
Eve One and Eve Two
The Torah begins with the Creation. Worlds before Creation
of matter are not written in the Torah but are "brought down"
in Kabbalistic works.
In the case of Eve/Chavah, there is the "Eve of the Torah"
[of Creation], and there is another Eve who is hidden between the
words of the Torah and who is mentioned in Kabbalistic works.
The account of Creation in Genesis/Bereishis, Chapter 1,
is different from the account in Chapter 2. In Chapter 1 we read
that "G-d created man in His own image, male and female He
created them." This means that they were created together.
In Chapter 2, the account says that man was created alone and Eve
was created later, only after the creation of the animals. Only
after Adam had named the animals and realized that he had no soul
mate was Eve created.
How does Rashi explain these differences between Chapter 1 and Chapter
2? Rashi offers two explanations:
- G-d created Adam and Eve joined together like Siamese twins,
and afterwards He separated them into two. This explains the account
in Chapter Two. Because they were joined together, Adam didnt
even view his wife as a separate person. He simply couldnt
find her and couldnt see her as his soul mate until they
were separated. Only after they were separated was he able to
realize that she was there.
- They were both created on the same day but at different hours.
Chapter 1 gives a general account, that they were created on the
same day. Chapter 2 gives more specific details of timing and
chronological order.
The question arises as to why G-d created Adam and Eve joined together
and then separated them. Why didnt He create them separate
from the beginning like the animals? ....and Adam then could have
recognized Eve right away and taken her as his soul mate immediately.
G-d chose to create them together in one unit, however, having
no knowledge of each other. Only when man wanted and asked for a
soul mate - after seeing that all the animals had mates - did G-d
separate Eve from Adam. Even though Adam appreciated Eve he blamed
her for the sin.
There are hints in the Torah of another Eve. According
to the Zohar, there was a first Eve in Creation before this
Eve, the one in the above paragraph. The first hint is that
G-d took Eve from one of Adams ribs. According to all the
sources, the Hebrew word "tsela" is not translated
as rib but as side. As written in the Torah:
"The second side [tsela] of the Tabernacle" [Exodus 26:20]. G-d created Eve from the left side and Adam from the right
side.
The verse in Bereishis/Genesis says that G-d took "one"
of Adam's sides. The Zohar understands that there was another one.
Instead of saying "a side from his two sides," it says
"one of his sides." From this, the Zohar understands
that there was another side, which means that there was another
Eve. This was First Eve whom we know as Lili.... (We dont
say her whole name. She is a very detrimental force) and then G-d
created a second Eve which we discussed in the beginning of this
article.
This information was written, published and compiled
by Atarah Gur and kabbalahtorah.com.
Copyright © 2007Atarah C. Gur