Parshat Bereshit4 min read

God Made Adam Last So He Would Not Think He Was First

The rabbis say Adam's body waited silent through all of creation, was stamped from a single mold, and first walked with a second face at his back.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Body Was Formed Before the Breath
  2. The Mold Made Everyone the Same and Different
  3. He Was Made With Two Faces
  4. He Was Made Alone to Teach One World

The Body Was Formed Before the Breath

God shaped Adam from the dust of all four corners of the earth before any soul entered him. The body was complete, or nearly complete, and it lay there while the rest of creation happened around it.

Stars took their positions. Animals moved through a finished garden. Day and night learned their rhythm. Adam was there the whole time, present but not yet awake, a human form without the animation that would make it human. Only after everything was in place did God lean in and breathe.

The rabbis gave this sequence a reason. If Adam had awakened while creation was still happening, he might have believed he was part of making it. He might have woken into a half-formed world and understood himself as a participant in its completion. That misunderstanding had to be prevented before it began.

So Adam arrived last. He opened his eyes into a world that had already finished itself without him. Everything around him was gift, and the timing guaranteed he would know it.

The Mold Made Everyone the Same and Different

God stamped every human being from Adam's mold, and not one came out the same.

This is not a contradiction. The mold is the explanation for both sides. Because all humanity comes from one original, no person can say their lineage makes them more fully human than someone else's. One stock, one origin, one mold. The basis of human dignity is the same for everyone.

But the divine artisan did something that no human craftsman can do: use the same stamp and produce no duplicates. No two faces from Adam's mold are identical. No two voices speak from the same depth. The sameness is metaphysical. The difference is practical and endless.

That combination answers two different forms of arrogance at once. The person who claims superiority by lineage and the person who refuses to recognize the distinctiveness of any individual both miss what the mold demonstrates. Everyone is equally descended from Adam, and everyone is irreducibly themselves.

He Was Made With Two Faces

Adam's original form was two-sided. His front was male, his back was female, or according to some readings, he had a face on each side of his body and the two faces belonged to two different beings not yet separated. He was male and female together, a single creature of doubled nature.

God split the form. The cutting is described in Genesis as the taking of a tzela, a word usually translated as rib but which some rabbinic interpreters understood as side or face. Eve was not taken from one small bone. She was separated from a full half of Adam's body, a figure who had been pressed against him since his creation.

The two humans who emerge from the split already know each other in the way that only something once joined can. They are not strangers who meet. They are halves that have been divided and are learning what division feels like.

He Was Made Alone to Teach One World

The Mishnah in Sanhedrin draws one more lesson from Adam's singularity. God began with one person. If a person had been created in multiples, a murderer could say that their lineage was no worse than another's, one bad family among many branches. The single origin closes that argument. Whoever destroys one soul destroys a world. Whoever saves one soul saves a world.

The lesson belongs to Adam's solitude before Eve, to the moment when a single human being held all of humanity's weight in one body. That weight never entirely disappeared. It distributed into billions, but the single origin keeps the arithmetic of each individual life larger than it seems.

CreationJudgmentAdamEveTalmudImage Of God
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Sanhedrin 38aTalmud Bavli, Sanhedrin

Our Rabbis taught: Adam was created on the eve of the Sabbath. And for what reason? So that the heretics would not say: He had a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation. Another explanation: so that, should his mind become arrogant over him, one may say to him: the gnat preceded you in the work of creation. Another explanation: so that he might enter at once into the performance of a commandment.

It was taught: Rabbi Meir used to say: as for Adam, the first man, his dust was gathered from the whole world entire, as it is said: "Your eyes saw my unformed substance" (Psalms 139:16), and it is written: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the whole earth" (Zechariah 4:10).

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Hagigah 16aTalmud Bavli, Hagigah

What did he expound? Rabbah bar bar Hana said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: "And he came from the myriads of holiness" (Deuteronomy 33:2) means he is a sign [distinguished] among his myriad.

