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

שני סיפורי הבריאה: בראשית א'–ב'

גישות פרשניות

סקירה

פרשנים רבים מנסים להבין מדוע מופיעים בתורה שני סיפורי בריאה, וכן לספק הסבר למה שנדמה כסתירות ביניהם. רוב המקורות ניגשים לסוגייה הזו מנקודת מבט ספרותית, וטוענים כי בפרק א' ישנה סקירה כללית של הבריאה, בעוד פרק ב' מספק את הפרטים, ומתמקד בבריאת האדם. אחרים, כגון ר. יוסף דב סולובייצ'יק ור. מרדכי ברויאר, ניגשים לסוגייה זו באופן הרבה יותר פילוסופי. הם טוענים כי שני התיאורים משלימים זה את זה, כשכל אחד מהם מייצג פן אחר של האדם ושל העולם. מאחר ולאדם וכן לעולם כולו, ישנם היבטים רבים הסותרים אלו את אלו אך בכל זאת מתקיימים יחדיו, הדבר נכון גם ביחס לסיפור המקראי.

לבסוף, הואיל משה מציע גישה נוספת, אותה מרחיב ר"ד ניסני. הם מציעים כי שני הפרקים אינם מתארים את אותו האירוע כלל, ולכן, אין שום צורך לנסות להתאים בין הפרקים. בעוד פרק א' מתאר את הבריאה הראשונית של העולם כולו ושל כל המין האנושי, פרק ב' מתאר את הבריאה המאוחרת בהרבה של איש אחד בשם אדם. פיתרון זה היה שימושי על מנת לפתור בעיות נוספות העולות מספר בראשית, כגון גילו של העולם ואורך חייהם של בני האדם הראשונים. 

כלים ספרותיים

החזרה על סיפור הבריאה הינה כלי ספרותי, בה התורה מציגה תחילה סקירה כללית של בריאת העולם, ולאחר מכן חוזרת על מנת לספק פרטים לגבי החלקים החשובים ביותר.

מקורות:משנת רבי אליעזרא׳אודות משנת רבי אליעזר, רש"יבראשית ב׳:ה׳בראשית ב׳:ח׳בראשית ב׳:י״טאודות ר' שלמה יצחקי, ר׳ יוסף בכור שורבראשית א׳:כ״זאודות ר' יוסף בכור שור, רשב״םבראשית א׳:כ״זאודות ר' שמואל בן מאיר, רד״קבראשית ב׳:ד׳-ה׳בראשית ב׳:י״טאודות ר' דוד קמחי, מ״ד קאסוטובראשית ב׳:ד׳אודות פרופ' משה דוד קאסוטו

יחידה מבנית – עמדה זו רואה בפרקים א'-ב' יחידה אחת. פרק א' מספק סקירה כללית של הבריאה, בעוד פרק ב' מספק בפרטים, ומתמקד במיוחד ביצירת האדם. 

יצירת הזכר והנקבה - ביחד או בנפרד? פרק א' מתאר רק את התוצאה הסופית של הבריאה, שהיא שהזכר וגם הנקבה נוצרו. פרטי ההתרחשות הזו מובאים רק בפרק ב', שם הקורא מבין כי מדובר בבריאה הדרגתית, כשהזכר נוצר ראשון, והנקבה נבניתה לאחר מכן מאחת מצלעותיו.

האדם "בצלם א-לוהים" או מעפר האדמה  – בעוד בפרק א' ישנה אמירה כללית כי האדם נברא בדמות ה', פרק ב' מפרט בדיוק כיצד הבריאה הזו נעשתה: האדם ראשית נוצר מעפר האדמה ולאחר מכן ה' הפיח נשמת חיים באפיו.

סדר הבריאה – לפי גישה זו, בפרק א' תיאור הבריאה הובא בסדר הכרונולוגי הנכון. להבדלים בין פרק זה לבין פרק ב', ניתנו הסברים מקומיים:

• אדם: ראשון או אחרון? מאחר ומטרת החזרה על סיפור הבריאה הייתה להתמקד באדם ובסובבים אותו, הפרק השני סוטה מן הסדר הכרונולוגי הנכון, ומתחיל בתיאור בריאת האדם.
• הצמחים: לפני או אחרי האדם? הן רש"י והן קאסוטו טוענים כי פרק ב' מתאר אירוע חדש, אך הם חלוקים ביניהם באשר ליחס בין אירוע זה לבין הצמחים בפרק א'.

• שלב שני – רש"י, בעקבות רבי אסי בבבלי חוליןחולין ס׳:About Bavli Chulin, מנסה לפתור את הסתירה שבין שתי התיאורים בהצעה כי הצמחים הופיעו על פני האדמה ביום השלישי, אך לא צמחו עד אחרי בריאת האדם ביום השישי.¹
• בריאה חדשה – לעומת זאת, קאסוטו מציע שרוב הצמחים נבראו לפני בריאת האדם, כפי שתואר בפרק א'. בבראשית ב':ה', מדובר רק בצמחים מסויימים מאוד ("שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה" ו"עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה"), אשר נבראו לאחר מכן. הביטויים הללו מתייחסים לחיטה ולשעורה, מאחר ואלו הפכו להכרחיים רק לאחר שאדם חטא ולא יכל לאכול מגן עדן. פרק ב' מוביל לסיפורו של החטא הזה, ולכן עובדה זו מצויינת רק כאן.²

• החיות: לפני או אחרי האדם? 
• אירוע ישן – רש"י ורד"ק מסבירים שהמילה "וַיִּצֶר" בב':י"ט מתייחסת לבריאת החיות שתוארה עוד קודם, בפרק א'. ישנה התייחסות חוזרת לבריאה זו כאן על מנת לבנות רקע לכך שאדם קורא לחיות בשמות.
• אירוע חדש – קאסוטו טוען כי המילה "וַיִּצֶר" אינה בלשון עבר ולכן חייבת להתייחס לבריאה חדשה. על אף שחיות רבות כבר נבראו, ה' יצר חיות חדשות מסויימות על מנת להציגם בפני אדם בגן העדן.

Commands to man: to conquer or to guard? Chapter 2 which focuses on man's life once he moves into the Garden of Eden 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.

Names of Hashem

• Radak, following בראשית רבהי״ג:א׳, ג׳אודות בראשית רבה, suggests that throughout Chapter 1, when Creation was not yet complete, Hashem's full name is not used.  Only in Chapter 2, when the entire world already exists, does the Torah use His full name.³
• 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.  However, in the detailed description of His personal interaction with Adam, the proper name "Hashem" is used.⁴

Verbs used (עשה/ברא versus יצר) – These commentators do not explicitly address this issue, and they might not attribute any significance to the differences, viewing the assorted verbs as no more than standard literary variation in Torah.  Nonetheless, the fact that the verbs are so distinctive in each chapter is still somewhat surprising.

Two Facets of Creation

The two chapters describe different aspects of the same event of Creation.  Since man and the world at large have contradictory, but nonetheless, coexisting facets, each aspect of the world is spoken of separately.  This approach has been developed in two similar, but distinct, ways by R. Y"D Soloveitchik and R"M Breuer:⁵

Creative Man vs. Man of Faith

Chapter 1 focuses on man in his majestic and 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 descriptions of each creation differ.

מקורות:רי"ד סולוביצ'יק⁶

Structural unit – This approach views Chapters 1 and 2 as forming a single unit. Only when read together can one appreciate the complexity and multifaceted character of mankind.  Humans are are neither solely the creative, utilitarian, men of Chapter 1, nor the deep thinkers of Chapter 2, but rather a somewhat paradoxical 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 else 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 man his spiritual yearning for a relationship with Hashem,⁷ while his humble origins make him ever cognizant of his lowliness in his search for Hashem.

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 woman – together or separate? Adam 1 is created together with his female counterpart, symbolizing 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 friend who deeply shares his experiences.⁸

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, as he is assigned, not to control the world, but rather only 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 dominate all lesser beings.  The same is not true of Adam 2.

Natural World vs. Revelatory World

Chapter 1 presents the world as run by nature, where Hashem is hidden and His attribute of justice is at the fore. Chapter 2, in contrast, presents a world in which Hashem is revealed and His mercy dominates.

מקורות:ר"מ ברויאר⁹

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 order world of Chapter One, the simple precedes the complex, and therefore creation proceeds from plant to animal to human.  However, in Chapter Two's miraculous world of overt revelation, natural laws of development do not apply.  Instead, the essential precedes the incidental, and thus man, the raison d'etre of the world's creation, is mentioned before the vegetation and animals.

Names of Hashem – According to R. Breuer, the name Elohim connotes Hashem's attribute of justice which rules the natural world.  Here, Hashem 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.¹⁰  Moreover, the name Hashem implies a personal God who relates to man, fitting the God of revelation.

Creation of man and woman – 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, since 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.¹¹

Man in the "image of God" or from earth – R. Breuer might explain that when describing a world of nature that revolves around survival of the species, man is created in the image of God, for it is the Godly attributes of dominance and wisdom which ensure his existence.  In contrast, when speaking of the revelatory world which is infused with meaning, it is important than man be given a living soul.  In addition, perhaps man is created from the earth because in this world of mercy it is important that he have empathy for those lesser than him.

Commands to man: to conquer or to guard? R. Breuer might explain that conquest and dominance are crucial for survival in the world of nature and justice, while preservation and guarding are key components of a world of mercy.

Completely Distinct Events

While Chapter 1 describes the earlier creation of the whole world and the entire human race, Chapter 2 speaks of a subsequent and wholly separate creation of the Garden of Eden and the individual Adam.

מקורות:הואיל משהבראשית א׳:כ״ואודות ר' משה יצחק אשכנזי,¹² ר' דוד ניסני¹³

Structural unit – This approach views Chapters 1 and 2 as two distinct units, describing different events.  Chapter 2 is connected to the chapters which follow it rather than to Chapter 1.

Why two creations?

• The Hoil Moshe appears to suggest that the pre-Adamites of Chapter 1 are a lesser form of the human species later fathered by Adam.  He does not explain why Hashem did not simply start by creating a more perfect creature.
• According to ר' ניסני, 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 which had been previously created.

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.¹⁴

Names of Hashem – ר' ניסני suggests that the name Elohim connotes a universal God, and is thus 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.

"צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים" versus "נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים" – The Hoil Moshe asserts that although both pre-Adamites and post-Adamites were created "in the image of God", with the ability to rule over others, only Adamites merited that Hashem breathed into them a living soul, making them much wiser and closer to Hashem.

Creation of man and woman – together or separate? In Chapter 1, when the human species as a whole 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 was no special reason to create Chavvah simultaneously.

"זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה" versus איש ואשה – The Hoil Moshe suggests that the lesser pre-Adamites might have engaged in sexual relations only out of animalistic desire and thus they are referred to only as male and female.  Adam, in contrast, looked for a spiritual partner in Chavvah.

Verbs used (עשה/ברא versus יצר) – In Chapter 1, when Hashem 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.

Commands to man: to conquer or to guard? Hashem blesses the human species as a whole to multiply, and He 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 – ר' ניסני 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?¹⁵
• "וַיְהִי בֹּנֶה עִיר" – After Kayin bears his son, Chanokh, the verse states that he built a city.  A city connotes an area inhabited by many, not just Kayin's immediate family.

"לְמִינוֹ" – With regard to the creation of all other forms of life (vegetation, fish, birds, and animals), the verses explicitly state that Hashem created each according to its species ("לְמִינוֹ").  By man, though, this term is absent, and this is somewhat difficult for this position which claims that mankind, too, was created as an entire species and not just as a single individual.

זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם – The opening two verses of Chapter 5, which preface the genealogy of Adam (and presumably thus speak of Adam of Chapter 2) are also difficult for ר' ניסני, since the language in Chapter 5 parallels the terminology used regarding the creation of the human species in Chapter 1¹⁶ rather than that of Chapter 2.  ר' ניסני thus suggests that these two opening verses serve as a summary of the entire Creation account in Chapters 1-4, rather than an introduction to Chapter 5 itself.

Age of the world – Both the Hoil Moshe and ר' ניסני posit that the creation of Adam in the Garden might have occurred thousands of years after the original creation of humans.  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 imply.¹⁷

Permission to eat meat – To explain the differing commands regarding eating meat in Chapters 1 and 9 of Bereshit, the Hoil Moshe suggests that the Pre-Adamites were commanded to eat only vegetation, while Adam and Chavvah's descendants were permitted to also eat meat.  For other opinions regarding this issue, see Permission to Eat Meat.

Longevity – ר' ניסני 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 descendants mingled with and married other humans and eventually life spans were lowered for all.

בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים and בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם – ר' ניסני posits 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 to whom they had taken a liking.¹⁸  See בני הא־להים and בנות האדם for other understandings of this enigmatic passage.

¹ הוא מצביע על כך שבפסוק ה', משמעותה של המילה "טֶרֶם" אינה "לפני" (במקרה כזה נדמה היה כי הפסוק אומר, "לפני שהדשא צמח, ה' ברא את האדם"), אלא, "עדיין לא". הסבר זה מסתדר היטב עם הביטוי "וְכׇל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח", אשר על פי רש"י, משמעות היא שהדשא עדיין לא צמח. אולם, הביטוי "וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ" רומז כי הצמחים עוד לא נבראו כלל

² השוו רד"ק המציע אף הוא כי הפסוק אומר שרק הצמחים שדורשים את עבודת האדם לא נבראו עדיין. הוא מדגיש כי הפסוק פשוט בא להסביר כיצד היה זה אפשרי שצמחים צמחו לפני שנברא האדם שיעבוד את האדמה, ומצביע על כך שצמחים מסויימות יכלו לצמוח מאחר וה' ברא אדים שישקו אותם.

³ Radak also points to Ibn Ezra who explains similarly, that only by 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).

⁴ 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.

⁵ For a comprarison and analysis of the differences in their approaches, see N. Bindiger, "כפילות פרשת הבריאה בפרשנותם של הרי"ד סולובייציק והרב מרדכי ברויאר", Talelei Orot 14 (2008): 181-204.

⁶ In "The Lonely Man of Faith", Tradition 7 (1965): 5-67. [Hebrew translation: "האיש האמונה הבודד" in איש האמונה (Jerusalem, 1981): 9-61.]

⁷ R. Soloveitchik writes: "The Biblical metaphor referring to God breathing life into Adam alludes to actual preoccupation of the latter with God; to his genuine living experience of God rather than to some Divine potential or endowment in Adam symbolized by imagio dei."

⁸ R. Soloveitchik describes this as a covenantal relationship.

⁹ R. Breuer discusses the contrasting accounts numerous times in his various works.  See his Pirkei Moadot, (Jerusalem, 1986): 14-16, Pirkei Bereshit (Jerusalem, 1998): 82-122, and Pirkei Mikraot, (Jerusalem, 2009): 9-12.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ Cf. R D"Z Hoffmann.

¹² The Hoil Moshe does not develop the idea as a solution to the problem of the two Creation accounts.  His starting point is instead an attempt to reconcile the scientific opinions regarding the age of the world with the Torah's account.  In so doing, he posits that a more primitive human species (אדם הקדמון - Preadamiti) was created thousands of years before Adam and Chavvah were formed.

¹³ See his article "בראשית א-ב: הסיפור הכפול על הבריאה"  in כפשוטו: ביאורים וחידושים לסוגיות התורה, (Modi'in, 2014): 3-14.

¹⁴ The vegetation, man, water, etc. of Chapter 2 are distinct from those of Chapter 1, and were all created much later.

¹⁵ ר' ניסני notes that though one might posit that Kayin married one of Adam and Chavvah's later offspring, since Kayin had been exiled from them and was no longer living with them, this was unlikely.  R. Natan in Bavli Yevamot 62a solves the problem by suggesting that Kayin was born with a twin sister.

¹⁶ 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 that "זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם".

¹⁷ This is the starting point for the Hoil Moshe's comments. He assumes that each day of Creation was an era and could have lasted thousands of years. The Pre-Adamites were created in Day/Era 6 while the Adamites were created on Day/Era 7.

¹⁸ According to ר' ניסני, 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 ר' ניסני, the phrase "בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם" which emphasizes a connection to Adam specifically would better describe the daughters of the individual Adam.