TORAH PORTION 1 WOMEN'S SHOE AND BOOT The Story Of Creation: How Did Adam Look? RABBI IRWIN GRONER Special to The Jewish News T his Shabbat, we begin reading the most im- portant book in the world: the Torah. The Torah is filled with paradox. Its truths are stated in the form of stories, parables and myths, so simple that even little children can understand them and take delight in their charm. And yet, the insights of the Torah are so profound that even the most brilliant of scholars cannot ful- ly explicate their meaning. In the description of the story of Creation, consider how the text addresses the difference between "division" and Shabbat Bereshit: Genesis 1:1-6:8, Isaiah 42:5-43:10 ,) "divisiveness." The former im- plies separation for a worthy purpose; the latter involves discord. Thus, in Genesis 1:4: "And God divided the light from the darkness." Separation, in itself, is not necessarily an evil. Frequently it may be a necessary step in growth and development. The simplest form of life, the amoeba, reproduces itself by means of division which con- stitutes the very means of its survival. Surgery is the process of separating diseased cells or tissue from those which are healthy, thereby preventing the spread of the malady. The biblical account of Crea- tion indicates that the world itself came into being as the result of several successive acts of division and separation. The Almighty divided between the light and the darkness; divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above; divided bet- ween the day and the night; and finally divided between the six secular days of the week and the Sabbath of sanctity. Thus did God bring order out of chaos through a systematic process of division. But there is one crucial ele- ment in Creation which God significantly intended to be whole. That element was the Lord's crowning glory — Man. When woman was created, she was recognized in the words of Adam as "bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." The text declares: "Now therefore shall Irwin Groner is rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Zedek. a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh." The unity of mankind was the supreme purpose of the Creator. The Talmud cites an il- luminating exchange of views on this theme between two of the great scholars of the second century: Rabbi Akiva said: "And thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself: This is the great prin- ciple of the Torah." Ben Azai said: "This is the book of the generations of man." That is the great principle of the 'Ibrah. At first glance, it is difficult to establish a connection be- tween the statement of Rabbi Akiva and that of Ben Azai, whose meaning is obscure. A more profound examination of the words of Ben Azai, however, shows that he was laying the foundation for Rabbi Akiva's statement. It is as though Ben Azai were answering this question: Why is so little detail supplied in the story of the first man, the most important biograpliical account ever written? So many questions could be asked: From what particular section of the earth was the dust taken from which Adam was created? What was the col- or of Adam's skin? What did Adam look like? How did Adam worship? Where did Adam ac- tually live? The Midrash offers inter- pretations. Adam was created from dust gathered from every continent. Adam was neither black, white, yellow, brown or red. Adam was neither Semitic, Nordic, Mongolian nor Teutonic. He was the composite of all colors and races, for he was the ancestor of all men. Adam worshipped God, and no more description is needed. The form his religiosity assum- ed is not specified, nor is it im- portant. Adam is the spiritual ancestor of men and women of all religions and of no religion. The biblical creation story is the ultimate refutation of the boast, "My father is better than your father!" Every individual is equally significant before God because we are all equally the descendants of the same original parents. This concept, then, is what Ben Azai taught: "This is the book of the generations of man." Man — unqualified, unlabeled and universal; man as the culmination of God's miracle of creation. That, said Ben Azai, is the great principle of the Torah, for it clearly pro- claims the unity and equality of all men of all races. SALE Adeline A. Laforet, R.N. President "Rent-A-Mom" newborns/sick children post-hospital adult care elder care • nursing therapy • personal care services • homemaking 357-7080 SAVE UP TO 50% ON SELECTED STYLES 348 prs. Orchard Mall Orchard Lake Rd., N. of Maple West Bloomfield • 851-5566 Health Care Evergreen Plaza PROFESSIONALS LTD. employment opportunities Medicare/Blue Cross/Private Insurance 12 Mile & Evergreen Rd. Southfield • 559-3580 B r--% reg HOES Jews in American Cinema 18981988 The Shonik-Fleischer Forum for 1988 Gala Screening of "The Chosen" with guest appearances by Rod Steiger and Jeremy Paul Kagan Saturday, October 15, 1988, 8:00 p.m. Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor Lecture by Neal Gabler "The Hollywood Moguls" Sunday, October 16, 3:00 p.m. Auditorium A, Angell Hall, The University of Michigan Panel Discussion with: Judith Crist, film critic Lester Friedman, Professionb of English, SUNY; Neal Gabler, film critic Barry Gross, Professor of English, Michigan State Univewrsity Jeremy Paul Kagan and Rod Steiger "Jews in American Cinema, 1898-1988" Sunday, October 16, 7:30 p.m. Auditorium A, Angell Hall, The University of Michigan (free admission) Sponsored by the Program in Judaic Studies of The University of Michigan and by The Anti-Defamation League of Brno! D`rith. For further information, call 760-9047. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 33