IDOLATRY-8/
ELHM made Adam to Stand a Trial
Overview So Far
The Book of Genesis takes us, we’ve said, through the Six Commandments of Adam.
Thus, we can learn
IDOLATRYT and its meaning from Chapter One,
ADULTERY and its laws from the story of Eden,
BLOODSHED and its laws from Noah and his Rainbow Covenant
THEFT, ABDUCTION and the struggle against it from Abraham and his circumcision
JUSTICE and CIVIL ORDER from Jacob
BLASPHEMY and Sanctification from the stories of Joseph
We began our quest for the IDOLATRY Trial by looking at Genesis Chapter One.
We followed Rashi and identified IDOLATRY mentioned in the verse where ELHM announces the created Adam, saying in plural “Let Us Make an Adam in Our Form and Our Image.”
By speaking in plural, we’ve said, “ELKM opened the door for idolaters to think there are more than One CREATOR.” (Rashi)
Thus, according to the verse, the basic level of IDOLATRY is thinking that there are more than One G-d, like believing that G-d has family members, a son, a wife and so on.
Another facet of IDOLATRY that comes out of the verse is to believe that G-d has “partners” (shtuf) that participated with Him in making Adam. The idolaters would believe that since G-d consulted them, they should be recognized and worshipped. We’ll identify shortly those entities from the text.
Since the verse that announces Adam birth is the same one that opens the door for IDOLATRY, it shows that Adam was born to face the IDOLATRY challenge and trial. No other Commandment is mentioned yet.
We shouldn’t wonder why did the CREATOR make Adam in this way, to face a trial,
for the CREATOR is defined by Moses as ELHM the JUDGE, who creates things for a trial, for judgment. For instance, it was ELHM who put Abraham in a trial of obedience in the story of binding Isaac. (So never ask why did the “good god” place Abraham in a trial).
Let’s note that the Torah does not mention here other Commandments and other trials, like the trial of ADULTER, BLOODSHED, THEFT, INJUSTICE and BLASPEMY. These commandments would show up later. Here in Chapter One, the story of Genesis, the Torah focuses on IDOLATRY only. Of course, IDOLATRY here is used in its broadest meaning, as we’ll see.
In fact, IDOLATRY underlies all other Commandments. If we’ve violated ADULTERY, BLOODHSED, THEFT, INJUSTICE and BLASPHEMY, we’ve also violated IDOLATRY – by not listening to G-d. This explains why chapter One, the basis of the Torah, mentions only IDOLATRY .
ELHM is harsh, merciless yet Just and fair, and He won’t place Adam in such comprehensive trial as IDOLTRY without telling us the terms of that trial and how to win it.
Before going to the Trial terms, let’s note that to win the IDOLATRY Trial, Adam needs to identify the idols whom he should worship not, and identity G-d whom he should recognize and worship. Chapter One does that for us.
We’ve therefore proceeded in our class to identify G-d. We noticed that the first verse on Chapter One identifies the CREATOR as ELHM, the All-Mighty JUDGE, whom Adam should recognize and worship.
ELHM, Rashi says (in his comments about the Sinai revelation) is the Attribute of JUDGMENT (midat hadin.) Thus, the name designates only an Attribute, a way of ruling. You can say that the Infinite, nameless CREATOR, set at the time of CREATION, on the Throne of JUDGMEMT and created it as a JUDGE, to withstand a judgment. On other occasions, the infinite, nameless CREATOR would sit on other Thrones, or wear other Hats, reveling to the world other Attributes of Him, as needed. At that time, He would assume other names.
Then we discussed ELHM’s ways of judging. As a Truthful UDGE, He follows the Absolute Truth and Absolute JUSTICE, like the rule “a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye” with no other moral argument such as MERCY.
Thus way, ELHM created the Universe in Six Days by using His Wisdom, and He still sustains it
as the heart sustains the body. He is also the ultimate Provider, who gives every creature the talents and tools necessary for living and thriving in its habitat.
ELHM’s wisdom, we’ve said, is referred to in Kabbalah as Binah, which is the wisdom “to derive one thing from another.” Binah is also dissecting an issue to minutiae. In the context of CREATION, Binah can also mean “deriving one creature from another,” which is the perfect description of the Evolution.
For our discussion of Adam’s trial, let’s recall that all the creatures preceding Adam were judged by ELHM at the end of each Day. Like a BUILDER, He checked at the end of each Day, each Floor, whether or not it was good, meaning if it could support the next Day on top. A good verdict meant that the Day and its creatures were allowed to enter the next Day.
A ‘not good’ verdict meant that the Day – and its creatures – could not support the next Day and therefore would be eliminated with no MERCY, thrown away as scaffold that is not more needed. That judgment applies to Man too, as we’ll see. Adam need to support the next Day, the Sabbath, to endure.
Thus, at the last part of the Sith Day, ELHM was about to create Adam. Since a Day of CREATION is an era, lasting billions of years, we live in the Sixth Day of CREATION, moving towards the next Day, the so called the Eternal Sabbath.
Before making Adam, according to the verse, ELHM ‘paused’ while the Day was in progress, and passed a judgment: was earth ready for Adam or not? Could the animals that were created before, support Adam? Luckily for us, ELHM’s verdict was that it was “good, and many animals were allowed to stay on or adapt, so that they could live side by side with Adam. Those who could not, like the dinosaurs, were eliminated.
Now the CREATOR, ELHM, turned to make Adam to withstand his IDOLATRY trial.