פרשת בראשית תשכ"ו - בצלם אלוקים

And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

ויברא אלהים את האדם בצלמו SO GOD CREATED THE MAN IN HIS IMAGE —in the type that was specially made for him, for everything else was created by a creative fiat, whilst he was brought into existence by a creative act (literally, by hand), as it is said (Psalms 139:5) “And Thou hast laid thy hand upon me.” He was made by a seal as a coin that is made by a die that is called in old French coin. It is similarly said, (Job 28:14) “it is changed as clay under the seal” (Sanhedrin 38a).

בצלם אלהים ברא אותו IN THE IMAGE OF GOD CREATED HE HIM — It explains to you that the form prepared for him was the form of the image of his Creator.

אשר לא תגלה ערותך THAT THY NAKEDNESS BE NOT UNCOVERED — because on account of these steps you will have to take large paces and so spread the legs. Now, although this would not be an actual uncovering of one’s nakedness (of the parts usually kept covered), since it is written, (Exodus 28:42) “And thou shalt make for them (the priests) linen breeches [to cover the flesh of their nakedness]”, still the taking of large paces is near enough to uncovering one’s nakedness that it may be described as such, and you would then be treating them (the stones of the altar) in a manner that implies disrespect. Now the following statement follows logically à fortiori: How is it in the case of stones which have no sense (feeling) to be particular about any disrespect shown to them? Scripture ordains that since they serve some useful purpose you should not treat them in a manner that implies disrespect! Then in the case of your fellow-man who is made in the image of your Creator and who is particular about any disrespect shown to him, how much more certain is it that you should not treat him disrespectfully! (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:23:1)

בצלמנו כדמותנו, according to the interpretation of my father of blessed memory, the meaning of the word בצלמנו applies both to a physical likeness as well as to a spiritual likeness, the ending נו not applying to two different subjects, “our,” but applying to two different parts of the same subject. It matches the prefix נ in the word נעשה. If we understand the word נעשה as applying to the angels, we must treat the words צלם and דמות as referring to spiritual attributes only, the meaning being that man would be endowed with parts of the spiritual attributes known as צלם and דמות respectively. The expressions צלם and דמות respectively, are sometimes applied to something physical and on other occasions applied to something abstract, spiritual. The word צלם is an attribute sometimes applied to a physical entity, such as in Samuel I 6,5 צלמי טחוריכם, “images of your hemorrhoids,” or in Numbers 33,52 צלמי מסכותם, “their molten images.” The same expression is also used to describe something spiritual, as in verse 27 of our chapter here.
The same is true of the word דמות as for instance, in Song of Songs 7,8 קומתך דומה לתמר, “your posture resembles that of a date palm,” or Ezekiel 1,13 ודמות החיות, “and the appearance of the chayot,” (a category of angels shown to the prophet in this vision). The same word is also used to describe physical appearances such as in Ezekiel 32,2 כפיר גוים נדמית “you were compared to a young lion;” or in Psalms 102,7 דמיתי לקאת מדבר, “I am like a great owl in the desert.”
The word נעשה is justified seeing that these attributes are means employed by G’d. The letter ב which serves as a prefix to צלמנו, is to be understood as a “helper,” meaning “equipped with our attribute צלם, i.e. our intelligence, we shall produce a creature whom we will endow with portions of these attributes of ours.” We will do this although, essentially, man is of the earth, to wit his name אדם. Alternately, it is possible to understand the prefix ב in the word בצלמנו as a letter that describes that something is equipped with an attribute. G’d would be saying that this new creature called אדם, man, shall be equipped with the attribute known as צלם.

ויברא אלוקים את האדם בצלמו, the expression ברא, i.e. a totally new creation, refers only to man’s soul, as indicated by the word בצלמו, in G’d’s image, something that had not yet been created. The Torah wanted to draw a line of distinction between the construction of man’s body and that of his soul. When describing the construction of man’s body, (chapter 2 verse 7), the wording is וייצר אלוקים את האדם עפר מן האדמה, “G’d fashioned man from dust of the earth, etc;” the expression יצר is not one that can be applied to something abstract such as the soul. However, the word עשה, מעשה, is applicable both to bodies and to abstract beings such as souls.
As far as the verse (Zecharayh 12,1) ויוצר רוח אדם בקרבו, “He fashioned man’s spirit inside of him,” is concerned, the prophet referred to an instrument used by the body, something like the heart of the brain. These organs are instruments supporting the power of the spirit. The reason why, at this point the Torah (Moses) did not mention the making of man’s body, is because it is mentioned in the paragraph beginning with the words אלה תולדות השמים והארץ. (Genesis 2,4) In that paragraph some other details are mentioned which have been omitted at this point in order to refer to them in that passage in chapter 2. The whole story mentioned there also belongs to the report of what had transpired during these 6 days of creation.

