originally they were one soul. When Lord God separated them, they became soulmates. Kabbalah teaches that all souls come from Adam, who has a Spiritual Soul from the Lord God and a physical body from the dust of Mother Earth.

What is it like to be like God? Ha Torah states we are made in the Spiritual semblance of God. What does that mean? We know that God is Spirit. When we think of God’s Semblance, perhaps we think of God as Spirit, Wind, or Breath, where His Presence is felt.

We can deduce from the above information that we were not created in the physical image of God. God does not have a physical image. We were created in God’s Spiritual Image. Our likeness to God is Spiritual. We were created in His spiritual likeness. That is significant because Holy Scripture does not describe God as being androgynous. Knowing that Adam and Chava were created androgynous helps us understand physical and sexual attractions experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. Those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer may appear different from heterosexuals. Yet who can say what is in each of our gene pools? We must be careful about branding other humans as evil or sinful because of their sexual choices.

Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said: When The Lord Created Adam, He created him double-faced, then later He split him and made him with two backs, one back on this side and one back on the other side. מִצַּלְעֹתָיו – Mee Zah Lih Ooh Thaw means from one of his sides. So our first Parents were created androgynous. וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם and [then] He blessed them. Does that seem strange or awkward? Being created androgynous didn’t alter the identity of their children. In (Genesis 4.1) Chavah said, ‘I have acquired a man from Lord.’ Finally, we come to the message of (Genesis 30). Let’s take a trip to determine how Lord God, Ha Torah, Jacob, and his four wives reacted.

(Genesis 29.32) says, ‘Leah conceived, and bore a son, בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ רְאוּבֵן and she called his name Reuben.

(Genesis 29.33) says, ‘And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Because Lord has heard that I was hated, He has given me this son also; and she called his name Simeon.’

(Genesis 29.34) says, ‘And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have born him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi.’

(Genesis 29.35) says, ‘And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said, Now will I praise Lord; therefore she called his name Judah; and ceased bearing.’

(Genesis 30.5) Ha Torah says Jacob’s maidservant wife, Bilhah, conceived and bore Jacob a son. ‘And Rachel said, God has judged me, heard my voice, and given me a son;therefore she called his name Dan.’

(Genesis 30,7-8) says, ‘And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed, and she called his name Naphtali.’

(Genesis 30.9-11) Leah gave Zilpah, her maid, to be a wife for Jacob. ‘And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a son. And Leah said, Fortune has come, and she called his name Gad.’

(Genesis 30.12-13) says, ‘And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed, and she called his name Asher.’

(Genesis 30.17-18) says, ‘And [Jacob] lay with [Leah] that night. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob the fifth son. And Leah said God gave me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband, and she called him Issachar.”

Genesis 30.19-20) says, ‘And Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob the sixth son. And Leah said God has endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband live with me, because I have born him six sons; and she called him Zebulun.’

(Genesis 30.21) says, ‘And afterward she bore a daughter and called her Dinah.’

(Genesis 30.22-23) says, ‘God remembered Rachel, listened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, bore a son; and said, God has taken away my reproach, And she called his name Joseph; and said, Lord shall add another son to me.’

Please remember All family crises are spiritual. Evil always attacks good! Incorrect always attacks correct. Emotions try to sway us to disobey what Lord God has Commanded in Ha Torah. We must Observe Ha Torah in what we do or don’t do for our children. We can learn some insights into the guidance given to Jacob’s eleven sons and one daughter, who were born during seven years between (Genesis 29.32 – 30.25.) Benjamin was born in Genesis 35.18. Eleven of these births were sons, בֵּן – Bayn – meaning ‘Son – Male.’ Please observe the parental guidance from each of Jacob’s wives. Jacob’s wives used words identifying their son like בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא Bayn Vah Tee Kih Raw – She called him son,’ – בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר – Bayn – Vah Toh Mehr – ‘She said son’ and בַּת וַתִּקְרָא – Bat – Vah tee Kih Rah – ‘She called her daughter.’ The mothers took the initiative to identify their children. This was not a decision for a child to make!! Observing Torah guidelines is always essential! God Willing, we will continue to stay within the Torah’s Guidelines of righteous living and repentance. May we help others? May we bring peace and healing to our world? May this coming to Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day.

Good Sabbath!

Dr. Akiva George Belk

Author