Part I: Where it all Began - Creation of Human in God’s Image
(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
Talk it out!
- What does the Torah tell us about people being created in the image of God?
- What do you think being created "btzelem Elo-him" means here?
- How can we take these pesukim that talk about b’tzelem Elo-him (“in God’s image”) and apply them to our lives and how we want to be treated? How we treat our friends and family?
(א) זֶ֣ה סֵ֔פֶר תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת אָדָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם בְּרֹ֤א אֱלֹקִים֙ אָדָ֔ם בִּדְמ֥וּת אֱלֹקִ֖ים עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתֽוֹ׃ (ב) זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בְּרָאָ֑ם וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָ֗ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ אָדָ֔ם בְּי֖וֹם הִבָּֽרְאָֽם׃ (ס)
(1) This is the record of Adam’s line.—When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; (2) male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man.—
Talk it out!
Both passages about creation from Bereshit describe humans being created in the image of God. [ Tzelem Elo-him]
● How do you understand the idea that humans are created in God’s image?
● Is there any part of humanity that is like God? If so, what?
- How can your understanding be supported or challenged by the words of these verses?
● What does it mean for you to be created in the image of God? What are your challenges, if any, with this idea ?
● How can you understand why all people deserve respect from these verses?
(ז) רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי מְנַחֵם בְּשֵׁם רַב אָמַר כָּל הָאֻמָנִיּוֹת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לְמָדָם, מַאי טַעְמֵיהּ (ישעיה מד, יא): וְחָרָשִׁים הֵמָּה מֵאָדָם, מֵאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. רַבָּנָן אָמְרִין אֲפִלּוּ סִרְגּוּלוֹ שֶׁל סֵפֶר, אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לְמָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ה, א): זֶה סֵפֶר, הוּא וְסִרְגּוּלוֹ. (בראשית ה, א): בְּיוֹם בְּרֹא אֱלֹקִים אָדָם, הָדָא מְסַיְּעָא לְהַהִיא דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה שָׁלשׁ פְּלָאִים נַעֲשׂוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם, בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם נִבְרְאוּ, בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם שִׁמְשׁוּ, בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הוֹצִיאוּ תּוֹלָדוֹת. בֶּן עֲזַאי אוֹמֵר זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם, זֶה כְּלַל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר (ויקרא יט, יח): וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ, זֶה כְּלַל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁלֹא תֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְנִתְבַּזֵּיתִי יִתְבַּזֶה חֲבֵרִי עִמִּי, הוֹאִיל וְנִתְקַלַּלְתִּי יִתְקַלֵּל חֲבֵרִי עִמִּי. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא אִם עָשִׂיתָ כֵּן דַּע לְמִי אַתָּה מְבַזֶּה בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹקִים עָשָׂה אוֹתוֹ.
(7) Rabbi Tanchuma said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Menachem in the name of Rav said: בֶּן עֲזַאי אוֹמֵר זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם
Ben Azzai said: “These are the generations of Adam" is a great principle in the Torah. Rabbi Akiva said: This is a great principle of the Torah: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). Thus, one should not say, “Since people make fun of me, I should make fun of another as well; since I have been cursed, I will curse my fellow as well.”
Rabbi Tanchuma said, if you act like that, realize who it is that you are willing to have embarrassed and made fun of- "one who was made in the image of God." Rabbi Tanchuma says, “If you do so, you should know who are you making fun of — ‘in the likeness of God He created (people).’”
Talk it out!
- What is the source of human dignity according to Ben Azai? For Rabbi Akiva?
● Does the proof verse make a difference in defining human dignity?
● What is the source of human dignity for Rabbi Tanhuma?
● Which statement is most meaningful to you? Why?
Part 2: A Reminder for Each of Us!
(יד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, חָבִיב אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם. חִבָּה יְתֵרָה נוֹדַעַת לוֹ שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ט) כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקִים עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם.
(14) He used to say: Beloved are people for they were created in the image [of God]. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to him that they had been created in the image [of God], as it is said: “for in the image of God made people” (Genesis 9:6).
Talk it out!
According to Rabbi Akiva in this teaching, how did God show God's love for people?
Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5
Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
Talk it out!
●According to this mishna, how should we understand what human dignity is?
● The mishna explains why Adam was created alone. How do you understand the answer? What does it teach us about the the importance of human life? What does it teach us about the respect we should have for ourselves? For others?
Part III: How Important is it Really?
תלמוד בבלי ברכות יט עמוד א
תא שמע גדול כבוד הבריות שדוחה [את] לא תעשה שבתורה
Babylonian Talmud Berachot 19a
Come and hear - Great is human dignity, as it overrides a prohibition in the Torah.
(for more- see fuller source at the bottom of the page!)
Rabbi Menachem ben Solomon haMeiri on Berachot 19b
The fundamental dignity of all creation is very precious to God. There is no value more precious than it.
Talk it out!
●What does it mean when we say respecting other people can “override” a prohibition from the Torah? Should that be true? Do you agree with the opinion of the Talmud?
● React to the Meiri: Do you feel that all creations are always so precious or special to God? How does that make you feel?
IV. Concluding Thoughts
Always Treat a Person Like A Mensch
There is a story of a Hasidic Rebbe and a conversation he had with his student. Rabbi Israel of Rizhin once asked a student how many sections there were in the Shulchan Arukh, the Code of Jewish Law. The student replied, “Four.” “What,” asked the Rabbi, “do you know about the fifth section?” But there is no fifth section,” said the student.
“There is,” said the Rizhiner. “It says: always treat a person like a Mensch.”
