Yamin Levy

Yamin Levy is Rabbi of Congregation Ezra Bessaroth in

Seattle, WA

FIAT AND FORMING:

GENESIS 1 & 2 REVISITED1

" . . . Yet I will not forget thee.

Behold I have graven thee upon
the palms of my hand" Isaiah 49:15,16

The first two chapters of the Torah have long been the subject of elaborate
Jewish and non-Jewish exegetical attention, with extensive attention devoted
to the differences between the two creation accounts of Bereshit (Genesis)
I and II. Traditional parshanim from Hazal2 to the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B.
Soloveitchik3, have examined the many differences between the two
accounts of creation. This paper will present a literary-theological4 analysis
of these two chapters, following in the footsteps of the Rav in his seminal
article "The Lonely Man of Faith/' but extending his formulation into areas
he does not discuss.
The Rav helps us to focus on the dual nature of man. He explains
that "the answer [to the question raised regarding discrepancies in the
accounts of creation of man] lies not in an alleged dual tradition but in
a dual man: not in an imaginary contradiction between two versions, but
in a real contradiction in the nature of man."5 Similarly, all the discrepancies
of content and of style reflect not different authors or periods in history,6
but rather the dual nature of man, the dual nature of man's relationship
to his environment, the many perspectives on how the world should operate,
the complex relationship between man and God, and at least two of the
many ways God is presented in Tanakh through his actions.
Since Rabbi Soloveitchik's primary concern is man and his religious
experience, he deals only with the accounts of the creation of man. There
are other significant differences between the two accounts of creation-
literal, stylistic, and syntactic. The first two chapters of Bereshit are a single
account of creation with two distinct and complemenary points of view.
Each emphasizes a unique aspect of the creation process and presents
different facets of the same issue.

TRADITION 27:1 / 01992

Rabbinical Council of America 20
 Yamin Levy

II

Bereshit I and II

The account of beri'at ha'olam (creation) divides into two parts: 1:1-2:3
and 2:4-2:257, the first ending with Shabbat Bereshit, and the second with
the appearance of woman.
The story of the creation of the world begins with verse three. Each
creation succeeds the other, conveying a plan with a clear sense of direction.
On the first day, light is created and divided from darkness. On the second
day, the firmament (rakia) is created, and the division is made between
the heavenly waters and the earthly waters. On the third day, God gathers
all the waters into different places and by doing so divides the lands and
the seas; on this day, God commands the earth to give forth vegetation,
plants, and fruitbearing trees. On the fourth day, the great luminaries are
created, one to "rule" by day and one to "rule" by night. On the fifth
day, God creates fish in the waters and birds in the skies. On the sixth
day, He creates life on land, beginning with the wild and domestic animals
and culminating in the creation of man. God establishes an ascending order
of hierarchy. Each of the creations is given a name by God (naming something
constitutes mastery over it) and placed into what seems to be a set order.
This hierarchical ascendancy in the formation of all inanimate and
animate things leads us to believe that, from the outset, creation is moving
towards a special form of life. Creation culminates with the majestic
appearance of man, who is commanded to have dominion over all. This
structural hierarchy is further impressed upon the reader by the strict parallel
symmetry of the chapter. Umberto Cassuto8 and others point out how the
breakdown of the creation process is patterned in a parallel symmetric
fashion. The creation of light and its division from darkness on the first
day parallels the creation of the luminaries on the fourth day, which function
as the dividers of day and night. The creation of the firmament and the
division of the waters on the second day parallels the creation of life in
the firmament, in the sky and in the waters on the fifth day. Finally, the
creation of land and vegetation on the third day parallels the creation of
life forms on earth on the sixth day. The luminaries created on the fourth
day are assigned to rule by day and by night, paralleling man's command
to rule over all the earth. It appears as if God intended on the fourth,
fifth and sixth days to put into motion that which he created on the first,
second and third days. This motion is marked by the separation between
day and night and the rotation of seasons; in other words the beginning
of time.

