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Text Study on the Creation Story: The Nature of the First Human

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Posted on November 29, 2016
By Rabbi Maurice Harris
PDF icon Midrash Genesis Rabbah Text Study on First Human

In the first two chapters of the Torah, we find two different accounts of the creation of humanity. In the first, humanity is created as a complete entity, male and female. In the second, Adam is created first, while Eve originates from his rib. In this text study, Rabbi Maurice Harris explores the tension between these two stories, and presents a teaching from Midrash Bereishit Rabbah that presents food for thought about gender, essentialism, and the nature of humanity. 

Textual Sources, LGBTQ Inclusion
Rabbi Maurice Harris
Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist, Reconstructing Judaism

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