In this paper I would like to study Adam HaRishon (the first) and the last Adam. The second, or last, Adam was understood by Chazal[1] to be Mashiach. Thus an understanding of Adam leads us to an understanding of Mashiach. Further, since the righteous are a part of Adam and a part of Mashiach, we can deduce that Adam = Israel = Mashiach. Ok, so we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but this will give you a feeling for the impact of the study of Adam, to our lives. Lets start with a look at the creation of Adam:
Bereshit
(Genesis)
The wording of this verse is a bit strange. It seems that G-d created Adam with BOTH male and female attributes. The Midrash explains this anomaly:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis VIII:1
AND G-D SAID: LET US MAKE MAN, etc. (I, 26). R. Johanan commenced [his
discourse]: Thou hast formed me behind and before, etc. (Ps. CXXXIX, 5). Said
R. Johanan: If a man is worthy enough, he enjoys both worlds,
for it says, ‘Thou hast formed me for a later [world] and an earlier [world].’
But if not, he will have to render a full account [of his misdeeds], as it is
said, And laid Thy hand upon me (ib.). R. Jeremiah b. Leazar said: When the
Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He created him
an hermaphrodite [bi-sexual], for it is said, Male and female created He them and called their
name Adam (Gen.V, 2). R. Samuel b. Nahman said: When the Lord created Adam He created
him double-faced, then He split him and made him of two
backs, one back on this side and one back on the other side.
Adam HaRishon, the first Adam was composed of male and female parts. In Adam, also, were all of the seeds for the physical part of the human race[2]. According to the sod, mystical, tradition of the Sages, prior to the fall, Adam was a far greater person than he was afterwards. Prior to the fall, Adam was more of a spiritual being than a physical one. Also included within him, were all of the souls of mankind. This does not only mean that all souls would come forth from him, but rather that each and every cell of his body was an individual, conscious soul. Adam was thus the collective soul of all mankind. It is of no wonder then that the Hebrew word for mankind and the name of the father of mankind is one and the same: Adam.
As a result of the sin of the tree of knowledge, Adam’s soul was divided into 600,000 souls. Adam’s “light” was unique, whole and unified, suddenly at the moment of the sin, dispersed and fragmented into many lights.
Adam HaRishon spanned from the Earth until the Heaven. He spanned from one end of the world until the other end. He spanned from one end of heaven until the other:
Chagigah 12a But now that this is inferred from [the expression] ‘ From one end of
heaven unto the other’, wherefore do I need [the expression], ‘Since the day
that God created man upon the earth’? — To intimate that which R. Eleazar
taught. For R. Eleazar said: The first man [extended] from the earth to the
firmament, as it is said: Since the day that God created man upon the earth;
but as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him
and diminished him, for it is said: Thou hast fashioned me after and before,
and laid Thine hand upon me.
Rab
Judah said that Rab said: The first man [extended] from one end of the world to
the other, for it is said: ‘Since the day that God created
man upon the earth, and from one end of heaven to the
other’; as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon
him and diminished him, for it is said: ‘And laid Thine hand upon me’. If so,
the verses contradict one another! — They both [have] the same dimensions.
It is well known that all souls are part of one larger soul, that of Adam HaRishon. Since all souls in their source are one; an essence, even after it has been subdivided, remains and contains the essence[3]. It therefore follows that each soul contains within it all other souls[4]. The love of one's fellow is therefore the love of oneself.
Our sages, in the Talmud, say:
Sanhedrin 38a Our Rabbis taught: [The creation of the first
man alone] was to show forth the greatness of the Supreme King of kings, the
Holy One, blessed be He. For if a man mints many coins from one mold, they are
all alike, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned all men in the mold of
the first man, and not one resembles the other, for it is written, It is
changed as clay under the seal and they stand as a garment. And why are men's
faces not like one another? — Lest a man see a beautiful dwelling
or a beautiful woman and say, ‘She is mine for it is written, But from the wicked their light is withholden and the high arm is
broken.
This implies that although we all seem very different in appearance, thoughts, emotions, and action, we all ultimately come from the same source and are really just different manifestations of one whole.
Until we understand what Adam HaRishon was, it will be impossible to understand many aspects of salvation and the nature of Mashiach.