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III

The style and language used in the first chapter offers further insights into
the way God is presented in this narrative. The creation of the world is
divided into segments, called day, each of which is almost identical in
structure. The beginning and close of each day is regulated by a stated
formula, "Vayomer Elohim (And God said)" at the beginning and " . . . vayehi
erev vayehi voker yom (And there was evening and there was morning
the . . . day)" at the end. Furthermore, within each day of creation, the
pattern is consistent; first God creates by legislative command, "Vayomer
Elohim." He then gives names to his creation "Vayikra Elohim (And God
named)"; evaluates them and sees that it is good "Vayar Elohim ki tov
(And God saw that it was good)"; and the day ends with "vayehi erev
vayehi voker yom." The consistent patterns of each day and the strict
symmetry and parallel structure of the unit as a whole depict God creating
by immediate command in an orderly fashion. This may suggest a sense
of God whose word is law and whose attribute is Justice.
The hierarchical ascendancy and strict symmetry of language in the
text suggest that God clearly did not begin with the creation of light and
then experiment with the following creations. The plan was to start with
the creation of light and end with man at its apex; to create all living creatures
according up a set plan and hierarchy on the scale of nature; to create
the sun and the moon and have them regulate the heavens; and to put
into motion on the fourth, fifth, and sixth days the creations of the first
three days. Chapter one is clearly dealing with an omnipotent and completely
omniscient God.
Similarly, the verbs associated with God in this chapter suggest that
God operates by immediate command with complete foreknowledge and
absolute sovereignty. The verbs used throughout the chapter are "bara/'
"vayomer" "vayar" "vayavdel," "vayikra" "asa" all of which reflect a sense
of God whose every word is law and whose attribute is reflected through
order. The only verb that suggests some sort of divine concern for human
needs or for the future and well-being of creation is "vayevarekh (He
blessed)." The blessing to "be fruitful and multiply/'as we will see below,
connotes an existence without God. Thus, God in this account is distant.
This unit concludes with Shabbat Bereshit, which begins with the words
"vayekhulu" and "vaykhal (they ceased)." Ramban,9 in his comment on
the words "asher bara Elohim la'asot (which God had created to make),"
suggests that the word la'asot implies a world that would continue to go
on being made throughout the six thousand years of its existence. HazaP0
as well had a sense of an open-ended act of creation that would be renewed
daily. After the création of life on the fifth and sixth days, when animate
life roams the earth, God bestows upon all life forms the blessing "Be fruitful
and multiply." In other words, that which God created has the power to

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re-create itself. God at this point can remove Himself from His finished
product and count on his creations to renew themselves. Time has begun
and life has been put into motion. The five verbs vayekhulu . . . vayekhal
. . .vayishbot... vayevarekh, and vayekadesh, all in the imperfect11, following
one another in rapid order, convey a sense of urgency and "restlessness"
Paradoxically, the day of rest is announced by a group of signifiers that
suggest ceaseless activity and a willed intention to shape the future, as
if to say that God has finished His work and now removes Himself from
creation; existence will continue on its own.
The three verses of Shabbat Bereshit themselves form a unit within
a unit.12 Here again, the structure of these three verses is marked by the
same strict parallelism, symmetry and incremental repetitions. The last words
of Shabbat Bereshit close the creation account of chapter one with the
words "asher bara Elohim ..." taking us right back to the beginning of
the chapter.
God emerges after the seventh day of creation as a God who is distant
and transcendent, "Peru urevu umiVu et ha'aretz (Be fruitful and multiply)";
"asher bara Elohim la'asot (which God had created to make)" echoes in
the readers mind.