Our Jewish tradition puts an emphasis on acknowledging that human being’s life are incredibly important regardless of rich or poor, race and gender. It is our goal and hope that we can live life fully while still remembering what is at our core: love of people, value of ourselves and being made in the image of God. Above all else, remembering the advice of the the Rizhiner Rebbe, always treat a person like a mensch!
Some Final Words from Rabbi Sacks
Covenant and Conversation-Family-Bereishit
By stating that not just the king, but everyone, is in the image of God, the Bible was opposing the entire political universe of the ancient world. Every individual is sacrosanct (holy! special!). Every life is sacred. The human person as such has inalienable dignity. Here is the birth of the biblical revolution...with the articulation of the concept of human rights, meaning the rights we bear simply because we are human. Babel is the is the symbol of the sacrifice of the individual to the state. Abraham, by contrast, is to become the symbol of all individuals in search of worth as individuals. Future Tense, p. 77-78
Dedicated to the memory and in honor of two great, humble, teachers of Torah who died this year-whose teachings always emphasized and honored the dignity of people:
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, founder of the Aleph Society, master translator and teacher, Global Day of Jewish Learning
Rabbi Steinsaltz speaks about human dignity:
https://youtu.be/Sxnf0pW4vlo; learn about Rabbi Steinsaltz's life: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/books/rabbi-adin-steinsaltz-dead.html &
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks , HaRav Ya’akov Zvi ben David Arieh, former chief rabbi of the UK and one of the greatest philosopher, theologian, author, and teachers of Modern Orthdoxy.
(V. For further study- more food for thought from the Talmud)
When does human dignity override a law in the Torah?
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: הַמּוֹצֵא כִּלְאַיִם בְּבִגְדוֹ — פּוֹשְׁטָן אֲפִילּוּ בַּשּׁוּק. מַאי טַעְמָא: ״אֵין חׇכְמָה וְאֵין תְּבוּנָה וְאֵין עֵצָה לְנֶגֶד ה׳״, כׇּל מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם אֵין חוֹלְקִין כָּבוֹד לָרַב.
תָּא שְׁמַע: גָּדוֹל כְּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת שֶׁדּוֹחֶה [אֶת] לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה. וְאַמַּאי? לֵימָא ״אֵין חׇכְמָה וְאֵין תְּבוּנָה וְאֵין עֵצָה לְנֶגֶד ה׳״! תַּרְגְּמַהּ רַב בַּר שְׁבָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב כָּהֲנָא בְּלָאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״. אֲחִיכוּ עֲלֵיהּ, לָאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״ דְאוֹרָיְיתָא הִיא?! אָמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא: גַּבְרָא רַבָּה אָמַר מִילְּתָא, לָא תְּחִיכוּ עֲלֵיהּ. כׇּל מִילֵּי דְרַבָּנַן אַסְמְכִינְהוּ עַל לָאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״, וּמִשּׁוּם כְּבוֹדוֹ שְׁרוֹ רַבָּנַן. תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ מֵהֶם״ — פְּעָמִים שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְעַלֵּם מֵהֶם, וּפְעָמִים שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה מִתְעַלֵּם מֵהֶם. הָא כֵּיצַד? אִם הָיָה כֹּהֵן, וְהִיא בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, אוֹ הָיָה זָקֵן וְאֵינָהּ לְפִי כְבוֹדוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה מְלַאכְתּוֹ מְרוּבָּה מִשֶּׁל חֲבֵרוֹ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר ״וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ״. אַמַּאי, לֵימָא ״אֵין חׇכְמָה וְאֵין תְּבוּנָה וְאֵין עֵצָה לְנֶגֶד ה׳״! שָׁאנֵי הָתָם, דִּכְתִיב ״וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ מֵהֶם״.
To what degree does preserving human dignity takes precedence over mitzvot enumerated in the Torah?
Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: One who discovers diverse kinds [kilayim], i.e., a prohibited mixture of wool and linen, in his garment, must remove them even in the public marketplace. He may not wait until he reaches home. What is the reason for this? As it is stated: “There is neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30). From here, the general principle: Anywhere that there is desecration of the Lord’s name, one does not show respect to the teacher, is derived. ... ...
Come and hear: Great is human dignity, as it overrides a prohibition in the Torah. The Gemara asks: Why? Let us also say here: “There is neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.” Rav bar Shaba interpreted this prohibition, which is overridden by human dignity, before Rav Kahana as referring to the prohibition of: “According to the Torah taught to you and the ruling handed down to you, you shall do, you shall not deviate to the left or the right from that which they tell you” (Deuteronomy 17:11).
The Yeshiva students laughed at him... Rav Kahana replied to them: A great man has spoken, do not laugh at him. The Sages based all rabbinic law on the prohibition of “you shall not deviate”; however, due to concern for human dignity, the Sages permitted suspension of rabbinic law in cases where the two collide.
Come and hear: With regard to the laws of returning a lost object, it is stated: “You shall not see the ox of your brother or his sheep go astray and ignore them; return them to your brother” (Deuteronomy 22:1). The baraita explains that the seemingly extraneous expression and disregard them must be understood to give license that at times you disregard lost objects and at times you do not disregard them. How so? If he was a priest and the lost object was in the cemetery, or if he was an elder and it is beneath his dignity to tend to a lost object of that kind, or if he had more work to do than another person and he does not want to set it all aside when another person is available to tend to the lost object. Therefore, with regard to those cases it is stated: And disregard them to permit one to refrain from returning the object...We found a case in which human dignity overrides a Torah prohibition....( but we may not make a general rule from this case)