"In God's Image - B'tzelem Elohim"

Each individual, through the myths and visions of the society in which he or she lives, constructs an essential “philosophy of self.” We each build a belief about who we are, why we are here, and what dreams are within our grasp. This philosophy structures our sense of worth, guides the direction of our life’s journey and motivates our daily behavior. These myths and visions are no small matter.

Understand that by “myth” we do not mean a folktale, a story about the gods, or something that isn’t true. Rather, we mean the founding narrative or cluster of narratives that—factual or not—justify a people’s existence to itself. For America, that would include the story of Columbus, 1776, the Civil War, and the Great Society.

In this session we will explore one of the basic concepts in Jewish thought that has shaped the way that human beings, including Jews, construct their own sense of value and worth—the notion that people are created in the image of God, b’tzelem Elohim. (http://justaction.org/torahstudy/btzelem-elohim-text1.htm)

Think about your own creation story and that of your family.

• Tell the story of your own birth.
• Tell a story about your family history.
• What values do you learn about yourself and your family from these stories?

Reflect on the narratives and ideas which inform your own sense of self.

• What are the values and principles that define who you are?
• Where do these values come from?
• With whom do you share these values?
• In what ways do these values shape your behavior on a daily basis?

• What do you think it means to be made b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God?
• What do you think this text is trying to relate about the purpose of humanity? Was the earth missing something without humans? What can humans offer the earth? Are we necessary? Is the earth now complete with us?
• How does being created in the image of God relate to the mandate of humanity described in the text?

• Which, if any, of your characteristics do you consider to be “in the image of God?”

• Does the absence of a belief in God necessarily diminish the value of human life? Can atheists value human life in a similar way? On what basis?

• Is there any value to the concept of b’tzelem Elohim if you do not believe in God?

• What do you think these two sages are arguing over?
• What is the societal impact of each position?
• Which principle do you prefer?

The Ohev Yisroel of Apta - Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel 18th cent.

"Our body forms its likeness on the earth by the shadow it casts, so do we, by our activity, form the eternal God to our likeness: If we act well, we form thereby the right hand of the God-Man. If we resist evil, we form the left hand of the God-Man. If we do not look at ugly things, we form His eyes. If we do not allow our ears to hear lies, we form His ears and so on. God asks this of us and we have always to be conscious of it, so that we can always do right and not sin, AMEN"

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel 20th cent. (as quoted by Rabbi Arthur Green)

​"Why are we forbidden to make images of God? It is not because God is beyond all images, so that no image could possibly depict God. If that were the case, images would merely be harmless. God has and image, and that is you. You may not make the image of God because you are the image of God. The only medium in which you can make God's image is the medium of your entire life, and that is precisely what we are commanded to do. Everything you do, everything you say, each moment and the way you use it are all part of the way you build God's image. To take anything less than a full, living human being - like canvas or a piece of marble - and call it the image of God would be to diminish God, to lessen God's image.