IV

In summary, the theological implications of chapter one converge not only

by what is said but also by how it is said: through the choice of verbs,
the structure and style of the overall unit and its different segments, the
avoidance of any explicit metaphors and similes, and the use of descriptions
that are both methodical and precise, using parallelism in sentence and
narrative structure. The narrative creates an image of an omnipotent and
transcendent God who emerges in an awe-inspiring and majestic fashion.
This is the God of law, order, and hierarchy, who created a world which
does not easily admit to change, novelty, and experimentation.
Chapter one not only describes God as creator of the world but also
ordains how the world should operate: a world that was created by command
and legislated by law and order. To the degree that we can talk about
God reflecting normative performance, this world should then operate with
set laws, order, and hierarchy. Furthermore, by analogy (see note 30), the
above description of God projects to the reader a perspective on the nature
of man's life on earth.
The Rav poignantly articulates this point:

Adam the first is aggressive, bold and victory-minded. His motto is success
and triumph over cosmic forces; he engages in creative work trying to
imitate his creator.13

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If man is to operate effectively in the universe, he too must personally

have as his primary concerns the establishment of order and law, acceptance
of hierarchies and justice. If man is to be in the image of God he too
must emerge majestic and omnipotent.

Chapter 2:4-25

After this rather rigidly structured account, the next twenty-one verses begin
with an introductory verse: "Eleh toldot hashamayim veha'aretz
behibbare'am (These are the chronicles of heaven and earth when they
were created)." The use of behibbare'am in its niph'al construction deviates
from the preceding style and suggests a totally new movement. Suddenly
there is a sense of continuing activity that will govern the whole subsequent
history, and unlike the definite first version, this telling intimates a history
of trial and error. It appears that the Torah is presenting a totally different
account of creation. The strikingly different movement of what appears
to be a second account of creation makes itself felt in context, syntax,
and structure.
The most apparent difference between the two narratives is the creation
of man. In the first creation narrative, man is created last, the apex of creation,
so that he finds everything presented before him. In the second account,
man makes his appearance immediately after the first verse.14 The impression
we are given is that the creation of earth is on hold until man makes an
appearance.

No shrub of the field was yet on the earth and no herb of the field
had yet sprung up; for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon
the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground (2:5).

This seems to contradict or at least suggest a very different perspective

of the sequence of events than that of the first creation narrative, where,
on the third day of creation, "the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding
seed after its kind and tree bearing fruit..." (1:12).
In chapter two, the omission of detail regarding the creation of light,
firmament, land, the luminaries, and the different species, as well as the
syntactic differences between the two chapters, allows for a shift in emphasis
and focus to take place in the second creation narrative. Through this shift,
the Torah offers a complimentary theological perspective as well as dual
insights into man's task and responsibility on earth. New facets in the
relationship between man and God can begin to unfold. Futhermore, the
Torah, through a different literary style, offers a new perspective on how
the world should operate.

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VI

The new emphasis that chapter two introduces becomes clear

immediately. Unlike chapter one (where the main concern is the creation
of the universe and the beginning of history), chapter two focuses on
mankind and the beginning of human life.15 Chapter two is primarily
concerned with man's relationship to his environment.
In chapter one, man is created last, the pinnacle of God's creation.
Radak observes that

. . . it was a sign of man's honor and elevated status that he was created
last to make known that all mortal creatures were created for his sake
and he was made the lord of all of them.16

Man is the only creation preceded with a statement of introduction:

"Vayomer Elohim na'aseh . . . (And God said: let us make . . . ) . " Ramban
comments:

There was a special command dedicated to the making of Man because

of his great superiority since his nature is unlike that of beasts and cattle
which were created with the preceding command.17

Man is the only animal created "in the image of God" (1:27). Chapter
one places all of creation on an objective scale in relationship to man.
The trees, vegetation, fowl, fish, and animals were all created for man's
functional use:

God said unto them (Man and Woman): Be fruitful and multiply and
replenish the earth and subdue it (vekhivshuha); have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living
thing that creepeth upon the earth (1:28).

