• Home
  • About Us
    • About CTN
    • Testimonials
    • Photo Albums
    • Videos
  • Calendar
  • Programs
    • Classes and Events
    • Women’s Israel Mission
    • Jewish Marriage
    • Jewish Family Experience
  • Weekly Wisdom
    • Shabbat Fax
    • Audio Classes
    • CTN Torah Minute
  • Ask the Rabbi
  • CTN Young Professionals
  • Support Us
  • Contact

CTN TORAH MINUTE


Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 02 May 2012 / 0 Comment



Hope you’re having a great day.

The Torah is leading up to the creation of Eve.  The first woman.

Adam’s wife.

It seems to be building up to it.  To make Adam really want a wife.

As we saw yesterday, G-d said, “It’s not good for man to be alone.”

He needs a partner.

… Then it says that G-d brought all the animals before Adam.

But Adam couldn’t find a helper.

It seems very strange.

Could you possibly think that an animal could be Adam’s partner?

A cow.  An elephant.  Or even a dog?

Here’s an idea I found interesting.

… Maybe among the creatures brought before Adam was a “prehistoric man”.

Maybe a Neanderthal Man!

This may surprise some people.

Prehistoric man?  “I thought Jewish tradition doesn’t believe in that!”

It’s a common misconception.

… Jewish tradition has no problem with it.

There were creatures that were similar to us.

Physically.

They may have had the same anatomy.  May have stood on two feet.

And even been much more intelligent than animals.

But they weren’t human.

… Adam was unique.

He was given a soul.  A nesahama.

The ability to transcend the physical world.

Adam was given the human qualities of creativity.  And abstract thinking.

The ability to make moral descions.

Adam was created in the Image of G-d.

… So G-d showed Adam a “prehistoric man.”

It may even have been able to meet some of Adam’s physical needs.

(Today we might say, they could have watched T.V. together!)

… But Adam felt the need for human companionship.

Emotional.  Intellectual.  And spiritual.

He felt the need for a wife.

… We should try to make all of our relationships as meaningful as possible.

And this might be something to think about if we find ourselves in a shallow relationship.

“This I could have done with a Neanderthal Man!”

 

Leave a Reply

  Cancel Reply


  • CTN Torah Minute Home

    Home
  • Post Categories

  • Archives

    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • November 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • November 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012



© 2013 Chicago Torah Network | All Rights Reserved
The CTN Center • 2832 West Touhy Avenue • Chicago, IL 60645 | 773.761.0400