Adam's Choice

"And He formed" (Genesis 2:7) - two formations: a formation from the lower beings and a formation from the upper beings. Rabbi Tifdai said in the name of Rabbi Acha: the upper beings were created in image and likeness, and they do not procreate and multiply. And the lower beings procreate and multiply but were not created in image and likeness. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: behold, I will create him in image and likeness, like the upper beings, yet procreating and multiplying, like the lower beings. Rabbi Tifdai said in the name of Rabbi Acha: the Holy One, blessed be He, said: if I create him from the upper beings, he will live and not die; if from the lower beings, he will die and not live. Rather, behold, I will create him from these and from those: if he sins he will die, and if not he will live.

וַיִּיצֶר שְׁתֵּי יְצִירוֹת, יְצִירָה מִן הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים וִיצִירָה מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנִים. רַבִּי תַּפְדוּיֵי אָמַר בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אַחָא, הָעֶלְיוֹנִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּצֶלֶם וּבִדְמוּת, וְאֵינָן פָּרִין וְרָבִין. וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, פָּרִין וְרָבִין וְלֹא נִבְרְאוּ בְּצֶלֶם וּדְמוּת. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הֲרֵי אֲנִי בּוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ בְּצֶלֶם וּבִדְמוּת מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, פָּרָה וְרָבָה מִן הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּפְדוּיֵי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אַחָא, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִם אֲנִי בּוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, הוּא חַי וְאֵינוֹ מֵת, מִן הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, הוּא מֵת וְאֵינוֹ חַי, אֶלָּא הֲרֵינִי בּוֹרְאוֹ מֵאֵלּוּ וּמֵאֵלּוּ, וְאִם יֶחֱטָא יָמוּת, וְאִם לָאו יִחְיֶה.

Commentary

This myth presents God debating with Himself about whether Adam and all subsequent human beings should share the characteristics of the celestial beings, especially their immortality, or those of the terrestrial beings, in particular, their inevitable mortality. God decides to leave the choice to Adam, thus setting the stage for the divine test that takes place in the Garden of Eden, where God tells Adam that he may eat of any trees in the garden except for the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Since Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they unknowingly lose their chance to have eternal life. Thus this myth supplies the missing explanation of God's intention in commanding Adam to avoid eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Genesis Rabbah 14:3 explains that human beings share four characteristics with the celestial beings: they were created in the image of God, they stand upright, they speak and understand, and they have peripheral vision. Likewise, humans share four characteristics with animals: they eat and drink, they procreate, they excrete, and they die. Thus humans share characteristics with both the celestial and terrestrial beings. This explains the proverb that humans are a little lower than the angels.

Themes

Original Sources

Biblical References

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