In chapter two, man is not created last nor is his creation presented
in relationship to the rest of creation; His purpose is stated immediately:
"There was no man to till the ground."
By contrast to the majestic appearance of man in chapter one, chapter
two gives a very different impression. The descriptions of man's creation
in each of the accounts places man in relation to the earth. In chapter
two, man is created from "the dirt of the earth"; he is part of the earth,
created in order to till it for his own survival. In chapter one, on the other
hand, he is clearly above it, almost divine—created to be a ruler. While
chapter one suggests a relationship of dominion between man and the
earth, chapter two reminds man that all other creations are not inferior
to him, for he too comes from the earth. The linear narrative of chapter
one suggests that all of creation is meant to be subservient to man and

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to fulfill his functional needs, while the circular narrative of chapter two
suggests that the rest of creation is there to fulfill man's aesthetic needs.
First, God creates man who is then placed in the garden by God. Next,
God causes the growth of trees and fruit that are pleasant for man to see
and eat. Rivers are then placed in the garden to water the trees. Concerned
about man's being lonely, God presents to him the birds and the animals.
As man cannot find companionship with the animals "(but for Adam there
was not found a help mate)," God creates woman. Only now is man satisfied.
Man in chapter two is created first, and only then given a social en-
vironment in which to live. Chapter one is dominated by objective hierarchy,
order, and law. In contrast, man's community in chapter two is controlled
by subjective aesthetic relationships. After creating man, God then creates
for him a place to live, food for him to eat, pleasant sights for him to
see and finally creates for him a companion so that he not be lonely.
Chapter one is structured vertically and built on strict parallelism, in-
cremental progression, and symmetry of its parts and as a whole. But the
literary structure of chapter two is circular. Here man is at the center of
creation and the rest of creation rotates around him. The relevance of all
other creations depends on their relationship to man. The objective "order"
of chapter one suggests simplicity, a system governed by rules; the structure
of chapter two suggests complexity, the existential situation based on
limitations and conditions. Man's relationship to his garden depends on
his working and guarding it. He can eat from all the trees except the tree
of knowledge of good and evil. He must relate to other living creatures
by assuming responsibility; he does so by giving them names (a point that
stands out all the more when contrasted to chapter one where God names
his creations). Finally, man must seek a connection to another human being.
Woman offers companionship, yet her presence comes with a demand:

Therefore man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife
and become one flesh (2:24).

It then becomes clear that chapter two is most concerned with depicting
a perspective of man on earth: man in relation to his immediate world.
Chapter one, on the other hand is most concerned with the beginning
of time and a more pragmatic, almost regal perspective of man in relation
to the universe. The Torah juxtaposes18 two seemingly contradictory accounts
of the creation of man in order to present a more integrated picture of
his nature and the complexities of existence.

VII

The theological perspective suggested by chapter two differs from that

offered in chapter one. The verbs used to describe God's actions in chapter

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two present a totally different perspective of God. As was mentioned earlier,

the verbs associated with God in chapter one suggest that God's every
word is a legislated command to be performed immediately; He is a God
of order and law. The verbs associated with God in chapter two, on the
other hand, depict God as immanent, as one who cares and creates not
by command but with His own hands. Note, for example the following
verbs: "vayitzer (He formed)" "vayipah (He breathed)"; "vayita" (He
planted)"; "vayasem (He placed)"; "vayatzmah (He made grow)"; "vayikah
(He took)"; "vayanihehu (He placed)"; "vayiven (He built)." The verbs of
chapter two conjure up in the reader's mind the image of a God who
"forms" and "plants" with great care and concern for man and the rest
of His creations. The difference between the two descriptions of God
through the use of the verbs associated with His creation can be clearly
seen by comparing the two creations of Man. The primary verb used to
describe the creation of Man in chapter one is bara (which appears three
times in verse 27, the verse which describes the actual creation of man),
while the primary verb used in chapter two is yatzar (verse 7). The verb
bara is used throughout Tanakh exclusively when God is the creator or
doer,19 and according to Radak (in his commentary on Isaiah 45:7)20, bara
connotes a sense of decree (gezera). The verb yatzar, on the other hand,
is used when either God or man is the creator and/or shaper. While the
verb bara suggests decree, yatzar suggests a sense of regard and assiduity
towards the object being created.21
Chapter two reveals a very personal and paternal side of God, an almost
"human" side. In fact, the structure of chapter two presents God as if He
did not possess the foreknowledge of the description of God in chapter
one. Right from the very first command of chapter one, the direction of
the creation process«was impressed upon the reader. In chapter two, on
the other hand, the reader's impression is that God seems to be working
in a more experimental manner,22 forming and creating things as needed.
The creation of woman is a clear example. After having created man and
placing him into the Garden, God says almost as an afterthought: Lo' tov
heyot ha'adam levado; e'eseh lo 'ezer kenegdo (It is not good for man
to be alone. I will make a companion for him)" (2:18). God then forms
the animals and the birds, but they are hot the solution for man. Only
now does God finally create the woman to be man's companion. In fact,
Haza/ go so far as to state:

