We all know the basics from Genesis, but the Rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) dove deep, exploring every nuance, every implication. And what they found… well, it's Take the verse from (Leviticus 12:2): "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: When a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be impure seven days; like the days of her menstrual infirmity she shall be impure." Seems straightforward. But in Vayikra Rabbah 14, the Rabbis use this as a springboard to discuss the creation of Adam, drawing a connection to (Psalm 139:5): "Back and front You shaped me."
Rabbi Yoḥanan sees a profound connection here. He says that if a person merits it, they inherit two worlds – this one and the next. That’s the "Back and front You shaped me" part. But if not, they face a reckoning, as hinted at in the continuation of the Psalm: "You placed Your hand upon me," which, as Job tells us (Job 13:21), can be a reference to suffering. Heavy stuff.
Now, things get really interesting. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman suggests that when God created Adam, the first human, He created him as an androgynos – both male and female in one being! Reish Lakish takes it even further, claiming Adam was created with two faces, one facing each direction. Imagine that for a moment!
But wait, how does that square with the Genesis story, where God takes a rib – or, more accurately, a side (tzela in Hebrew) – from Adam to create Eve? (Genesis 2:21). Reish Lakish clarifies, citing (Exodus 26:20), that tzela can also mean "side," like the side of the Tabernacle. So, maybe it wasn’t a rib, but the separation of Adam’s dual nature that created woman.
Then we have Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, who give us an image of a truly colossal Adam. They say God created him to fill the entire world, stretching from east to west (Psalm 139:5 again!) and from north to south (Deuteronomy 4:32). And even reaching from the earth to the heavens! That last bit comes from our verse, (Psalm 139:5), "You placed your hand upon me (vatashet)". The word "vatashet" suggests God's hand was intimately close to Adam.
So, what does it all mean?
Rabbi Elazar offers one interpretation: "Back" represents the first day of creation, and "front" represents the final day. He sees Adam’s spirit being created on the sixth day, before his physical body. Reish Lakish flips it, saying "Back" is the final day and "front" is the first, connecting "the spirit of God hovering over the surface of the water" (Genesis 1:2) to the spirit of the messianic king. If you merit, you precede all of creation; if not, even a gnat is ahead of you!
Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Tanḥum chimes in, saying "Back" is after all creation, and "front" is before all punishments. Humans were created last but are often the first to face consequences, like in the story of the Flood (Genesis 7:23).
Finally, Rabbi Simlai points out that just as man was created after the animals, his laws are also presented after the laws pertaining to animals (Leviticus 11:46), leading us back to our initial verse about childbirth in Leviticus 12.
What are we to make of all of this? Are these literal descriptions? Probably not. But these Rabbis were wrestling with profound questions: What is humanity's place in the universe? What is our relationship to God? And what does it mean to be created in God's image? These Midrashic interpretations of the creation of Adam, though seemingly bizarre at times, offer us a glimpse into the complex and multifaceted understanding of humanity’s role in the world, its potential, and its responsibilities. They remind us that we are both the culmination of creation and the ones who must strive to live up to that potential.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: When a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be impure seven days; like the days of her menstrual infirmity she shall be impure” (Leviticus 12:2). “When a woman conceives” – that is what is written: “Back and front You shaped me” (Psalms 139:5). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: If a person merits, he inherits two worlds, this one and the next. That is what is written: “Back and front You shaped me.” If not, he comes to present an accounting, as it is stated: “You placed Your hand upon me” (Psalms 139:5), as it is written: “Distance Your hand from me” (Job 13:21).1This was stated by Job in light of his suffering, and indicates that the image of God’s hand upon a person is used in the context of suffering. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him androgynous. Reish Lakish said: When he was created, he was created with two faces.2There was a face and the front of a body on both sides. [God] sawed him, and two backs were formed, a back for the male and a back for the female. They raised an objection to him: “He took one of his ribs [mitzalotav]…[the Lord God built the rib that He took from the man into a woman]” (Genesis 2:21). He said to them: It was one of his sides, as it is written: “For the [second] side [ultzela] of the Tabernacle” (Exodus 26:20). Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him such that he filled the entire world from one end to the other. From where is it derived [that he filled the world] from east to west? As it is stated: “Back and front You shaped me.” From where is it derived [that he filled the world] from north to Ssouth? As it is stated: “From one end of the heavens to the other end” (Deuteronomy 4:32). And from where is it derived [that he filled] the entire space of the world?3From the earth to the heavens. As it is stated: “You placed Your hand upon me.”4“You placed [vatashet]” indicates that he was near to the Holy One blessed be He when He placed His hand upon him. Rabbi Elazar said: “Back,” this is the first day, “and front,” this is the final day.5The reference here is to the first and final days of Creation. According to the opinion of Rabbi Elazar, [this is] as it is written: “God said: Let the earth produce living creatures in its kind” (Genesis 1:24); this is the spirit of Adam the first man.6Rabbi Elazar’s point is that Adam’s spirit was created on the sixth day before other creations that were created on that day, and his body was created last. Reish Lakish said: “Back” is the final day, “and front,” this is the first day. According to Reish Lakish, as it is written: “The spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water” (Genesis 1:2), this is the spirit of the messianic king. If a person merits, they say to him: ‘You preceded the entire act of Creation.’ If not, they say to him: ‘The gnat preceded you, the worm preceded you.’ Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Tanḥum said: “Back,” after all the creations, “front,” before all the punishments.7Man was created last but is the first to be punished, as in the Flood: “From Man to animal” (Genesis 7:23). Even his praise came only last, as it is stated: “Beasts and all animals,8The term beast [ḥaya] implies animals generally undomesticated, and the term animal [behema] implies species that are generally domesticated. creeping animals, and birds of wing” (Psalms 148:10), and thereafter: “Kings of the earth and all nations” (Psalms 148:11). Rabbi Simlai said: Just as the creation of man was after animal, beast, and bird, so, his law is [written] after those of the animal, beast and bird. That is what is written: “This is the law of the animal” (Leviticus 11:46), and thereafter: “When a woman conceives.”