"In our image" (tsalmeinu): The form of the body and its build is not called tselem but rather toar or tavnit (as Rambam said in the Guide for the Perplexed 1:1). Since they would say yafat toar (nice appearance), not yafat tselem. And to indicate the construction of the parts of a body, they would say, "the tavnit of the tabernacle and the tavnit of all its vessels" (Exodus 28:9). Rather, they would call tselem anything that is made to resemble something else, like a drawing on paper made to resemble a specific person; and so [too] any statue or mask made to resemble a certain body. As it is written (I Samuel 6:5), "the resemblances of (tsalmei) your hemorrhoids and the resemblances of (tsalmei) your mice;" and (Ezekiel 16:17) "and you made resemblances of (tsalmei) males;" and (Ezekiel 23:14) "resemblances of (tsalmei) Chaldeans, inscribed with vermilion." And the word, tselem is derived from tsel (shadow) (and like Bochart also wrote), since a shadow depicts a form which resembles a body. And from it did men learn to begin the art of drawing. And also in Aramaic, they say a 'golden tslam' [to mean a golden statue] and the like; and the intention is always about something that is made to resemble something else. Only once do we find - in Daniel 3:19, "and the appearance (tselem) of his face changed" - [that it refers] to the appearance of a living person, and it is a borrowed expression [there] and not precise. And behold, man is a resemblance of God; meaning that from a certain angle, he resembles the Power that is Master of all the powers. And ostensibly, the letter bet (designating in or according to) in the word betsalmeinu is difficult according to my explanation - and so [too] (Genesis 9:6), "since betselem (in the image/resemblance) of God did He make man." Since according to my explanation, man himself is the resemblance of God, and not [just created to be] in the image of God. However, it is fitting to know that we have found this in a few places - an additional bet in a word that [simply] indicates that it is the predicate of a statement (praedicatum). For example, "since it is be evil" (Exodus 32:22); "Behold, the Lord will come be strength" (Isaiah 40:10); "He is be one" (Job 23:13); "be the Lord is His name" (Pslams 68:5). And this [type of] bet is frequently used in Arabic. And it appears that the expression, be evil, be strength, be one [all] mainly indicates [that it is] as if you would say a certain person has the characteristic that is called evil, strength or [oneness]. Here too, [it is understood as] "let Us make man [to have] the quality which would justify it being called, resemblance of God." And behold, the word, betsalmeinu, and the expression, tselem Elohim (image of God), are not a proof that the Torah teaches that God has a human form (Antropomorphismus). And we cannot deny that some of our forbears attributed a build like the build of a man to God, and so did they say in the blessing for grooms (Ketuvot 8a), "Who formed man in His resemblance, in the resemblance of the image of tavnito (His build)." And tavnit is certainly a name that refers to the structure of the parts of a body. And nonetheless, our forbears did not believe that God and the angels had a body and a hull like us. And Rashi explicitly wrote (Makkot 12a, s.v. chamuts begadim) that angels are not flesh and blood. But the truth of the matter is that a completely incorporeal simple intellect that has no form - no breadth and width and height whatsoever - is something that is impossible for a person to imagine and [hence] it will not be [internalized by him.] And if the philosophers speak about Him, at the end of the day, they can only describe Him negatively (what He is not), not positively (what He is). And the Torah was given to the whole people, and the people need to be able to imagine their God with a positive description, not just a negative description. And behold, [therefore] our forbears would attribute to God and to the angels and to souls, a finer spiritual substance than any body known to us, and nonetheless, [that substance] has a form and a build. And see the book Malakhet Machshevet, Parshat Shelach Lecha.

"Ke'demuteinu:" In similarity to Us - that He be similar to Us. However, in what way is man similar to God? It appears to me (like I wrote in Bikkurei HaItim 5588, page 165) that [just] like God is the Master of all powers - and that is the connotation of the word Elohim - so too is man distinguished from all the other animals; in that all of them have an ability and makeup for a specific trait and activity, and only man has the makeup and ability for all of the traits and activities in the world. (See Rabbi N. H. Wessely's Sefer HaMiddot, Section I, Chapters 1 and 2). And from this it comes out that he has dominion over all the animals; and for this reason, He immediately said, "let them have dominion over the fish of the seas, etc." And so [too] did David state (Psalms 8:6-7), "And You have made him little less than angels, etc. You have made him govern over the works of your hands." And behold, with man, it does not state, "and it was so," since it does not state, "let there be man," but [rather], let Us make man. Due to the stature of man, He fashioned him as if it were 'a thought-out work,' and as if he was made with more special supervision and attention than all the other animals.

Let us make man in our image: The image of G-d is free will, without any natural external inclination, only from free will and intellect. G-d's knowledge does not impinge on free will, because his knowledge stems not (in the same way as the) knowledge of man which comes from his senses, rather it is He alone who perceives, as is explained in the Rambam. Behold it is not in our ability to understand how this works...rather this we know: Free will is a condensation of G-dliness, because G-d provides place for his creations to do as they choose, and removed from their actions, the decree and the decision on an individual level...The torah speaks in the way that people speak - let us leave a place for man's personal choice, that he won't be forced in any of his actions, and in the obligation of his thoughts, to be free to do good or evil as he desires. He will be able to do things against his more natural state, and against those things which are straight in the eyes of G-d.....