"Rabbi Eliezer said: What is meant by 'This is now bone of my bones,

flesh of my flesh' [Gen 2:23]? That man came to (had intercourse with)
all the animals and beasts and was not satisfied until he came to Hava"23

Furthermore, throughout chapter one, God creates from nothing, ex

nihilo,24 only by command. In chapter two, on the other hand, God creates

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from other matter. For example, man in chapter two is created from the
dirt of the earth and the woman is created from man. (The issue here
is not a philosophical one, namely, whether or not the world was created
ex nihilo, but rather more of a literary observation.)
The image of God in chapter two is that of a personal and immanent
God. On the verse: "vayipah be'apav nishmat hayyim (He [God] breathed
into his [man's] nostrils a breath of life)," Ramban states:

He [God] breathed into his [man's] nostrils the breath of life because
it [the soul] was not formed of the elements . . . nor did it emanate from
the separate intelligences but it was God's own breath.25

Again, chapter two describes a very different relationship between God

and man than the one described in chapter one. In the first account of
creation, God creates man and woman (together) and his relationship to
him (them) is marked by a very impersonal statement:

. . . God said unto them "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth
and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea . . . God said
behold I have given you every herb yielding seed . . . " (1:28,29).

The first chapter's implication is that God created a machine that would
function by itself. The relationship between man and God in chapter two,
on the other hand, is a personal one. God takes care of man's needs
personally. Throughout the second account of creation, God is portrayed
as an immanent God who cares for his creations, for example:

The Lord God planted a garden eastward of Eden and there He put
the man whom He had formed (2:8).
The Lord God said "It is not good that man should be alone; I will
make him a help mate" (2:18).
Out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast; He brought them
unto man to see what he would call them (2:19).
The Lord God c jsed a deep sleep to fall upon man; he slept; He took
one of his ribs (2:21).
The rib which the Lord God had taken from man, He made a woman;
He brought her unto the man (2:22).

These verses describe an intimate God whose primary concern is man.

This special relationship fostered in chapter two is confirmed when God
entrusts man with the task of giving the animals names. God welcomes
man into the creation process by having him name the animals. In essence,
creation is not finished until its different parts are named, and so man
actually finishes that which God has begun.26 Even God's command to man
in chapter two:

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Of every tree of the garden thou may eatest free, but of the tree of
knowledge good and evil thou mayest not eat (2:16,17),

is a personal command which makes man personally responsible towards

the personal God.

