Parashat Hashavua: Bereishit
וַיִּיצֶר ה' אֱלֹ-הִים אֶת הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה.
And God created Adam (the human being) dust from the earth and blew into his nostrils breath of life; and Adam became a living animal.
In this pasuk, the question arises, when God created humanity, did he do so with the intention that we aspire to be more similar to God, as we are created in God’s image, or more similar to earth and animals as our name suggests. After all, the first human was named Adam which is deeply connected to the word Adama which means dust of the earth.
Many summers ago, I had the opportunity to hear Rabbi David Menachem, a Sephardi Orthodox Rabbi in Jerusalem, offer an answer to this question. Rabbi Menachem suggested that just as there is clear similarity between the words ADAM (human) and ADAMA (earth), Rabbi Menachem taught there is also similarity between the words ADAM (human) and EDMEH (will be similar to) in a verse from Isaiah (14:14): “I will be similar (Edmeh) to the most high.” Rabbi Menachem therefore concluded, our human task throughout life should be to overcome our animal instincts and to aspire to be worthy of being created in God's image. In the footsteps of Jewish tradition, Rabbi Menachem explained that the ongoing human enterprise is overcoming our yetzer ha-ra – our “evil inclination” or perhaps our animal-like instincts – by choosing our yetzer ha-tov – our “good inclination” or the divine breath that was blown into our being.
I wonder if there is another answer. We always read this week's Torah portion, Bereshit, right after the holidays. We have spent much time over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur reflecting and dreaming about our relationship with the Divine, about the way we wish to conduct ourselves, and about the world in which we want to live. And then we moved into our temporary home – the sukkah – and were reminded that relationships and realities are fragile and require building and nurturing. We must remember that we are similar to ADAMA and to all living beings. Perhaps the verse from this week's Torah portion teaches us not about how we can become more like God, but how our task is to bring God's presence down to earth.
And - perhaps this is what we mean when we recite many times in tefillah:
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵֽינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל:
May the One who makes peace in God’s high heavens may God, in God’s mercy, make peace for us and for all Israel.
Peace is a Divine aspiration for which we yearn. God creates it in the heavens. And with great care, patience and wisdom, it is our job to bring the Divine peace from heaven to earth.
May it be God’s will.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dahlia Kronish
HS Associate Head
