05 – Mans Unique Creation
Study Partners Genesis Chapter 5 begins with the discussion of God’s Creation of ‘Adam.’ Why does Ha Torah return to the creation of humankind? First, Ha Torah informs us that God Made man in one day. (Genesis 5.1) says, ‘In the day when God created man.’ Then our discussion quickly leads us into unfamiliar territory. Second, The Man/Woman was created with both male and female sexual organs.
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָם אָדָם בְּיוֹם הִבָּרְאָם: ס
(Genesis 5.2) says, ‘זָכָר Zaw Chawr Male וּנְקֵבָה Voo Nih Qay Vawh and Female בְּרָאָם Bih Raw Awm created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Man, in the day when they were created.’ Holy Scripture says He Created them as Male and Female. Third, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָם אָדָם He called their name Adam. There was a male Adam / female Adam in the same body.
One side was the male Adam, and One side was the female Adam. Let’s say that the male Adam faced east; then the female Adam faced west. They were created OPPOSITE of each other. (Genesis 2.18) says, ‘And the Lord God said, ”It is not good that the man/woman should be alone; I will make him/her an עֵזֶר (Ay Zehr) a helpmate to match him/her.”’ עֵזֶר (Ay Zehr) also means, ‘One Opposite of him/her.’
What is it like to be like God? Fourth, We are informed that we are made in the [Spiritual] likeness of God. What does that mean? We know that God is Spirit. (Genesis 2.7) says, ‘And The Lord God Formed The Adam [refering to both the male Adam and the female Adam] from the dust of the ground, and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life; and the man/Adam became a living soul.
Study Partners the physical part of Humanity was created from the earth and gave the Spiritual aspect of humanity life from The breath of God. So the physical part of humankind came from the ground, as does the beast of the field.
Both Humanity and the beast of the field were formed from the dust of the ground, which perhaps forms a basis for evolving. There is a possible agreement between the creation of humankind evolving from the same earth as animals. Either way, it does not change the narrative that The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground.
So we see the physical part of humankind in (Genesis 2.25) as being naked like the beast of the field.
Humankind was not ashamed. That brings us to the consequences of Chavah and Adam eating from the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3) discusses the impact of disobedience. Adam and Chavah were always naked. They were naked when the glory of God overshadowed them, i.e., up until their disobedience. And they were naked after The Shekinah no longer overshadowed them after their disobedience. Their disobedience humiliated and embarrassed them. They became יִתְבּשָׁשׁוּ Yee Tih Bshaw Shoo, ashamed.
Adam and Chavah’s Aw Room, subtle nakedness, guile, and craftiness surfaced after their disobedience. It was always present with them, but the Shekinah separated the evil from the good. Remember! Everything created in us, including the potential for corruption, was made before any of us became downtrodden and disobedient to The Lord. We can allow disobedience to grow in our lives, or we can put an end to disobedience in our lives.
Disobedience causes us to hide from The Lord like Adam and Chavah did (Genesis 3.7 – 3.13).
When we think of God’s Likeness, perhaps some of us may think of God as Spirit, Wind, or Breath. We can feel God but not see God. We see manifestations of God like a mighty wind bending tree branches, a cloud, or a pillar of fire.
Study Partners, we are Spirit because The Lord God breathed Spirit into us. Our Spirit resembles God. Those who believe in the trinity teach that God is a Father, a son, and a Spirit. Nowhere in The Holy Scriptures do we read Adam was a son. Neither Adam nor Chavah had a father or a mother. Women cannot be fathers or sons. That in and of itself should make it clear that God is not a trinity.
Again, Adam and Chavah were created androgynous. Adam was partly male and female in appearance and gender. Chavah was partly male and female in appearance and gender. They were made masculine and feminine in the same body. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 33 – Again, this is significant because Holy Scripture does not describe God as being androgynous. Being created androgynous should help 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 need to be very careful about branding other humans as evil or sinful because of their sexual choices.
זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם בְּיוֹם בְּרֹא אֱלֹהִים אָדָם בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֹתוֹ:ב זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָם אָדָם בְּיוֹם הִבָּרְאָם:ג
בְּרֹא אֱלֹהִים אָדָם
Bih Roh Elohim Adam
Bih Roh Elohim Adam says, ‘God Created Adam.‘ אֱלֹהִים Elohim is plural. בְּרֹא Bih Roh is singular. That presents a problem for those that believe God is a Trinity. Scripture does not say כָתַב וַיִבְרְאוּ Chaw Tav – Vah Yee Bih Rih Vooh ‘They Created.’ Rabbi Avrohom Davis, The Mesudah Chumash A New Linear Translation Bereishis (Hoboken New Jersey, KTVA Publishing House, Inc., 1991) p 15
God Willing, we will continue to stay within Ha Torah’s Guidelines of righteous living and repentance. May we help others, May we bring peace and healing to our world. May this coming Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day.
Dr Akiva Gamliel Belk
