Bere’shit/ B’reishit Genesis 1.1-6.8
First creation narrative. 1.1-2.4a
Humankind is created in God’s image. The image of God is in the harmonious relationships between all people, men and women, working together as equals. We must be careful not to read enlightenment individualism into this text where community, not individuality is stressed. The reference to dominion or rulling over animals in verse 26 is a reference to domesticating animals to help with work. Eating animals in excluded in verse 29. The ruling or dominion in this verse is a non-abusive leadership between unequals that brings sustenance, similar to the intention of verse 16, where the ruling of the sun and the moon is for shining light and for use as a calendar, necessities for agricultural work.
Garden narrative. 2.4b-3.24
God creates the animals to be Adam’s partners but Adam gives names to all of them, symbolizing his dominion over them. None are his equals. Then God creates the woman and Adam recognizes her as his equal. He does not name her. Although he does call her woman, the Hebrew word for name is not used. But the immediate consequence of expulsion from the garden, is that Adam names Eve, the Hebrew word for name is used just as it was used for the animals earlier, signifying inequality entering into human relationships.
One interpretation of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that it signifies the ability, reserved for God alone, to use evil means for good ends. In other places in the bible the phrase “knowledge good and evil” refers to the kind of worldly wisdom of the kings, like Solomon, who form military alliances, use capital punishment, and enslave the people to accomplish their ends. This should be contrasted with divine wisdom which does not exhibit equality with God through conquest but through suffering for others.
The snake is cunning or shrewd, words used to describe someone who is able to manipulate others for their own ends. In Hebrew, the nakedness realized by the humans after they eat the fruit looks like the word for shrewd.
God places winged sphinxes with a flaming sword at the entrance to the garden. One can not enter back into the garden through the same means with which one left it, the means of domination of humans over humans. Instead we are called to model our institutions on the basis of cooperation, equality, and love, in the image of God to get back home.
Cain and Abel. 4.1-4.24
Abel violates God’s commandment and slaughters animals while Cain continues to live by the rules that were given in the garden. Yet Abel prospers while Cain does not. Why does God allow the wicked to prosper while the righteous suffer? The bible gives no answer although it frequently asks the question. Cain does in reality what his parents did symbolically. He takes justice into his own hands, usurps God’s prerogative to do evil so that good will come, and kills Abel. As Cain’s crime was patterned after that of his parents, so is his punishment, expulsion from home. But he makes a new life and raises a family in Nod, the land of wandering. The story is followed by a genealogy of Cain (where the desire for many wives and a violent temper are correlated in the person of Lamech.) A midrash holds that Cain repented of his killing.
Both the garden narrative and the Cain and Abel narrative can be read as allegories of exile. The prophets’ explanation for exile was that the rulers of Israel and Judah did not rule justly. They did not care for the widows and orphans (meaning all people who do not have means of support). If they had done this, the God would have been their warrior. Instead of doing justice they sought to form military alliances with Egypt and other nations and usurp the warrior role of God while the ruling class exploited the poor. Expulsion followed. But in exile, according to this week’s haftarah portion, Isaiah 42.5-43.11, God has not forsaken the children of Israel and God will lead the people to their home provided they leave the warrior stuff to God and instead devote themselves to being a light to the nations.
Seth’s descendents 4.25-6.8
Adam and Eve beget another son Seth, from which humanity through Noah will descend. Perhaps Cain represents Israel which was dispersed in the Assyrian invasion while the line of Seth corresponds to Judah. There is again mixing between the human and the divine realm but this time it isn’t through humans usurping God’s role but members of god’s divine court mating with human women, perhaps representing the exploitation of the poor by the ruling class of Jerusalem. God is appalled at the injustices in society. The stage is set for the flood, in next week’s Torah portion, which symbolizes the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile.
First creation narrative. 1.1-2.4a
Humankind is created in God’s image. The image of God is in the harmonious relationships between all people, men and women, working together as equals. We must be careful not to read enlightenment individualism into this text where community, not individuality is stressed. The reference to dominion or rulling over animals in verse 26 is a reference to domesticating animals to help with work. Eating animals in excluded in verse 29. The ruling or dominion in this verse is a non-abusive leadership between unequals that brings sustenance, similar to the intention of verse 16, where the ruling of the sun and the moon is for shining light and for use as a calendar, necessities for agricultural work.
Garden narrative. 2.4b-3.24
God creates the animals to be Adam’s partners but Adam gives names to all of them, symbolizing his dominion over them. None are his equals. Then God creates the woman and Adam recognizes her as his equal. He does not name her. Although he does call her woman, the Hebrew word for name is not used. But the immediate consequence of expulsion from the garden, is that Adam names Eve, the Hebrew word for name is used just as it was used for the animals earlier, signifying inequality entering into human relationships.
One interpretation of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that it signifies the ability, reserved for God alone, to use evil means for good ends. In other places in the bible the phrase “knowledge good and evil” refers to the kind of worldly wisdom of the kings, like Solomon, who form military alliances, use capital punishment, and enslave the people to accomplish their ends. This should be contrasted with divine wisdom which does not exhibit equality with God through conquest but through suffering for others.
The snake is cunning or shrewd, words used to describe someone who is able to manipulate others for their own ends. In Hebrew, the nakedness realized by the humans after they eat the fruit looks like the word for shrewd.
God places winged sphinxes with a flaming sword at the entrance to the garden. One can not enter back into the garden through the same means with which one left it, the means of domination of humans over humans. Instead we are called to model our institutions on the basis of cooperation, equality, and love, in the image of God to get back home.
Cain and Abel. 4.1-4.24
Abel violates God’s commandment and slaughters animals while Cain continues to live by the rules that were given in the garden. Yet Abel prospers while Cain does not. Why does God allow the wicked to prosper while the righteous suffer? The bible gives no answer although it frequently asks the question. Cain does in reality what his parents did symbolically. He takes justice into his own hands, usurps God’s prerogative to do evil so that good will come, and kills Abel. As Cain’s crime was patterned after that of his parents, so is his punishment, expulsion from home. But he makes a new life and raises a family in Nod, the land of wandering. The story is followed by a genealogy of Cain (where the desire for many wives and a violent temper are correlated in the person of Lamech.) A midrash holds that Cain repented of his killing.
Both the garden narrative and the Cain and Abel narrative can be read as allegories of exile. The prophets’ explanation for exile was that the rulers of Israel and Judah did not rule justly. They did not care for the widows and orphans (meaning all people who do not have means of support). If they had done this, the God would have been their warrior. Instead of doing justice they sought to form military alliances with Egypt and other nations and usurp the warrior role of God while the ruling class exploited the poor. Expulsion followed. But in exile, according to this week’s haftarah portion, Isaiah 42.5-43.11, God has not forsaken the children of Israel and God will lead the people to their home provided they leave the warrior stuff to God and instead devote themselves to being a light to the nations.
Seth’s descendents 4.25-6.8
Adam and Eve beget another son Seth, from which humanity through Noah will descend. Perhaps Cain represents Israel which was dispersed in the Assyrian invasion while the line of Seth corresponds to Judah. There is again mixing between the human and the divine realm but this time it isn’t through humans usurping God’s role but members of god’s divine court mating with human women, perhaps representing the exploitation of the poor by the ruling class of Jerusalem. God is appalled at the injustices in society. The stage is set for the flood, in next week’s Torah portion, which symbolizes the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile.
posted by ross at 10:35 PM
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