02 Adam and Chavah’s Creation Narrative
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בייה Genesis 2 Adam and Chavah’s Creation Narrative The Talmud states that the day Adam was created consisted of twelve hours. We are going to examine those twelve hours using Jewish sources. When Ha Torah speaks of הָאָדָם Haw Aw Dawm – usually that is a reference to both Adam and Chavah. (Genesis 5.1-2) says, ‘This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God Created man, in the likeness of God, He Made him; Male and female Created He them; and Blessed them, and Called their name Adam / Man, in the day when they were created.’ Adam was Adam, and Chavah was Adam. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series – Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 69 – (Bereishis Rabba 8.1) says, ‘When the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He created him a hermaphrodite [which is a person having both male and female sex organs], for it is said, ‘Male and female created He them and called their name Adam,’ (Genesis 5.2). Normally androgynous means one whose genitals are male and female, but here it [also] means two bodies, male and female, joined together. Thus Adam himself was originally male and female. R. Samuel b. Nahman said: When the Lord created Adam, He created him double-faced, then He split him and made him of two backs, one back on this side and one back on the other side.’ In The first hour, Adam’s dust was gathered from the future location of the Holy Altar. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem the Eye of the Universe, {New York, N.Y. Publishers: National Conference of Synagogue Youth / Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 2002} pp13-14 In The second hour, Adam was kneaded into a shapeless mass. In The third hour, Adam’s limbs were shaped. In The fourth hour, Adam becomes a living soul. (Genesis 2.7) speaks of the second, third, and fourth hours, ‘And the Lord God Formed the Adam / Man [body] completely from the dust of the ground, and Breathed into his nostrils נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים Nee Shi Maht – Chah Yeem the breath of life; and the Adam / Man, became לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה Lih Neh Fehsh – Chah Yawh – a living soul.‘ In The fifth hour, the Adam arose and stood on his feet. In The sixth hour (Genesis 2.19) says, ‘[In the sixth hour] the Lord God Formed every beast of the field, from out of the ground and every bird of the air; and Brought them to Ha Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Ha Adam called every living creature, that was its name.‘ In The seventh hour was when Chavah was taken from Adam. The Talmud says they were created to be twenty years of age. They were Wed. (Berachot 61a) says, ‘And the Lord Built the side?‘ The meaning is that The Holy One, blessed be He, Plaited Chavah’s hair and brought her to Adam, followed by myriads of ministering angels, who offered song and music. – Rabbi Yisrael Yitzchok Yishai Chasidah, Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities (Jerusalem: Publication Mashabim, 2003 Shaar Press Publishing) p 186]. In The eighth hour (they consummated their marriage, and two full-grown children were born to them, Cain and his twin sister, who eventually became his wife. In The ninth hour the Adam received the first Command / Observance from The Lord God. (Genesis 2.16-17) says [In the ninth hour], ‘And the Lord God Commanded the Adam / Man,saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; But of 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.’ In The tenth hour they sinned; ‘And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food 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.’ In The eleventh hour, they were tried and found disobedient to God’s Command. In The twelfth hour, just prior to the first Sabbath beginning, they were sent out from Gan Eden. (Genesis 3.23-24) ‘And the Lord God Sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from where He was taken. So he drove out the man, and He placed Kerubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way of the tree of life.’ The Psalmist wrote, ‘Man does not abide in honor; he is like the beasts that perish (Psalms 49.13).’ I acknowledge that there are diverse opinions regarding creation. God Willing, we plan to discuss some of these in the next few discussions in Genesis. Please drop us a line if you have questions or would like us to cover a specific area. Before we conclude our discussion, can we take five minutes to imagine what it may have been like for Adam and Chavah during their first day? What would it have been like for me to be the first man / woman? May The Lord Bless us in our daily walk, and may we stay within Torah’s guidelines. May The Lord make us to prosper daily. May we bring peace and healing to our world. May this coming Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day. Good Sabbath! Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk |
