Two Accounts of Creation: Bereshit 1–2/2/en

Two Accounts of Creation

Exegetical Approaches

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Literary Device

The repetition of the creation story with its varying details is a literary device in which an author first presents a general overview and then proceeds to speak in more detail about important individual components.

Sources:Mishnat R. Eliezer1About the Mishna, RashiBereshit 2:5Bereshit 2:8Bereshit 2:19About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, RashbamBereshit 1:27About R. Shemuel b. Meir, RadakBereshit 2:4-5Bereshit 2:19About R. David Kimchi,  U. CassutoBereshit 2:4About Prof. Umberto Cassuto

Creation of Man and Women  - together or separate? Chapter One describes the end result of mankind's creation - that both male and female were created.  The details of that creation are expressed in Chapter 2 where the reader learns that this was a staged process, with man being created prior to his mate and she being formed only later via one of his ribs.

Man in the image of God or from earth – Similarly, while Chapter 1 states only that mankind was made in Hashem's image, Chapter 2 elaborates exactly how this occurred: man was formed from the dust of the earth and then God breathed into him a living soul.

Order of creation

• Man: first or last? Since the entire purpose of retelling the creation story in Chapter 2 is to move into a discussion of Adam and the particulars that relate to him alone, it is logical that this account begins by telling of his creation.

• Vegetation: before or after man?
• Rashi, following R. Asi in Bavli Chulin, suggests that the vegetation appeared on the earth on day three, but did not grow until after man's creation on day six.¹
• Cassuto suggests instead that 2:5 is speaking about very specific vegetation (שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה and עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה) that was only created after Adam. These terms refer to wheat and barley, which were only necessary after man sinned and could no longer benefit from the Garden of Eden. As Chapter 2 leads into the story of the sin, this fact is mentioned now.²

• Animals: before or after man? Radak explains that the word "וַיִּצֶר" in verse 19 refers not to the present creation of the animals  but what Hashem had already done in Chapter 1.³  The fact is simply repeated to introduce Adam's naming of them.

Commands to man: to conquer or to guard?? Chapter 2 which focuses on man's life once he moves into the Garden includes the specific instructions related to the garden.  Such directives have no place in the general account of Chapter 1 which, instead, includes the timeless command to multiply and subdue the earth.

Creation via speech?

Names of Hashem

• Radak, following Bereshit Rabbah13:1,3About Bereshit Rabbah, suggests that throughout Chapter 1, when creation was not yet complete, God's full name is not used.  Only in Chapter 2, when the entire world exists, does the narrator use Hashem's full name.⁴
• Cassuto asserts that the name Elohim is a general term used to refer to God while Hashem is His Proper name. Thus, in the general description of the material world the more distant term, "Elohim" is used.  In the detailed description of His personal interaction with Adam, the Proper name "Hashem" is used.⁵

Verbs Used (עשה/ברא versus יצר)

Two Facets of Creation

The two chapters describe different aspects of the same creation. Since man  and the world at large have contradictory, but nonetheless, coexisting facets, each aspect of the world is spoken of separately. 

Creative, Majestic Man versus the Man of Faith

Chapter 1 focuses on man in his creative capacity and his search for dignity through control over his environment while Chapter 2 describes the submissive man of faith and his search for redemption. As each prototype approaches his surroundings differently, the description of the creation of each and his world differs.

Sources:R. J.B. Soloveitchik

Structural unit – This approach views Chapters 1 and 2 as one unit;  only when read together can one appreciate the complexity and multifaceted character of mankind.  Humans are are not solely the creative, utilitarian men of Chapter 1 nor the deep thinkers of Chapter 2 but an oxymoronic conglomerate of both.

Man in the image of God or from earth – Adam 1 is created in the "image of God" and imitates Him; more than anything he aspires to create, like his Creator.  In contrast, Hashem forms Adam 2 from the dust of the earth and then breathes into him a soul.  This breath of God instills in him his spiritual yearning for relationship with Hashem, while his humble origins make him ever cognizant of his lowliness in his search for God.

Names of Hashem – The name Elohim connotes a God who is the source of cosmic dynamism while the name Hashem reflects an intimate and personal God.  The former reflects the God of the practical, creative man of Chapter 1 while the latter reflects the relationship yearned for by the man of faith of Chapter 2.

Creation of Man and Women  - together or separate? Adam 1 is created together with Chavvah, emblematic of his need for society.  This prototype strives for glory and needs a community in which to achieve this. There are pragmatic tasks which he can accomplish only through the cooperation of others and so he attaches himself to those around him. Adam 2, in contrast, is existentially lonely in his quest to understand the purpose of life and the world around him.  It is only through surrender and sacrifice (sleep and the loss of  a rib) that he can find a true ("covenantal")  friend who deeply shares his experiences.

Commands to Man: to conquer or to guard?? Adam 1 is commanded to conquer the world for that is his essence. Adam 2, in contrast,  is told to work and preserve the garden rather than subdue it. He is further warned against eating from the tree of knowledge because he strives not to control the world but to control himself.

Order of Creation – As Adam 1 is essentially a natural being, he is created on the same day as the animals.  He is made last, as the pinnacle of creation, for he aims to control all lesser beings.

Natural World versus Revelatory World

Chapter 1 depicts the world in its natural state, with God's justice at its core, while Chapter 2 portrays a world of revelation and God's attributes of mercy.

Sources:R. Mordechai Breuer

Structural unit – This approach views the first two chapters of Bereshit as one unit, each complementing the other's presentation of the world.

Order of Creation – In the natural world the simple precedes the complex and so creation proceeds from plant to animal to human.   In the miraculous world of revelation, in contrast, natural laws of development do not apply.  Instead, the essential precedes the incidental and so man, the raison d'etre of creation, is mentioned before the vegetation and animals.

Names of Hashem – The name Elohim connotes God's attribute of justice which rules the natural world. Here God is hidden and not known by His proper name.  In the revelatory world, though, there is room for Hashem's mercy, and thus the name Hashem (which implies this attribute) is added in this account of creation.⁶  Moreover, the name Hashem implies a personal God who relates to man, fitting the God of revelation.

Creation of Man and Women  - together or separate? In the natural world, the continuation of the species is of prime import.  Thus, the account in Chapter 1 describes males and females as being created together for their partnership is necessary for the continued existence of mankind.  Chapter 2, which speaks of a world in which Hashem is involved and in which He desires that His creations be happy, instead describes man's search for his appropriate mate.  A period of loneliness is required before she can be created for only afterwards can man truly appreciate and love her.⁷

Man in the image of God or from earth

Commands to Man: to conquer or to guard??

Verbs Used (עשה/ברא versus יצר)

Distinct Events

While Chapter 1 describes the creation of the world and the entire human species, Chapter 2 speaks of a different, later creation, the planting of Gan Eden and the formation of the individual, Adam.

Sources:David Nissani⁸

Structural Unit – This approach views Chapters 1 and 2 as two distinct units, describing different events.  Chapter 2 is connected to Chapter 3 rather than to Chapter 1.

Why two creations? According to Nissani, Adam was uniquely created and placed in the Garden of Eden since he was to father a special race, distinct from the rest of mankind.⁹

Names of Hashem – The name Elohim connotes a universal God, appropriately used when discussing the creation of the world at large.  The name Hashem, on the other hand, reflects God's personal providence, and is thus added when describing the creation of an individual race whom God cares for in particular and with whom He converses.

Order of Creation – Since the two chapters describe totally different events, there is no reason for the order of creation to be the same in both.¹⁰

Creation of Man and Women – together or separate? In Chapter 1 when the human species is created, both male and female are created simultaneously since the procreation necessary to produce a species requires a male and female. When Hashem forms the individual, Adam, though, there is no special reason to create Chavvah simultaneously.

Verbs Used (עשה/ברא versus יצר) – In Chapter 1, where God created ex nihilo, the verbs "ברא" and "עשה" are used.  The creations of Chapter 2, though, were formed from pre-existing matter, and therefore the more appropriate verb "יצר" is used.

Creation via speech? Only the original creation was made via speech, perhaps also related to it being a creation out of nothing.

Man in the image of God or from earth

Commands to Man: to conquer or to guard?? Hashem blesses the human species as a whole to multiply and places them at the apex of creation, in control of the lesser beings.  In Chapter 2, in contrast, Hashem gives very specific commands to Adam, meant for him alone in his unique abode, the Garden of Eden.

Evidence of multiple humans – Nissani supports his claim that many humans existed besides Adam and Eve from the following:

• "כָל מֹצְאִי יַהַרְגֵנִי" – Kayin's lament after his punishment for killing Hevel that "all who will find me will kill me" only makes sense on the backdrop of other existing humans.
• Progeny – If there were no other people in the world besides Adam, Chavvah and their children, whom did Kayin marry and how did he bear children?¹¹
• "וַיְהִי בֹּנֶה עִיר" – After Kayin bears his child, Chanokh, the verse states that he built a city.  A city connotes an area inhabited by many, not just Kayin's immediate family.

"לְמִינוֹ" – By the creation of all life (vegetation, fish, birds and animals) with the sole exception of mankind, the verses explicitly state that Hashem created each according to its species.  This is difficult for Nissani who claims that mankind too was created as a species.

זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם – The opening two verses of Chapter 5, which leads into the genealogy of Adam (and presumably thus speak of Adam of Gan Eden) are also difficult for Nissani since the description of Adam's creation there matches that of Chapter 1¹² (mankind) and not Chapter 2 (the individual Adam).  Nissani attempts to claim that the two verses serve as a summary of the entire creation account in Chapters 1-5, rather than an introduction to Chapter 5 itself.

Longevity – Nissani suggests that the long life spans of the people listed in the generations from Adam to Noach likely refer only to Adam's descendants and are not representative of the rest of the people living in the world at the time.  Having originated in the Garden of Eden, and perhaps having tasted from the Tree of Life, they merited long life.  Over the generations, though, Adam's descendents mingled with and married other humans and eventually life spans were lowered for all.

Age of the World – Nissani posits that the creation of Adam in the Garden might have occurred thousands of years after the original creation.  This allows for harmonization with scientific data according to which the world and  human life is much older than dating in Torah would seem to allow for.

בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים and בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם – Nissani suggests that the "בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים" of Bereshit 6 are the descendants of Adam who had lived in the Garden and eaten of the Tree of Knowledge.  They took advantage of their special status and knowledge to capture the daughters of the rest of mankind whom they had taken a liking to.¹³  See בני הא־להים and בנות האדם for other understandings of the enigmatic passage.

¹ He points out that the word "טֶרֶם" does not mean before (in which case the verse would seem to be saying, before the grass grew, God created man) but rather "not yet". This explanation works better for the phrase, "וְכׇל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח" which emphasizes that the grass had not yet grown, but is weaker in explaining the phrase, "וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ" which suggests that the vegetation did not yet exist.

² Cf. Radak who also suggests that the verse is saying that only vegetation that needs working by man was not yet created but all others were. He emphasizes that the verse is simply coming to explain how it was possible for vegetation to grow at all before man was created to work the land, and points out that certain greenery could sprout because God created a vapor to water them.

³ Cassuto argues that such a reading has no validity and is just an attempt to harmonize the two accounts since "וַיִּצֶר" is not a past perfect form.

⁴ Radak also points to Ibn Ezra who explains similarly, that only with the epitome of creation, the formation of man and his soul, is the full name of Hashem used.  He also points out that since Hashem created via his angels, the creations in Chapter 1 are attributed to them, using the noun "אֱלֹהִים" (which can refer to Hashem's messengers).

⁵ Cassuto suggests that Chapter 2 does not suffice with "Hashem" but combines the terms "Hashem-Elohim" to teach the reader that the two are one and the same.

⁶ One might have expected that the name Hashem alone (rather than Hashem Elohim) would be found throughout Chapter 2.  R. Breuer suggests that the names are combined because the whole point of juxtaposing the two accounts is to show that both aspects of creation co-exist and that in reality God is both a God of justice and mercy, both a personal and lofty God.

⁷ Cf. R D"Z Hoffmann.

⁸ See his article "בראשית א-ב: הסיפור הכפול על הבריאה"  in "כפשוטו: ביאורים וחידושים לסוגיות התורה", (Modiin, 2014): 3-14.

⁹ It is from his line specifically that Avraham and the nation of Israel were to descend.  Nissani proposes that it is for this reason that the Torah goes out of its way to trace the lineage from Adam to Noach and then from Noach to Avraham.  This would be more convincing if after the flood there were other people who had not descended from Adam and the Garden, but considering that from that point on everyone is a descendent of Noach, and hence of Adam, the verses are probably not making any statement about Avraham's unique status. 
Nonetheless, the verses might be pointing out that the flood wiped out all non-descendants of Adam, leaving only the unique race created in the Garden who had eaten of the Tree of Knowledge.

¹⁰ The vegetation, man, water etc. of Chapter 2 are distinct from those of Chapter 1, and might have first been created even years later.

¹¹ Nissani notes that though one might posit that he married one of Adam and Chavvah's later offspring, he points out that Kayin had been exiled from them and was no longer living with them.  R. Natan in Bavli Yevamot 62a solves the problem by suggesting that Kayin was born with a twin sister.

¹² It uses the verb "ברא" rather than "יצר", speaks of formation "in the likeness of God" similar to Bereshit 1's "בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ" and echoes verbatim the fact that "זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם".

¹³ According to Nissani, though, one might have thought that the terms should be reversed.   The emphasis on being made in the image of God (and hence perhaps the term, "בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים") is in reference to the creation of all of mankind.  Similarly, according to Nissani, the phrase "בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם" which emphasizes a connection to Adam specifically would better describe the daughters of the individual Adam.