“[The Lord God formed] the man [ha’adam]” – due to the merit of Abraham.18“The man,” with the definite article, seems to be alluding to a particular man. The Midrash expounds that it is an allusion to Abraham, as it goes on to show. Rabbi Levi said: “The greatest man [ha’adam] among the giants” (Joshua 14:15) – this is Abraham.19Who was a giant in the spiritual sense. Why does it call him great?
It is because he was worthy of being created before Adam. However, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Perhaps he will bring ruin [to the world] and there will be no one to come along to remedy [the damage] that he had wrought. Rather, I will create Adam first, as if he brings ruin [to the world], Abraham will come along and remedy what he had wrought.’ Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: The way of the world is that if a person has a sturdy beam, where does he place it?
Is it not in the middle of the Great Hall, so that it can support the [weaker] beams that are in front of it and the beams that are behind it? So, too, why did the Holy One blessed be He create Abraham in the middle of the generations? So that he would support the [unworthy] generations that are before him and the generations that are after him. Rabbi Levi said: One might introduce a virtuous woman into a house with a corrupted woman,20If one has a corrupted wife, he might take a second wife who is more virtuous, hoping that the new wife will influence the first one for the better. but one would not introduce a corrupt woman into a house with a virtuous woman.21In this case the second wife would be a negative influence on the first one. This explains why Abraham came into the world after Adam.