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Share(כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹקִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹקִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃
(27) And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔-ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤-ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖-ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃
(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” (27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Talk it Out:
- What do you think it means to be created in someone’s image? Does being created in someone’s image mean that you are the same as they are? Think about other “images” that you experience in your daily life. How does an “image” relate to the original?
- If you could choose someone whose image you would want to be in, who would it be?
- Why do you think the Torah tells us that Adam (and by extension his descendants — all people) were created in the image of God?
- Does the phrase B’Tzelem Elohim/ “in the image of God” speak to you? Why or why not? If not, are there ways that you might reformulate the phrase that would speak to you?
The Unanimous Declaration of 13 United States of America, July 4, 1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Highlight any statements that would show how the Declaration of Independence is influenced by the Torah?
Once I sat on the steps by a gate at David's Tower,
I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. A group of tourists
was standing around their guide and I became their target marker. "You see
that man with the baskets? Just right of his head there's an arch
from the Roman period. Just right of his head." "But he's moving, he's moving!"
I said to myself: redemption will come only if their guide tells them,
"You see that arch from the Roman period? It's not important: but next to it,
left and down a bit, there sits a man who's bought fruit and vegetables for his family."
Writing Hebrew poetry in 20th century Israel, Yehuda Amichai reflects on the importance of recognizing the humanity of every individual, and how the "tourists" might miss the opportunity to do that.
Can you think of a time in your life when you seized - or missed - an opportunity to recognize the narrative of another person?
מברכות נשואין
ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם אשר יצר את האדם בצלמו בצלם דמות תבניתו והתקין לו ממנו בנין עדי עד. ברוך אתה ה' יוצר האדם.
From the blessings recited at a wedding
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who made humanity in God's image, the image of God's likeness, and out of God's very self formed a building for eternity. Blessed are you Lord, creator of humankind.