And Rabbi Abbahu said: "Distinguished above a myriad" (Song of Songs 5:10) means he is an example [distinguished] among his myriad.

And Resh Lakish said: "The LORD of hosts is His name" (Isaiah 48:2) means He is a master among His host.

And Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: "The LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-12), and "Behold, the LORD passed by."

Our Rabbis taught: Six things were said concerning the demons: in three respects they are like the ministering angels, and in three respects like human beings. In three respects they are like the ministering angels: they have wings like the ministering angels; they fly from one end of the world to the other like the ministering angels; and they know what will be in the future like the ministering angels.

Should it enter your mind that they know? Rather, they hear from behind the curtain like the ministering angels.

And in three respects they are like human beings: they eat and drink like human beings; they reproduce and multiply like human beings; and they die like human beings.

Six things were said concerning human beings: in three respects they are like the ministering angels, in three respects like a beast. In three respects they are like the ministering angels: they have understanding like the ministering angels; they walk upright like the ministering angels; and they speak in the holy tongue like the ministering angels. In three respects they are like a beast: they eat and drink like a beast; they reproduce and multiply like a beast; and they relieve themselves like a beast.

Whoever looks at four things, it would have been fitting for him had he not come into the world, and so on. It is well concerning what is above, what is below, what is behind. But concerning what is in front, what was, was?

Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Elazar both said: This may be compared to a king of flesh and blood who said to his servants: Build me a great palace upon the dunghill. They went and built it for him. It is not the king's wish that the name of the dunghill be mentioned.

Whoever has no regard for the honor of his Maker, it would have been fitting for him had he not come into the world. What is this? Rabbi Abba said: This is one who looks at the rainbow. Rav Yosef said: This is one who transgresses a sin in secret. One who looks at the rainbow, as it is written: "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on a day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezekiel 1:28).

Rav Yosef said: This is one who transgresses a sin in secret, in accordance with Rabbi Yitzhak. For Rabbi Yitzhak said: Whoever transgresses a sin in secret is as though he pressed the feet of the Divine Presence, as it is said: "Thus says the LORD: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool" (Isaiah 66:1).

Is that so? But Rabbi Ila the Elder said: If a person sees that his evil inclination is overpowering him, let him go to a place where he is not recognized, and put on black garments and wrap himself in black, and do what his heart desires, but let him not profane the name of Heaven in public! It is no difficulty: this case is where he is able to overcome his inclination, that case is where he is not able to overcome his inclination.

Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Nahmani, the interpreter of Resh Lakish, expounded: Whoever looks at three things, his eyes grow dim: at the rainbow, at the prince, and at the priests. At the rainbow, as it is written: "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on a day of rain, this is the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezekiel 1:28). At the prince, as it is written: "And you shall put of your honor upon him" (Numbers 27:20). Looking at the priests refers to the time when the Temple was standing, when they would stand on their platform and bless Israel with the explicit Name.

Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Nahmani, the interpreter of Resh Lakish, expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, "Trust not in a friend, put no confidence in a chief" (Micah 7:5)? If the evil inclination says to you, Sin, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will forgive, do not believe it, as it is said: "Trust not in a friend [rea]" and "friend" [rea] here means none other than the evil inclination [rendering rea as ra, the evil inclination], as it is said: "For the inclination of man's heart is evil" (Genesis 8:21).

And "chief" [aluf] here means none other than the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: "You are the friend [aluf] of my youth" (Jeremiah 3:4). Lest you say, Who will testify against me? The stones of a person's house and the beams of his house testify against him, as it is said: "For a stone shall cry out from the wall, and a beam out of the woodwork shall answer it" (Habakkuk 2:11).

And the Sages say: A person's soul testifies against him, as it is said: "From her who lies in your bosom guard the doors of your mouth" (Micah 7:5). What is the thing that rests in a person's bosom? You must say: this is the soul. Rabbi Zerika says: The two ministering angels that accompany him, they testify against him, as it is said: "For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways" (Psalms 91:11). And the Sages say: A person's limbs testify against him, as it is said: "And you are My witnesses, says the LORD, and I am God" (Isaiah 43:12).

