Parashat Bereishit: Man and Earth

• Published date: 30 September 2021
• Author: RABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"And the Lord God formed man (ha'adam) of dust from the ground (adama), and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2, 7)."

It seems from this verse that man was named adam because he was made from dust from the ground (adama) but this explanation raises the question: Since all living creatures were formed from the dust of the ground, why is only man named for this?

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To answer this question, we have to delve into another description in this parasha in which man is described as being created in the image of God.

"And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him (Genesis 1, 27)."

This lofty description teaches us that man does not differ from other creatures merely due to his physical build or his intelligence, but rather in a much more fundamental way. While other creatures were created by God, man was created in His image, meaning – Man, by his very essence, is a divine creation. Undoubtedly, this conception sanctifies human life and creates for humans a world of values, morality and mutual respect.

On the other hand, this transcendental awareness that humans are created in God's image can also lead to man feeling as though he does not have to make any effort to attain divine perfection since it exists within him from the beginning; as though the significance of his existence is embedded in him from his inception and he has no goal for which he has to strive.

Rabbi Judah Loew, the Maharal, was a kabbalist and philosopher in Prague in the 16th century. His philosophy inspired the hassidic movement and others for centuries after his passing. The Maharal explained that the significance of man's existence is fundamentally different from that of animals, as...