Parashat Bereshit - Third Aliyah

The third aliyah leads from the human search for companionship and partnership to the failure of the first moral test. Man gives names to the animals, but “ule’adam lo matza ezer kenegdo” (but for man no helper opposite him was found, Genesis 2:20). So he falls into a deep sleep, and out of it the woman is formed from the rib, until the burst of joy: “zot hapa’am etzem me’atzamai uvasar mibesari lezot yikare ishah ki me’ish lukchah zot” (This time, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for from man this one was taken, Genesis 2:23). From here the model of marriage is set: “al ken ya’azov ish et aviv ve’et imo vedavak be’ishto vehayu levasar echad” (Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh, Genesis 2:24). A picture of first innocence is given, “vayihyu shneihem arumim ha’adam ve’ishto velo yitboshashu” (And the two of them were naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed, Genesis 2:25), but at once the serpent enters, “vehanachash hayah arum” (and the serpent was cunning, Genesis 3:1), and casts doubt on the command. The temptation succeeds: “vatikach mipiryo vatochal vatiten gam le’ishah imah vayochal” (she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate, Genesis 3:6), and the innocence cracks. After the sin a chilling meeting takes place: “vayikra… el ha’adam vayomer lo ayekah” (and He called… to the man and said to him: Where are you?, Genesis 3:9). Curses are decreed, “be’etzev teldi vanim” (in pain you shall bear children, Genesis 3:16), “beze’at apecha tochal lechem… ki afar atah ve’el afar tashuv” (by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread… for dust you are and to dust you shall return, Genesis 3:19), but also a ray of light of continued existence: “vayikra ha’adam shem ishto Chavah ki hi haytah em kol chai” (And the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living, Genesis 3:20), and finally covering and mercy: garments of skin for Adam and his wife (Genesis 3:21).

A few points for thought

• From search to covenant: giving names to the animals highlights man’s power of language, but also his loneliness. Only when he meets his partner does he name her, not with a descriptive name but with a name of identity: “ishah” (woman). This naming frames the bond as a covenant of mutuality and not only as an answer to loneliness.

• “zot hapa’am” (this time) as a language of wonder and of finding: the verse “zot hapa’am etzem me’atzamai…” (This time, bone of my bones…, Genesis 2:23) describes an essential fit, not only a biological likeness. It is a moment in which man recognizes himself in another, and so “vehayu levasar echad” (and they become one flesh, Genesis 2:24) becomes possible.

• Arum and arumim (cunning and naked): the poetic tension between “arumim… velo yitboshashu” (naked… and they were not ashamed, Genesis 2:25) and “vehanachash hayah arum” (and the serpent was cunning, Genesis 3:1) highlights two ways of using knowledge. The man and his wife are arumim because they have nothing to hide. The serpent is arum in the opposite sense: he hides his intention and acts through trickery.

• The tactic of temptation: the serpent opens with an exaggeration, “af ki amar Elohim lo tochlu mikol etz hagan” (Did God really say you shall not eat of any tree of the garden?, Genesis 3:1), in order to distort the boundaries of freedom. The exaggeration draws in a conversation of doubt and of playing with the truth, a pattern that is very familiar in everyday life as well.

• What the woman saw: “ki tov… vechi ta’avah… venechmad… lehaskil” (that it was good… and that it was a delight… and desirable… to make one wise, Genesis 3:6), three motives joined together. The text shows that sin is not only weakness, but at times a mixture of beauty, desire and a longing for knowledge. It is a literary precision that explains how tempting the choice was.

• “ayekah” (Where are you?), a call and not missing knowledge: although the Creator knows, He turns with the question “ayekah” (Genesis 3:9) in order to open a door to dialogue, to confession and to taking responsibility, as Rashi says: “He knew where he was, but it was in order to enter into conversation with him” (Rashi on Genesis 3:9). This is a foundation of repentance: before a verdict, a conversation.

• Judgment with mercy: alongside the curses, the Torah stresses a compassion that repairs reality: “kotnot or” (garments of skin) for Adam and his wife (Genesis 3:21). The midrash of the sages even records that in Rabbi Meir’s Torah it was found written “kotnot or” with an alef, “garments of light” (Bereshit Rabbah 20:12), a garment of illumination, a homiletic idea that sharpens the point that even after the fall there is a garment of dignity.

• Gendered and moral responsibility: “ve’el ishech teshukatech vehu yimshol bach” (and your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you, Genesis 3:16) and “beze’at apecha tochal lechem” (by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, Genesis 3:19) present a reality of struggle and effort. Commentators through the generations have discussed whether this is a historical punishment or a description of a condition that man is to repair over time.

• A name as a statement of hope: precisely after the sin, the man calls his wife “Chavah… em kol chai” (Eve… the mother of all the living, Genesis 3:20). Giving the name is a choice to see life, continuity and, above all, repair.

The third aliyah stitches together love, freedom, temptation and responsibility. It teaches that partnership and individuality are built not only from first love, but also from the ability to stand against the voice of temptation, to admit the truth, and to put on anew the garment of a human being.