Mishnah: Yose ben Yoezer says not to lay on hands; Yosef ben Yohanan says to lay on hands. Yehoshua ben Perahyah says not to lay on hands; Nittai the Arbelite says to lay on hands. Yehudah ben Tabbai says not to lay on hands; Shimon ben Shatah says to lay on hands. Shemayah says to lay on hands; Avtalyon says not to lay on hands. Hillel and Menahem did not disagree. Menahem went out, Shammai came in. Shammai says not to lay on hands; Hillel says to lay on hands.

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Berakhot 61aTalmud Bavli, Berakhot

Alternatively, it may be understood according to Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar. For Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar said: the Holy One, blessed be He, created two faces in Adam, the first man, as it is said: "Behind and before You have formed me" (Psalms 139:5).

"And the LORD God built the rib" (Genesis 2:22). Rav and Shmuel disagree. One said it was a face, and one said it was a tail. It is well according to the one who said it was a face - that is what is written, "Behind and before You have formed me."

This accords with Rabbi Abbahu, for Rabbi Abbahu raised a contradiction: it is written, "Male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27), and it is written, "For in the image of God He made the man" (Genesis 9:6). How can this be? At first it arose in the divine thought to create two, and in the end only one was created.

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Sanhedrin 38bTalmud Bavli, Sanhedrin

his torso was fashioned from dust taken from Babylonia, and his head was fashioned from dust taken from Eretz Yisrael, the most important land, and his limbs were fashioned from dust taken from the rest of the lands in the world. With regard to his buttocks, Rav Aḥa says: They were fashioned from dust taken from Akra De’agma, on the outskirts of Babylonia. Rabbi Yoḥanan bar Ḥanina says: Daytime is twelve hours long, and the day Adam the first man was created was divided as follows: In the first hour of the day, his dust was gathered.

In the second, an undefined figure was fashioned. In the third, his limbs were extended. In the fourth, a soul was cast into him. In the fifth, he stood on his legs.

In the sixth, he called the creatures by the names he gave them. In the seventh, Eve was paired with him. In the eighth, they arose to the bed two, and descended four, i.e., Cain and Abel were immediately born. In the ninth, he was commanded not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge.

In the tenth, he sinned. In the eleventh, he was judged. In the twelfth, he was expelled and left the Garden of Eden, as it is stated: “But man abides not in honor; he is like the beasts that perish” (Psalms 49:13). Adam did not abide, i.e., sleep, in a place of honor for even one night.

Rami bar Ḥama says in explanation of the end of that verse: A wild animal does not have power over a person unless that person seems to the wild animal like an animal, as it is stated: “He is like the beasts that perish.” The Gemara presents a mnemonic for the statements that follow: At the time, to the end, Aramaic. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create a person, He created one group of ministering angels.

He said to them: If you agree, let us fashion a person in our image. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe, what are the actions of this person You suggest to create? God said to them: His actions are such and such, according to human nature. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe: “What is man that You are mindful of him?

And the son of man that You think of him?” (Psalms 8:5), i.e., a creature such as this is not worth creating. God outstretched His small finger among them and burned them with fire. And the same occurred with a second group of angels. The third group of angels that He asked said before Him: Master of the Universe, the first two groups who spoke their mind before You, what did they accomplish?

The entire world is Yours; whatever You wish to do in Your world, do. God then created the first person. When history arrived at the time of the people of the generation of the flood and the people of the generation of the dispersion, i.e., the Tower of Babel, whose actions were ruinous, the angels said before God: Master of the Universe, didn’t the first set of angels speak appropriately before You, that human beings are not worthy of having been created?