VIII

The change in the name of God from chapter to chapter is immediately

noticeable. While in chapter one only the name Elohim is used, chapter
two uses a compoud form of Tetragrammaton and Elohim. Rabbi Yehudah
Halevi27 suggests that Elohim represents the name of God when He is
transcendent and distant, or when man knows very little about God and
God reveals very little about Himself. This explanation fits very well with
the theological perspective of chapter one thus far developed. The
Tetragrammaton, on the other hand, is the name used when God is intimate
and personal, when He is available to man and shows care and concern,
which adheres perfectly well with the theological perspective of chapter
two. The compound Elohim and Tetragrammaton found in chapter two,
however, may be a literary reflection of the complementary perspectives
which chapters one and two are meant to offer. This is probably what the
Midrash means when it says:

The Lord God [made earth and heaven]. This may be compared to a
king who had some empty glasses. Said the king: "If I pour hot water
into them they will burst; if cold they will contract [and snap]." What
then did the king do? He mixed hot and cold water and poured it into
them and so they remained unbroken. Even so, said the Holy One blessed
be He: "If I create the world on the basis of mercy alone, it's sin will
be great; on the basis of judgement alone the world cannot exist. Hence
I will create it on the basis of judgment and of mercy, and may it then
stand!" Hence the expression the Lord God.28

The compound name of God used in chapter two reflects both attributes
of God. The attribute of justice and law (din) reflected in chapter one and
the attribute of immanence and mercy (rahamim) reflected in chapter two.
In other words, the Torah is telling us that although each of the two
perspectives of God seems to be mutually exclusive, they can in fact coexist.
At times God is distant, at times He is near and at times He is both distant
and near simultaneously.
The complex relationship between man and God depicted in these
two chapters is aptly described by the Rav:

Who is He whose life-giving and life-warming breath Adam feels

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constantly and who at the same time remains distant and remote from
all?»

The juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory descriptions of God and

the way He functions and of His relationship to man and man's dual nature
on earth, presents them as complimentary. Chapter three, for example,
describes God passing judgement on Adam and Hava after they transgressed
His commandment, and it is this same God who clothes them because
they are naked. Similarly, throughout the Torah God sets forth laws and
commandments which are meant to make social and spiritual life possible
and meaningful, but when those commandments are broken, God punishes.
This very God, however, is at the same time merciful, compassionate, and
loving.

IX

Man in chapter one emerged majestic and must emulate a majestic God.
He does so by creating, building and having dominion over all of nature.
Man's motto must be law, order, and hierarchy. This does not hold true
for the man who emerges from chapter two. In order for the man of chapter
two to emulate God, he must foster an intimate relationship with the rest
of creation; he must learn to give and care for others and for his environment.
Rabbi Hama bar Hanina's comment in B.T. Sota best describes the God
which man in chapter two must emulate:

What is the meaning of the text, "After the Lord thy God ye shall walk"
[Deut. 13:5]? Is it possible for man to walk after the shekhina? Has it
not been said "The Lord thy God is a devouring fire" [Deut. 4:24]?!
Rather, walk after the Holy One blessed be He. As He clothed the naked—
as it is written "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife
garments of skin, and clothed them" [Gen. 3:21]; So you clothe the naked!
The Holy one blessed be He visited the sick—as it is written "And the
Lord appeared unto him [Abraham, who was recovering from his
circumcision] by the terebinths of Mamre" [Gen.18:1]; so you too visit
the sick! The Holy one blessed be He comforted the mourners—as it
is written "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God
blessed Isaac his son" [Gen. 25:11] so you comfort mourners! The Holy
one blessed be He buried the dead—as it is written "And He buried
[Moses] in the valley" [Deut. 34:6]; so you bury the dead!30

Again, the world view presented in chapter two is strikingly different from
the one presented in the first account of creation. In the first creation
account, man by analogy to God must be a ruler and creator while man
in the second creation account must be a caretaker and sustainer.