Now lets explore an enigmatic phrase found in the Nazarean Codicil[5]:
I Corinthians 15:42-52
So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is
sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is
raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made]
a quickening spirit. Howbeit that [was] not first which is spiritual, but
that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man
[is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that
are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
In this passage, Hakham Shaul is speaking of the time when Mashiach, the last Adam, will complete the tikkun, the rectification, of the sin of Adam HaRishon (the first Adam). It is important to note that Mashiach is called the last Adam:
1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam
was made a living soul; the last Adam was
made a quickening spirit.
Another important aspect, that
needs to be grasped, is that Adam
HaRishon is called The Son of G-d:
Luqas
(Luke)
Mashiach is also called “The Son
of G-d”:
Matityahu
(Matthew)
In this next verse, it is important to notice that Mashiach is the tikkun, the rectification of Adam HaRishon:
1
Corinthians 15:19-23 If in this
life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all
men most miserable. But now is Mashiach risen from the
dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man
[came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of
the dead. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Mashiach shall all
be made alive. But every man in his own order: Mashiach the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Mashiach's at his coming.
The concept that we should be punished for the sin of Adam HaRishon can now be understood. Because we were in Adam when he sinned, so we all participated in that sin. In the same way, when Mashiach triumphed over sin, we are in Him and therefore we are able to stand before HaShem without sin because we are in Mashiach, in Adam! Please see my study titled: Merit.
At this point, we can see that Adam HaRishon and Mashiach have an intimate connection with each other. They are both called “Adam”, they are both called Son of G-d, and Adam HaRishon and Mashiach are likened to the first and the last, or the beginning and the end.
Having this bit of background enables us to begin exploring the nature of Mashiach as it relates to the nature of Adam HaRishon. The nature of Adam HaRishon teaches us that in his body were contained ALL of the souls of every person who would ever be born. When he sinned, we became fragmented souls in fragmented bodies. Mashiach’s task is to collect the fragmented souls, which have corrected their part of Adam HaRishon’s sin, and put them back together in the last Adam, Mashiach. The Nazarean Codicil, speaks of this tikkun and of the nature of the last Adam:
1
Corinthians 15:19-23 If in this
life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But
now is Mashiach risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man
came death, by man came also the resurrection of
the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Mashiach shall all be made
alive.23 But every man in his own
order: Mashiach the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Mashiach at
his coming.
In this next verse, we see that in Mashiach all the souls and all of the bodies will come together to form the last Adam, the body of Mashiach:
Romans
12:4-5 For as we have many
members in one body, and all members have not the same
office: So we, [being] many, are one body in Mashiach, and every one
members one of another.
Hakham Shaul expands on this concept of the body of Mashiach, in this next section:
1
Corinthians 12:18-27 But now hath
G-d set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And
if they were all one member, where [were] the body? But now [are they] many
members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need
of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need
of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble,
are necessary: And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less
honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts]
have more abundant comeliness. For our comely [parts] have no need: but G-d
hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that
[part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the
members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member
suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the
members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Mashiach, and members in
particular.
I
Corinthians 6:15-18 Know ye not
that your bodies are the members of Mashiach? shall I then take the members of
Mashiach, and make [them] the members of an harlot? G-d forbid. What? know ye
not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body?
for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is
joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he
that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
I
Corinthians 10:16-17 The cup of
blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Mashiach? The bread which we break, is it not the
communion of the body of Mashiach? For we [being] many are one bread, [and] one
body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
I Corinthians 12:12-27
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Mashiach. For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am
not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not
of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of
the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If the whole [were]
hearing, where [were] the smelling? But now hath G-d set the members every one
of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member,
where [were] the body? But now [are they] many members, yet but one body. And
the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to
the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body,
which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those [members] of the body,
which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant
honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness. For our comely
[parts] have no need: but G-d hath tempered the body together, having given
more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no
schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for
another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one
member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of
Mashiach, and members in particular.
Ephesians
5:25-33 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Mashiach also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as
their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever
yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the
church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one
flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning
Mashiach and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so
love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her]
husband.
