What Happened To The First Eve?

According to one fascinating oral tradition, Adam's first wife wasn't quite the helpmate he expected. She was, shall we say, a little too clever, a little too strong for him. Can you imagine? Apparently, Adam wasn’t thrilled. He went straight to God, pleading, "Please God, I don't want this woman! Take her back and give me another one."

Now, that's a pretty bold request! And, surprisingly, God considered it. The story goes that God was about to cast this first Eve into the sea – a rather dramatic solution, don't you think? But before that could happen, she made a plea of her own. "Before you take me," she asked, "grant me one request. When a baby boy is born, let me come to him on the fifth day after his birth and reveal the future that awaits him.”

God agreed. And so, according to this tradition, every time a son is born, the first Eve visits him on the fifth day, whispering his destiny into his tiny ear. Of course, the baby wouldn't remember! But the tradition persists.

A hundred years later, the story continues, God remembered Adam's request for a new companion. So, God put Adam into a deep sleep, took his left rib, and from it created a new woman. This woman was… different. Modest and quiet, she was everything Adam apparently wanted. He called her Eve.

Now, what are we to make of this tale? It's easy to dismiss it as a primitive story, as Tree of Souls: Mythology of Judaism (Schwartz) suggests. After all, Adam rejects the first Eve simply because she's better than him, and God seems to go along with it! But there's more to it than that. This myth, though not widely known, especially resonates with some Indian Jewish communities, creating a unique birth custom.

Think about it: this "first Eve" gets a role, a purpose. Just as amulets are used to protect newborns from Lilith (the most famous "first Eve" of Jewish folklore) for eight days – until the b’rit milah (ברית מילה), the ritual circumcision – this fifth-day visit gives the first Eve a reason to exist, saving her from oblivion. It's a clever way to keep her story alive.

And the connections to the Lilith myth are hard to ignore. Like Lilith, this first Eve is described as being cleverer than Adam. And the punishment God considered – casting her into the sea – is the same threat the angels use against Lilith in some versions of her story, trying to force her to return to Adam. Even the first Eve's granted wish – revealing a boy's future – echoes Lilith's promise that amulets will protect newborns until the eighth day, when the b’rit offers its own protection. (See "Adam and Lilith," p. 216 and "A Spell to Banish Lilith," p. 218.)

So, is this just a strange, forgotten tale? Or is it a glimpse into the complexities of gender, power, and destiny within Jewish tradition? Perhaps it's a reminder that even the most familiar stories have hidden depths, waiting to be explored. What do you think?

Commentary

This is an interesting oral variant of the myth of the first Eve. See the preceding myth. On one level it's a rather primitive tale in which Adam rejects Eve because she is superior to him, and God agrees to get rid of her. But the myth also establishes a custom whereby the first Eve is said to reveal a boy's future on the fifth day after his birth, three days before the b'rit. Of course, the infant is not likely to remember this prophecy. This is not a widely known tradition, though perhaps it has more resonance among Indian Jews, where the story originated. Just as the amulet against Lilith will protect a newborn boy for eight days— until the b'rit — so this fifth day role for the first Eve creates a birth custom for her, perpetuating the need for her existence, and preserving her from the oblivion of being uncreated. There are also indications that this myth is a variant of the Lilith myth. Like Lilith, the first Eve is described here as cleverer than he is. Also, the punishment that God plans for her— casting her into the sea— is the same punishment that the angels threaten Lilith with unless she returns to her spouse. Finally, God's agreement that the first Eve may reveal a boy's future to him on the fifth day after birth echoes Lilith's vow that the amulet against her will protect newborn baby boys until the eighth day, when they will be protected by the circumcision. See "Adam and Lilith," p. 216 and "A Spell to Banish Lilith," p. 218.

What Happened To The First Eve?

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