God said to them concerning humanity: “Even to your old age I am the same; and even to hoar hairs will I suffer you; I have made and I will bear; and I will carry, and I will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4), i.e., having created people, I will even suffer their flaws. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Adam the first man spanned from one end of the world until the other, as it is stated: “Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other” (Deuteronomy 4:32), meaning that on the day Adam was created he spanned from one end of the heavens until the other.

Once Adam sinned, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed His hand on him and diminished him, as it is stated: “Behind and before You have created me and laid Your hand upon me” (Psalms 139:5), that at first Adam spanned “behind and before,” meaning everywhere, and then God laid His hand on him and diminished him. Rabbi Elazar says: The height of Adam the first man was from the ground until the firmament, as it is stated: “Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other.”

Adam stood “upon the earth” and rose to the end of the heavens. Once Adam sinned, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed His hand on him and diminished him, as it is stated: “Behind and before You have created me and laid Your hand upon me.” The Gemara asks: The interpretations of the verses contradict each other. The first interpretation is that his size was from one end of the world to the other, and the second interpretation is that it was from the earth until the heavens.

The Gemara answers: This and that, from one end of the world to another and from the earth until the heavens, are one measure, i.e., the same distance. And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Adam the first man spoke in the language of Aramaic, as it is stated in the chapter of Psalms speaking in the voice of Adam: “How weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God” (Psalms 139:17). And this, i.e., that the verse in Psalms is stated by Adam, is what Reish Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “This is the book of the generations of Adam” (Genesis 5:1)?

This verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, showed Adam every generation and its Torah interpreters, every generation and its wise ones. When he arrived at his vision of the generation of Rabbi Akiva, Adam was gladdened by his Torah, and saddened by his manner of death. He said: “How weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God,” i.e., how it weighs upon me that a man as great as Rabbi Akiva should suffer.

And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Adam the first man was a heretic, as it is stated: “And the Lord called to the man and said to him: Where are you”? (Genesis 3:9), meaning, to where has your heart turned, indicating that Adam turned from the path of truth. Rabbi Yitzḥak says: He was one who drew his foreskin forward, so as to remove any indication that he was circumcised. It is written here: “And they like men [adam] have transgressed the covenant” (Hosea 6:7), and it is written there: “And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Genesis 17:14).

Rav Naḥman says: He was a denier of the fundamental principle of belief in God. It is written here: “And they like men [adam] have transgressed the covenant,” and it is written there: “He has broken My covenant,” and it is written in a third verse: “And then they shall answer: Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them” (Jeremiah 22:9). § We learned in a mishna there (Avot 2:14): Rabbi Eliezer says: Be persistent to learn Torah, and know what to respond to the heretic [la’apikoros].

Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This was taught only with regard to a gentile heretic, but not with regard to a Jewish heretic, as one should not respond to him. All the more so, if one does respond he will become more heretical. His heresy is assumed to be intentional, and any attempt to rebut it will only cause him to reinforce his position. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Any place in the Bible from where the heretics attempt to prove their heresy, i.e., that there is more than one god, the response to their claim is alongside them, i.e., in the immediate vicinity of the verses they cite.

The verse states that God said: “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26), employing the plural, but it then states: “And God created man in His image” (Genesis 1:27), employing the singular. The verse states that God said: “Come, let us go down and there confound their language” (Genesis 11:7), but it also states: “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower” (Genesis 11:5). The verse states in the plural: “There God was revealed [niglu] to him when he fled from the face of his brother” (Genesis 35:7), but it also states in the singular: “To God Who answers [haoneh] me in the day of my distress” (Genesis 35:3).

Rabbi Yoḥanan cites several examples where the counterclaim is in the same verse as the claim of the heretics. The verse states: “For what nation is there so great that has God so near to them as the Lord our God is whenever we call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7), where the term “near” is written in plural, kerovim, but the term “upon Him” is written in singular. Another verse states: “And who is like Your people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people?” (II Samuel 7:23), where the term “went” is written in plural, halekhu, but the term “Himself” is written in singular.