The concept of the body of Mashiach, the last Adam, seems to bear a very strong resemblance to the body of Adam HaRishon, as the Sages teach. The Nazarean Codicil uses another, similar, metaphor to describe our relationship in Mashiach:
Romans
11:13-26 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles,
I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation [them which
are] my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them [be]
the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the
receiving [of them be], but life from the dead? For
if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be]
holy, so [are] the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and
thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them
partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the
branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou
wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well;
because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not
highminded, but fear: For if G-d spared not the natural branches, [take heed]
lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of G-d:
on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in
[his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they
abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for G-d is able to graft them
in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature,
and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall
these, which be the natural [branches], be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened
to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all
Yochanan
(John) 15:1-8 I am the true vine,
and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may
bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto
you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not
in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall
be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so
shall ye be my disciples.
The Midrash Rabbah tells us that all of our individual souls originated in one soul, that of Adam HaRishon (the first man):
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XL:3 What is the meaning of And it is foreknown
what man is (ib.)? While Adam was still a lifeless mass, God showed him all the
righteous people that would descend from him; some there were that hung on
Adam's hair and others on his head;
some on his forehead, on his eyes, nose, mouth, ear; some on his ear-laps. The
proof is that when Job sought to dispute with God, saying: ’Oh that I knew
where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat. I would order my
cause before Him’ (XXIII, 3 f), God answered him: ‘You wish to dispute with Me.
Where (eyfoh) wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth?’ (ib. XXXVIII, 4). What is the meaning of ’eyfoh’? Said R. Simeon b.
Lakish: God said to him: ‘Job, tell Me where was thy ’’eyfah’’ (essential
source) suspended? On his head or forehead? Or on which limb of Adam? Only if
thou knowest on which limb thy source was canst thou argue with Me.’
The great mystic and halachist, Hakham Shimon Bar Yochai, also voiced this concept:
Mechilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, to Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6)--this teaches that they are like a single body, a single soul. And thus it says: And who is like Your people Israel, a nation one in the earth (II Samuel 7:23; I Chronicles 17:21). If one of them sins, they are all punished, as it is said: Did not Achan the son of Zerach commit a trespass concerning the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And that man perished not alone in his iniquity[6]. If one of them is smitten, they all feel pain.[7]
Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 4:6 Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught: It is to be compared to people who were in a boat, and one of them took a drill and began to drill a hole beneath himself. His companions said to him: Why are you doing this? He replied: What concern is it of yours? Am I not drilling under myself? They replied: But you will flood the boat for us all.
Thus we see that there are two sides of unity: An individual cannot harm himself without harming the whole of Israel; an individual cannot be content with self-perfection, ignoring the fate of the community.
As a result of Adam’s single, primordial soul's untimely choice to investigate HaShem's capacity to differentiate, delineate, and create particularity, it became shattered and fragmented, its pieces strewn throughout the history of the world. Our own souls, these strewn pieces, come from different places within this original soul; the Midrash likens these places to body parts and organs. For instance, my soul could have come from the eyes of Adam HaRishon, and yours could've come from his ears; thusly, says the Midrash, my main avodah (spiritual task) in life might pertain to watching and seeing, while yours might pertain to listening and hearing.
Every human being is obligated to fix a portion of the transgression of Adam HaRishon. Each person must strive to fix the elements of the transgression that he was a part of. For all of our souls were contained in the soul of Adam HaRishon, therefore the responsibility for Tikkun (correction) falls on all of us. If a person does not act with responsibility and correctly carry out all that is required of him, (materially and spiritually, conceptually and emotionally, perceptively and experientially) he does not only miss his Tikkun, but also delays all the worlds from arriving at their fulfillment. Delaying the final Tikkun delays the Creator from revealing Himself and ruling over all the repaired and refined vessels, as is befitting for the King of Kings.
