Not as a baby, but as a fully formed being, suddenly aware of a world bursting with color, sound, and life.
That's what it must have been like for Adam.
And what was his first reaction? According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, he didn't just blink in confusion. No, he immediately burst into praise: "How great are Thy works, O Lord!" A natural response to such overwhelming beauty, wouldn’t you agree?
But here's where the story takes a fascinating turn. It wasn’t just Adam who was impressed. The other creatures, seeing this magnificent being, made a huge mistake. They assumed he was their creator!
Can you picture it? All the animals, the birds, the insects, gathering around Adam, ready to worship him. What a temptation that must have been. Talk about an ego boost!
But Adam, in his wisdom, in his very first moments of existence, understood something profound. He refused the adoration. He didn't claim the glory. Instead, he redirected their worship to the true source, to God.
"Why do you come to worship me?" he asked. "Nay, you and I together will acknowledge the majesty and the might of Him who hath created us all."
And then, according to the text, he proclaimed: "The Lord reigneth, He is apparelled with majesty." Adam's first act wasn't one of self-aggrandizement, but of humble acknowledgment.
Think about that for a moment. Adam, the first human, could have become a god in the eyes of the creatures around him. He had the opportunity to seize power and control. But instead, he chose humility, he chose to point towards something greater than himself.
What does this tell us about the nature of humanity? What does it tell us about the responsibility that comes with being created in God's image? Perhaps it suggests that true greatness isn't about receiving worship, but about directing it towards the divine.
Perhaps it's a reminder that even in our own lives, when we're tempted to take credit for our accomplishments, we should remember Adam's example and acknowledge the source of all creation. We should remember that we are all, in our own way, creations, and that our purpose is not to be worshipped, but to worship.