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The Torah's views on man's relationship to the world, on how the world
should operate, on the way God is presented in the two accounts of creation
and His relationship to the world which emerge from the opening chapters
of Bereshit are by no means incompatible. In fact they offer yet another
answer to the question Ramban raises right at the beginning of Bereshit:

The process of creation is a deep mystery, not to be understood from

the verses, and it cannot truly be known except through the tradition
going back to Moses, our teacher, who recieved it from the mouth of
the Almighty, and those who know it are obligated to conceal it ...
There is no great need of these narratives to inform us that God is the
creator... For people who believe in the Torah, it would suffice without
these verses. They would believe in the general statement mentioned
in the Decalogue "For six days God made heaven and earth, the sea
and all that is them and rested on the seventh day" and the knowledge
of the process of creation would remain with individuals as a tradition
from Moses who received the law on Sinai together with the oral law."31

Perhaps these two seemingly contradictory chapters of creation are

meant to offer not only a perspective on the parallel and complex duality
of man, his world and his creator, but also a glimpse at the possible
coexistence of seemingly disparate passages in the Torah as a whole.

NOTES

1. The author would like to thank Rabbi Shalom Carmy for taking the time to read this paper at
several stages and making a number of suggestions which have been incorporated into the paper,
one of which is the title for this article; and Dr. Joel Wolowelsky for his careful editorial contributions.
2. Berakhot 61a, Ketuvot 8a, Haggiga 12a, Hulin 27b. See also Ramban to Genesis 2:7.
3. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, "The Lonely man of Faith" (henceforth LMF), Tradition, 7:2 (Summer
1965).
4. Literary-theological is an expression familiar to the Tanakh students of Rabbi Shalom Carmy. The
expression assumes that Tanakh's primary concern is a theological one, and gets its message across
not only by what it says but also how it says it—through the use of various literary methods,
i.e., imagery, structure, use or absence of key words, etc.
5. LMF, p. 10.
6. See, for example, Gerhard Von Rad, who suggests that the differences between the two creation
narratives reflect different views about God's activities in history. He claims that early traditions,
such as chapter one of Genesis, depict God revealing Himself in marvelous events and interventions
while later traditions, such as, chapter two, figure God as a hidden shaper of what appears to
be the seemingly normal cause of events; Old Testament Theology, trans. D.M.G. Stalker (Edinburgh
and London: Oliver and Boyd, 1962), Volume I, p. 48ff.
7. The fact that the first creation narrative ends in chapter 2, verse 3 should not surprise the reader.
The standard chapter division has no literary or theological significance. In fact, it was instituted
by medieval churchmen for practical reference purposes. Rabbi Shalom Carmy has pointed out
to me that Haza/ also separate the two creation accounts in a seemingly unrelated statement