Another verse states: “I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit” (Daniel 7:9); where the term “thrones” is written in plural, kharsavan, but the term “sit” is written in singular. The Gemara asks: Why do I need these instances of plural words? Why does the verse employ the plural at all when referring to God? The Gemara explains: This is in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, does not act unless He consults with the entourage of Above, i.e., the angels, as it is stated: “The matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones” (Daniel 4:14).

The Gemara clarifies: This works out well for almost all the verses, as they describe an action taken by God, but what is there to say concerning the verse: “I beheld till thrones were placed”? The Gemara answers: One throne is for Him and one throne is for David, i.e., the messiah, as it is taught in a baraita: One throne is for Him and one throne is for David; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Yosei said to him: Akiva! Until when will you desacralize the Divine Presence by equating God with a person? Rather, the correct interpretation is that both thrones are for God, as one throne is for judgment and one throne is for righteousness. The Gemara asks: Did Rabbi Akiva accept this explanation from Rabbi Yosei or did he not accept it from him?

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a proof to the matter from what was taught in another baraita, as it is taught in a baraita: One throne is for judgment and one throne is for righteousness; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said to him: Akiva! What are you doing near, i.e., discussing, matters of aggada? Go near tractates Nega’im and Oholot, which examine the complex halakhot of ritual purity, where your knowledge is unparalleled.

Rather, the correct interpretation is that while both thrones are for God, one is for a throne and one is for a stool. There is a throne for God to sit upon, and a stool that serves as His footstool. Rav Naḥman says: This one, i.e., any person, who knows how to respond to the heretics as effectively as Rav Idit should respond to them, but if he does not know, he should not respond to them. The Gemara relates: A certain heretic said to Rav Idit: It is written in the verse concerning God: “And to Moses He said: Come up to the Lord” (Exodus 24:1).

The heretic raised a question: It should have stated: Come up to Me. Rav Idit said to him: This term, “the Lord,” in that verse is referring to the angel Metatron, whose name is like the name of his Master, as it is written: “Behold I send an angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Take heed of him and obey his voice; do not defy him; for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him” (Exodus 23:20–21).

The heretic said to him: If so, if this angel is equated with God, we should worship him as we worship God. Rav Idit said to him: It is written: “Do not defy [tammer] him,” which alludes to: Do not replace Me [temireni] with him. The heretic said to him: If so, why do I need the clause “For he will not pardon your transgression”? Rav Idit said to him: We believe that we did not accept the angel even as a guide [befarvanka] for the journey, as it is written: “And he said to him: If Your Presence go not with me raise us not up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

Moses told God that if God Himself does not accompany the Jewish people they do not want to travel to Eretz Yisrael. The Gemara relates: A certain heretic said to Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei: It is written: “And the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24). The heretic raised the question: It should have stated: From Him out of heaven.

A certain launderer said to Rabbi Yishmael: Leave him be; I will respond to him. This is as it is written: “And Lemech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lemech, hearken to my speech” (Genesis 4:23). One can raise the question: It should have been written: My wives, and not: “Wives of Lemech.” Rather, it is the style of the verse to speak in this manner.

Here too, it is the style of the verse to speak in this manner. Rabbi Yishmael said to the launderer: From where did you hear this interpretation? The launderer said to him: I heard it at the lecture of Rabbi Meir. The Gemara comments: This is as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: When Rabbi Meir would teach his lecture he would expound one-third halakha, one-third aggada, and one-third parables. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Rabbi Meir had, i.e., taught, three hundred parables of foxes, and we have only three.

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Midrash Tehillim 139:4Midrash Tehillim

Specifically, What does that even mean? The rabbis of old grappled with this, and their interpretations reveal fascinating insights into our dual nature, our purpose, and even the nature of God's creation itself.

The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) presents a disagreement between Rav and Shmuel. One says that Adam was created with two faces – a front and a back. The other says he was created with a face and… a tail. A tail! Now, that's a visual. According to the one who said "face," since it is written "back and forth you formed me," it makes sense. But according to the one who said "tail," what does "back and forth" mean?