Sin and atonement seems to be a recurring theme of Rosh Chodesh. In our Musaf prayers (the additional service after the morning prayers), for on Rosh Chodesh, we mention, "A time of atonement for all their succession." On a simple level, succession refers to the subsequent days of the month; Rosh Chodesh gives us atonement for all of the days of that month. R. Tzadok explains the Tefilah (prayer) on a deeper level. The word succession means descendants. We are asking for atonement for all of the descendants of Adam HaRishon, because we were all affected by his sin. We know that Rosh HaShana, is a day of atonement for the sin of Adam, for it is the day which Adam sinned and was forgiven. Just as Rosh HaShana is the first day of the solar cycle, so too Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the lunar cycle.[8]
Rosh HaShana is the day that Adam HaRishon was created. Once there were free-will subjects in the world,
the
In line with the nature of the seasons, Tishri is therefore recognized as a period of time appropriate for teshuva (repentance), introspection and re-evaluation. A time when nature is negated and people have time to reflect on their sins and move towards their eradication. Teshuva however is an ideal. We attempt to retract from sin as completely as possible to strive towards being completely "sin-free" by the end of Yom HaKippurim (hopefully).i.e. the state of Adam HaRishon before the sin.
The Machzor, the festival prayerbook, for Rosh HaShana is divided into three major sections: Malkiyot (Kingship), Zichronot (Remembrance), and Shofarot (Shofar). It is on this day that we proclaim HaShem King. It is on this day that the dead are remembered for resurrection, and this is accomplished by the shofar!
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 34:31 'You are my sheep, the sheep of my flock,
you are Adam, and I am your G-d,' declares the Lord G-d.
Yevamot 61a You Israel are collectively called Adam ...
Being in Mashiach is not some lofty spiritual phrase, but rather is an accurate description of Adam HaRishon, before the sin, and it is an accurate description of the last Adam, Mashiach, when the sin is corrected. When our collective souls are re-assembled into one vessel, then, and only then, will we be in Mashiach. Let us strive diligently to bring this about.
Was Adam Ha-Rishon
(The First Adam)
By Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
The Holy Zohar [26a] states with regards to the creation of Adam:
“AND
THE L-RD G-D FORMED MAN. “Man” here refers to Israel,
whom G-d shaped at that time both for this world and
for the future world. Further the word “Vayizer” (and He formed) implies
that G-d brought them under the aegis of His own Name by shaping the two eyes like the letter “Yod - י” and the nose between like the letter “Vav - ו” … Forthwith at that time
He planted Israel in the Holy Garden
of Eden, as it is said: “and the L-rd G-d planted” (Genesis 2:8).The two
names here refer to the Father and the Mother; the “Garden” is the Shekinah on
earth, and “Eden” is the supernal Mother; “the man” is the Central
Column; the Shekinah was to be his plantation, his spouse who was never to
depart from him and was to be his perpetual delight. Thus G-d at that time
planted
Again, concerning the “Tree of Life” in the Garden of Eden the Holy Zohar [26a] states:
“AND
THE TREE OF LIFE.” This means that at that time the Tree
of Life will be planted in the Garden, so that “he
shall take also of the Tree of Life and eat and live
for ever” (Gen. 3:22). The Shekinah will no longer be in the power of the “evil
influence,” i.e. the mixed multitude who are “the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil,” and shall no longer receive into itself
anyone unclean, to fulfill what it is written, “the
L-rd alone shall lead him and there shall be no strange god with him” (Deut.
