Why "the man" instead of just "man"? It seems to be alluding to someone specific… but who?

Well, according to a fascinating interpretation in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of ancient rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, "the man" isn't just about Adam. It’s also about Abraham. The verse says, "The Lord God formed the man [ha’adam]" (Genesis 2:7). The Midrash sees this as being due to the future merit of Abraham. That little "the" makes all the difference! It hints at a particular man of immense stature.

Rabbi Levi takes this idea even further. He points to Joshua 14:15, which speaks of "the greatest man [ha’adam] among the giants." And who does Rabbi Levi identify as this giant of a man? You guessed it: Abraham.

But why? What makes Abraham so special that he’s worthy of being considered even before Adam? According to this tradition, Abraham was worthy of being created before Adam. The Holy One, blessed be He, considered creating Abraham first. But God worried that Abraham might bring ruin to the world, and then there would be no one to fix the damage. So, God created Adam first. That way, if Adam messed things up, Abraham would be there to remedy what he had wrought.

It's a powerful image, isn’t it? God, in His infinite wisdom, playing a cosmic game of chess.

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana offers another compelling analogy. He says that when someone has a strong, sturdy beam, they place it in the middle of the Great Hall. To support the weaker beams in front and behind it. Similarly, God created Abraham in the middle of the generations to support the unworthy generations that came before him and those that would follow. Abraham, the moral lynchpin of history.

There's one more layer to this. Rabbi Levi uses the analogy of a household. You might introduce a virtuous woman into a house with a corrupted woman, hoping the good influence will rub off. But you wouldn’t introduce a corrupt woman into a house with a virtuous one! The potential for negative influence is too great. This explains why Abraham came into the world after Adam. The world needed Adam's initial, perhaps flawed, attempt before Abraham could arrive to guide humanity toward righteousness.

So, what does all this mean for us? It suggests that even in our imperfections, even when we stumble and fall, there's always the potential for redemption. There's always the possibility of an Abraham arising to help us course-correct. Abraham represents the power of influence, the strength of righteousness, and the hope for a better future, even after mistakes have been made. It's a comforting thought, isn't it?