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The Adam Factor

V'yayda Kol Pa'ul Ki Attah P'alto

And every object shall know that You have made it; and every creature shall understand that You have created it; and every thing that has the breath of life in its nostrils shall proclaim: G-d, the G-d of Israel, is king, and His sovereignty rules over all...

Rosh Hashanah prayers

The Hebrew language has no word for "things," for "objects" or for "stuff." Even the words "physical" and "matter" are borrowed terms. In Hebrew, all things are dvarim -- "words." Words: articulations of the soul, crystallized thoughts. And ever since then, all that exists is G-d and his words.

After all, G-d spoke and the world came into being. The magic of it is that these words are so tightly packed, we do not realize they are words -- we perceive them as things; independent, autonomous things that are just here because they are here, as though they have no source at all.

This is the mission we came to this world to accomplish: That not only we, not only humankind, but every effect should know it's cause, every form should understand that which formed it -- the entire world should become a transparent glove for the G-dliness it contains. Even this very sense of "here I am just because I am" will be seen as nothing more than a distorted reflection of the true essence of all things-the only one who is "just there because He is there."

In fact, this is what Adam achieved on his very first day:

An ancient Midrash tells us that when Adam awoke to life, he found all the other creatures standing over him, worshipping him. Being the very first creatures, they realized that someone must have formed them -- and Adam seemed the obvious candidate.

Adam realized otherwise, so he communicated with them and brought all the creation to the awareness that there must be a Higher Being, not just another creature, but an Unlimited Creator, that brought all creatures into being and continues to sustain and enliven each one of them -- himself included.

Since then, that has been the mission of every descendant of Adam: To bring all creation to this higher state of consciousness.

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By Tzvi Freeman   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, also heads our Ask The Rabbi team. He is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing, visit Freeman Files subscription.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.
 

Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: June 6, 2010
Adam...father of all men.
Is it true that all men on earth have the DNA of Adam as their father? We all have the same beginning.
Posted By Buddy Moore, Port, or

Posted: Sep 4, 2009
it is the truth
It was especially perplexing when he could not get a dolphin to not see him as God. When he finally succeeded the dolphin leapt from the water in praise to God. There are many other ways in which animals praise God.
Posted By I am sent me., windsor, ontario,canada

Posted: Oct 1, 2008
Re: Adam naming animals
Genesis tells us that he named the animals. The story of how he won the competition against the angels can be found in Midrash Rabba 17:4. Also see The Adam Files.
Posted By Tzvi Freeman, Thornhill, Ontario

Posted: Sep 29, 2008
Adam(naming animals)
Where does it say, "Adam was a prophet because he predicted the names of the animals"? Is it in the Talmud?
Posted By Eugene Feldman, Van Nuys, CA
via chabadso.com

Posted: Apr 28, 2008
Re: four men
Could it be this one?
Posted By Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org

Posted: Apr 28, 2008
four men
Last millenia, chabad.org had an article that ascribed characteristics to four Hebrew words translated "man." Could someone someone help me find the characteristics given to "Adam"?
Posted By john shoemaker

Posted: Sep 10, 2007
We do not own G-d, or need to, or could
If His (or Her) Sovreignity rules over all, then G-d is no longer only the G-d of Israel, and there is no need to claim G-dself as such... the closer we get to His unity, the less need to maintain the mind made distinctions of Jews and the nations, good and evil, light and darkness, and all the other bifurcations that split a single reality into kevyachol separate parts...
Posted By Immanuel Suttner, JHB, South Africa

Posted: Sep 18, 2006
LIFE-giving BREATH**
"The LORD spoke and the world came into being." Our purpose is to speak and bring things into being. Our purpose is to create with our words, like the Creator did--to bring life into everything we see and those around us. There's enough death in the world to go around for all... We are fulfilling our purpose if we are 'breathing' life into all the world.
Posted By ANDREA YAMAMOTO, ???, ???

Posted: Apr 14, 2005
So if Adam accomplished man's mission, then moshiach should have come!!
Posted By Avivah

Posted: Apr 14, 2005
So if Adam accomplished man's mission, then moshiach should have come!!
Posted By Avivah



 


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Good to All
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The Adam Factor
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