Rabbi Ami, in the name of Rabbi Ami (yes, you read that right!) offers an alternative. "Back" refers to the act of Creation itself, that initial spark, and "forth" refers to punishment. Creation and punishment, inextricably linked. Granted, "back" refers to the act of Creation, as we say during Friday night prayers. But what does "forth" refer to? It refers to the punishment of the Flood, as it says (Genesis 7:23), "And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground."

This idea of duality continues. The Midrash even touches on the relationship between men and women, with a somewhat… antiquated perspective. The Midrash says that a man should not follow a woman, and if he encounters her on a bridge, he should push her aside. But what the Midrash is getting at, underneath all of that, is the idea that the male aspect should be dominant. And it makes sense that the male aspect should be dominant, as it is taught that "A man should not follow a woman on the road, even if she is his wife. If he encounters her on a bridge, he should push her aside and anyone who follows a woman into a river has no share in the World to Come."

Rabbi Yochanan offers another interpretation of "back and forth you formed me," saying that if a person is worthy, he can enjoy both worlds, back and forth. But if not, he comes to give an account. And you laid your hand upon me, as you said (Job 13:21), "Your hand is heavy upon me." It’s a reminder that our actions have consequences, both in this world and the next.

Then we have Rabbi Eliezer the Androgynos (referring to someone of indeterminate gender), who offers a truly radical idea: that the first humans were created intersex! As it says (Genesis 1:27), "male and female He created them." This suggests a blurring of the lines, a unity of genders in the original human form. Rabbi Shmuel doubles down on this idea, saying, "Two faces were created, and he was made with a back and a front."

Perhaps the most intriguing image is presented by Rabbi Tanchuma, in the name of Rabbi Berechia in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Adam was created as a golem – an unformed, shapeless mass – and lay from the beginning of the world to its end. A giant, inert figure waiting for God to breathe life into him. A figure that lay from the beginning of the world to its end. This is what is written, "Your golems have seen" (Psalms 139:16).

The Midrash then expands outward, connecting Adam's creation to the creation of the entire world. Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Nachman in the name of Rabbi Shimon in the name of Rabbi Elazar said: "God created the whole world from east to west, as it is said, 'Behind and before you encircle me.' From north to south, as it is said, 'From one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.' And even in the space of the world, as it is said, 'Your hand is upon me.'"

Rabbi Elazar says that "Behind refers to the work of the first day of creation, and before refers to the work of the last day of creation," while Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish flips that around, saying "Behind refers to the work of the last day of creation, and before refers to the work of the beginning of creation."

What are we to make of all this? Tails, two faces, golems spanning millennia… Is this meant to be taken literally? Probably not. But these interpretations, these midrashim, offer us a glimpse into the ancient rabbis' attempts to understand the profound mystery of human existence. They explored the duality within us, the potential for both good and evil, the connection between creation and consequence.

The Midrash Tehillim 139 invites us to contemplate our own creation, our own purpose. To consider the "back and forth" within ourselves – the forces that shape us, the choices we make, and the legacy we leave behind. Even the word "Kluso" (a type of bird) only appears later in the Torah. As Rabbi Shemlai said: just as the physical characteristics of Klusso (an animal mentioned in the Talmud) are similar to those of a domesticated animal, a wild animal, and a bird, so too is the Torah of God similar, in that it contains laws for domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds. As it is written (Leviticus 11:2): "This is the animal that you may eat." And finally (ibid. 12:2): "When a woman conceives." Thus, you may derive from this analogy that both man and the Temple were created with two hands. It is written (Psalms 119:73): "Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments." And it is written (Exodus 15:17): "The sanctuary, O Lord, that Your hands have established." So, the next time you look in the mirror, remember Adam, remember the golem, remember the endless interpretations, and ask yourself: What am I creating "back and forth" in my own life?

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