32:12). For this reason proselytes will no longer be
admitted in the days of the Messiah. The Shekinah
will be like a vine on which there cannot be grafted any shoot from another
species, and
Compare this, with Sefer Revelation 22:14-15
“(v.14) Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and
may enter in through the gates into the city. (v. 15)
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
Again, the Holy Zohar (27b) states:
“AND
THE L-RD G-D COMMANDED THE MAN, SAYING.” It is agreed that the term “command”
in the Scripture always has reference to the prohibition of idolatry. This sin has its root in the liver,
which is the seat of anger, and it has been laid down that “to fall into a
passion is like worshipping idols.” The expression “the man” designates
bloodshed, on the analogy of the verse” by man shall his blood be shed”
(Genesis 9:6). This sin has its root in the gall, the sword of the angel of
death, after the verse: “her latter end is bitter like gall, piercing like a two edged sword” (Proverbs 5:4). The expression “saying”
refers to incest, which has its roots in the spleen, as it is written, “Such is the way of the
adulterous woman, she eats and wipes her mouth”
(Proverbs 20:20). Although the spleen has no mouth or suckers, yet it absorbs
the black turbid blood of the liver; so the adulterous woman wipes her mouth
and leaves no trace. The murderer is incited by the bile and sucks from the
blood of the heart. All who see bile, recoil from it, but un-chastity is
covered in darkness, in the black blood of the spleen. Whoever sins by murder,
idolatry, and incest bans his soul through the liver, the gall and the spleen,
and is punished in Gehinom in these three members,
through three chief demons, Mashith (destroyer), Af
(anger), and Hemah (wrath) …
Before Israel went into captivity,
and while the Shekinah was still with them, G-d commanded Israel: “thou shalt
not uncover thy mother’s nakeness” (Leviticus
18:7), and this captivity is the uncovering of the nakedness of the Shekinah,
as it is written, "On account of your sins your mother has been put
away" (Yeshayahu 50:1), i.e. for the sin of un-chastity Israel has been
sent into captivity and the Shekinah also, and this is the uncovering of the
Shekinah. This un-chastity is Lilith, the mother of the “mixed multitude.” … In
a word, when the “mixed multitude” are mingled with Israel,
the letters of the Name YHVH cannot be joined and
linked together; but as soon as they are removed from the world,
then it is said of the letters of G-d’s Name that “On that day the L-rd shall
be one and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9). This is why Adam, who is Israel, is
closely linked with the Torah, of which it is said, “it is a tree of life to
those who take hold on it;”(Proverbs 3:18) this tree is Matron, the Sefirah Malkhuth (Kingship), through their connection with which Israel are called “sons of
kings.”
It is therefore quite clear, that Adam HaRishon and his wife Chavah (Eve) were Jewish up to the point of their sin in eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, at which point they were thrown into the Diaspora and lost among other things their Jewishness, and the right to enjoy Gan Eden the same which is Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), as well as eternal life which comes from partaking of the tree of life. It is no wonder then, that those who fully adhere to His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah and observe His Torah are given the right to convert to Judaism, and in so doing rectify the great sin of Adam. For Mashiach as the King of Israel embodies in himself all of Israel, so that he who adheres to Mashiach, of necessity it follows, also must fully adhere to Yisrael and Judaism.
So great was their sin that the Holy Zohar [35b] writes:
“AND THE L-RD G-D COMMANDED. According to our teachers, the word “commanded”
here contains a prohibition of idolatry; “the L-rd,” of blasphemy; “G-d,” of
the perversion of justice; “the man,” of murder; “saying,” of adultery and
incest; “from all the trees of the garden,” of robbery; “thou mayest freely eat,” of eating flesh from a living animal; and so we
agree. OFF ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN THOU SHALT
SURELY EAT. This means that he was permitted to eat them all together, for, as
we see Abraham ate, Isaac and Jacob
ate, and all the prophets ate and remained alive. This tree, however, was a
tree of death, in so far that he who ate it by itself was bound to die, since
he took poison. Hence it says, IN THAT DAY THAT THOU EATEST THEREOF THOU SHALT
SHURELY DIE, because thereby he would be separating the shoots. R. Judah asked
R. Simeon: ’What is the meaning of the dictum of the teachers,
that Adam drew his foreskin?’ He said: ‘It means that he removed the holy
covenant (B’rit Milah) from its place; he abandoned
the holy covenant and clung to the orlah and
allowed himself to be seduced by the serpent.’”
Please note, that these are the Seven
Heads of Law which were repeated to Noah. When Adam transgressed the
command of G-d, he and his wife sinned against each of these Seven Heads of Law. Not content with this, he removed from himself any
signs of circumcision from his membrum, i.e. he repudiated
the covenant and Judaism altogether, and thus
becoming a Gentile. It is then the task of the
Second Adam (Adam Sheni) to undo the work of the serpent and restore mankind
back their original relationship to G-d as Jews. But
in this teaching of the Holy Zohar is contained a
great mystery indeed and that is that observance of the Seven
Laws of Noah must in the end in its natural course lead to the observance
of all of the 613 mitzvoth (commandments). This is
made perfectly clear in the Gemara of II Luqas
(Acts)
“(v.19) Wherefore my sentence is (establishing courts
of justice), that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned
to G-d (against blasphemy): (v. 20) But that we write unto them, that they
abstain from pollutions of idols (idolatry), and from fornication
(sexual immorality), and from things strangled (eating
of the limb of a living animal), and from blood (murder and laws of family
purity). (v. 21) For the rest you have Moses since old time in every city them
that proclaim him, being read in the synagogues
every Sabbath day (against robbery).”