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in Rosh haShana 32a and in Megila 21b: Bi'asara ma'amarot nivra ha'olam; mai nihu ... bereshit
nami ma'amar hu ("With ten utterances was the world created. What are these? The expressions
'God said' in the first chapter of Genesis. But there are only nine? The words 'In the Beginning'
are also an utterance"). Hazal would have used the vayomer in chapter two if both chapters
were read as one. See also Bereshit Rabba 17:1: Hazal use veruah Elohim merahefet as the tenth
ma'amar. This point is only true, however, according to the above mentioned rabbinic statements.
Rabbi Yossi in the same Midrash claims that the vayomer in the second chapter is the tenth
utterance.
8. Umberto Cassuto, A Commentary On the Book of Genesis Part One: From Adam To Noah (Jeru-
salem: Magnes Press), trans. Israel Abrahams, notes that the section is based on a system of numerical
symmetry; pp. 14-18. On the significance and use of the number seven, see Cassuto, "Safrut
Mikra'it veSafrut Kena'anit," Tarbitz, 13 (1942) p. 207, notes 31-32.
9. Ramban to Genesis 2:3.
10. Bereshit Rabba 1:10; see also Haggiga 12b and daily siddur: hamehadesh betuvo bekhol yom
tamid ma'aseh bereshit See also J.T. Berakhot 1:1.
11. E., Kautzch Cesenius' Hebrew Cramar, second English edition by A.E. Cowley, p. 238 III: k. The
form is Imperfect with Waw Consecutive.
12. Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative (New York: Harper, 1981), pp 143-144.
13. LMF, p. 15.
14. For the more salient differences between the two accounts of the creation of man, see LMF,
pp 1-15.
15. See Rashbam on Bereshit 37:2, who claims that the root of the word Toldot is yld which is associated
with man and progeny. Ibn Ezra, Sforno and others claim that Toldot refers to any events that
result from something.
16. Rabbi David Kimhi (Radak) to Genesis 1:27.
17. Ramban to Genesis 1:26
18. For a discussion on the juxtaposition of parshiyot in Tanakh, see Mordechai Breuer in the
introduction to his book, Pirke Mo'adot (Jerusalem: Horev, 5746). For a discussion of juxtaposition
in Rabbinic Exegesis see Isaac Heinamann, Darkhe haAggada (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1970),
p. 141 and footnotes.
19. Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, CA., Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament,
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1951), p. 135,427.
20. The author would like to thank Rabbi Shalom Carmy for pointing out this Radak.
21. See Rabbi Ya'akov Zevi Meklenburg in his commentary, HaKetav vehaKabbala Al haTorah, pp.
1-2, who suggests that bara is used when the essence of something is being created and that
essence only God can change, while the verb yatzar is used when the essence or the object
is being added to or modified.
22. The idea that God created the world experimentally is not foreign to Hazal; see, for example
Bereshit Rabba 3:7: " There was morning, there was evening: the first day'—Says Rabbi Abbahu:
this indicates a time arrangement prior to this (biblical) creation; that God built previous worlds
and destroyed them, built worlds and destroyed them until He said 'this world pleases me and
the others did not please me.' R. Phinehas said: This is R Abbahu's reason; 'God saw everything
that He had made, and, behold, it was very good—this pleases me but those did not please
me.
24. Yevamot 53a.
23. See Ramban and Radak on Genesis 1:1. Ibn Ezra disagrees, however, and comments on the same
verse: "Most Biblical commentators explain that the word bara indicates creation ex nihilo . . .
They also failed to consider "I formed the light and created [bara] darkness" (ls.45:7), wherein
darkness the opposite of light, an existing entity, is described by the prophet as being created.
See also Yevamot 53a.
25. Ramban to Genesis 2:7. Rabbi Soloveitchik describes the experience as follows: "The biblical
metaphor referring to God breathing life into Adam alludes to actual preoccupation of the latter
with God; to his genuine living experience of God rather than to some divine potential or
endowment in Adam symbolized by ¡magio dei." LMF, p. 17.
26. The author would like to thank Julie Greenblatt for this insight.
27. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, Kuzari IV:3, ed. Y. Even Shmuel (Tel Aviv: Dvir, 1972), p. 155. For a historical

32
 Yamin Levy

development of the meaning of the name Elohim, see Kuzari IV: 1 and Rambam, Moreh Nevukhim
1:61-1:63.
28. Bereshit Rabba 12:15.
29. LMF, p. 17.
30. Sota 14a. See also Breshit Rabba 8:13: "We have found that the Holy One blessed be He makes
the nuptial blessing, decorates the bride, visits the sick and buries the dead. That He makes
the nuptial blessing, whence? 'God blessed Adam and Eve' [Gen. 1:28] And that He decorates
the brides, whence? 'The Lord God built (Vayiven) the tzela' [Gen. 2:22; vayiven is associated
with binayta (plaited hair); Breshit Rabba 18:1]. That He visits the sick, whence? As it is said
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinths of Mamre' [Gen. 18:1] That He buries the
dead whence? 'He buried [Moses] in the valley.' [Deut. 36:6] Said Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman,
He also lifts up his countenance upon the mourners—this is what is written 'God appeared unto
Jacob . . . . and blessed him' [Gen. 35:9]." See Also Kohelet. Rabba 7:2; Tanhuma, VaEra 18:1;
Midrash Tehillim 25:11; Pirke deRabbi Eliezer 16.
31. Ramban to Genesis 1:1.

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