Therefore it is clear that the Seven Heads of Law of Noah are an introduction and summary of Judaism and not ends in themselves, but in fact leading to the wholeness of the 613 commandments which are as a whole the Tree of Life. Note that Hakham Luqas states quite clearly that “for the rest”, implying thereby a progression from the Seven Heads of Law of Noah to the whole of Torah, Written and Oral. It is also envisaged that setting up any structure of worship which does not conform to the strict laws governing the functioning of a Synagogue and its worship services is absolutely and categorically forbidden to any Noachite and obviously to any Jew. There is only one form of Divine Service and of Divine Government and that is embodied by Jewish Orthodox Synagogues of whatever custom.
What is the sin of those who come to Judaism through the gate of mercy extended to them through His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah and then go on to deny him before a Jewish Orthodox Bet Din for the sake of being acknowledged as Jews?
Let us start by saying that the Halakhah as established by the Batei Din in Yisrael and confirmed by both Chief Rabbis of Israel does not see it as against Jewish Halakhah to believe that the Master of Nazareth is the Mashiach nor that through him and his teachings a Gentile is not directed to come to Judaism. Anyone saying this is not so is simply not telling the truth! What Jewish Batei Din are against is such pagan doctrines as the 3nity and making a Hakham (Rabbi) a god, and making him say such lies as the Torah is abolished. In other words, Jewish Orthodox Batei Din are not against the Master of Nazareth nor his teachings or the teachings of his Jewish Talmidim, all they do not approve nor condone are what later on in history the Gentiles teach in His name by twisting his words and adding things which he nor his Jewish Talmidim never taught.
Those who are cavalier with the truth, deny or fail to
acknowledge the fact that they came to the knowledge
of the Torah and Judaism through His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah before a
Bet Din, do commit a great and unpardonable sin, since they were not sincere
before the Bet Din, and the Heavenly Bet Din will see that in the end their
conversion be annulled and their children revert back to idolatry. For their
entrance into the covenant was through the sin of
simony and deceit and for which Sefer Revelation
Malachi
A proselyte to Judaism is known in Hebrew as a “Ger Tzadiq”, a Proselyte of Righteousness / Justice, and how can he / she be a proselyte of Justice whilst denying for convenience sake the gate of heavenly mercy opened to him / her by which in due course lead him/her to Torah and Jewish Orthodoxy? Such an act of gross betrayal obviously can’t be considered neither “Justice” nor “Righteousness” but deeds in consonance with the ethos of the “mixed multitude.”
* * *
King David, the Talmud tells us, was given some of Adam's lifespan. Thus, like Adam, his soul is a composite of every soul that will ever be placed in a body.
* * *
The Talmud[9] explains the idea that Yaaqov is also Adam with the aid of an image: the beauty of Jacob was reminiscent of the beauty of Adam.
Yaakov was chosen as the individual human being who best embodies the essence of HaShem's purpose in creating the world. He is a second edition of Adam. The reason why Adam's portrait does not appear on the heavenly throne is that Adam shattered the "image of HaShem " in which he was created. Yaakov, the man who fully restored this "image of HaShem" to its full splendor, was chosen as the representative human instead.
Thus, Yaakov symbolizes Adam reassembled and renewed. He is the triumph over the sin of Adam, the restorer of man "in the image of HaShem." The evidence of the completeness of the repair is provided by the fact that he did not die. The tarnish on the splendor of the image of HaShem is most apparent in the edict of mortality issued against Adam following his sin. The fact that Yaakov was the first human who managed to beat death is the best indicator that he succeeded in restoring fully his "image of HaShem."
Rabbi Yochanan taught: " Yaakov our forefather never died." He asked him, "Was it for nothing then, that he was eulogized, or embalmed, or buried?" He replied, "I'm not saying this on my own, I'm deriving it from a verse in the Torah:
Jeremiah 30; Ta'anit 5b 'You, my servant Yaakov, have nothing to fear,' says HaShem, 'do not be terrified Israel, because I help you from afar, and your offspring will return from the earth.' "
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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