GEN42 The nature of animals differs from that of man.  That of animals (i.e. instincts and tendencies) is fully formed at birth.  Hence, God was able to immediately judge that their creation was good.  Humans, though born with great potential, may, after many years, turn out, to be good or not good, to perfect or to destroy. Hence, in contrast to animals, God did not pronounce man’s creation “good.”  See also Genesis 1:31. AMJV 96

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GEN43 Because we see ourselves as containing a spark of the divine, we understand that every person has infinite worth; therefore, no human being should be treated merely as an object, and we should always attempt to see the humanity in those we encounter.  This attitude, drawn from [this verse], underlies many Jewish values. AGTJL 567

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GEN44 Our bodies are key to all we can do in the world—and they are a gift to us.  Taking care of them allows us to experience and accomplish all else that is important in our lives, to honor that we are created b’tzelem Elohim. AGTJL 576

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GEN45 See [[GEN711]] Genesis 9:6 “image” BANAL 150

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GEN46 (Continued from [[LEV650]] Leviticus 19:18 love BLOCH 254) The principle of equality, which bars men from assuming dominion over other people, is linked in the Bible to the creation of human beings in the image of God. This verse pointedly excludes the dominion of men over other men, who are equally endowed with divine qualities. Any act which disregards the rights of other people constitutes an unlawful exercise of dominion. The restatement of this basic principle by Ecclesiasticus (2nd cent. B.C.E.) is also based on the aforementioned sequence of the biblical text. “The Lord created man of the earth … and made him according to his image … and gave him dominion over beasts and fowl” Ecclus. 17:1-4. Malachi (6th cent. B.C.E.) used the theme of man’s equality before God as the basis of his appeal for respect for man. “Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously everyman against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?” Mal. 2:10. BLOCH 254-5

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GEN47 It is proper for man to imitate his Creator, resembling Him in both likeness and image [this verse] according to the secret of the Supernal Form [i.e., of the Supernal Man].  Because the chief Supernal image and likeness is in deeds, [The Kabbalists think of the Sephiroth as mainly attributes, ways in which the divine Providence manifests itself.] a human resemblance merely in bodily appearance and not in deeds debases the Form.  Of the man who resembles the Form in body alone it is said: ‘A handsome form whose deeds are ugly.’  For what value can there be in man’s resemblance to the Supernal Form in bodily limbs if his deeds have no resemblance to those of his Creator? Consequently, it is proper for man to imitate the acts of the Supernal Crown, which are the thirteen highest attributes of mercy hinted at in the verses [Micah 7:18-20]. Hence it is proper that these thirteen attributes … be found in man.  CORDOVERO 46

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GEN48 The defining principles that govern all interpersonal interactions, especially sexual ones, include tzeniu’t (modesty), kedushah (holiness), derekh Eretz (decency), kevod ha-beriyot (dignity), tzelem Elohim (the image of God in which all humans are created), hesed (kindness), and ahavat re’im (neighborly love).  These values are especially important in matters of love and sex.  True love enhances the other’s self-esteem, dignity and feeling of self-worth, and sex is a significant expression of that love.  In fact, these values complete the physical pleasures and satisfaction enjoyed through sexual intimacy, not only elevating them, but making them enduring.  Our rabbis explained that the dignity of kevot ha-beriyot is due to everyone because of the tzelem Elohim (image of God) in which each of us was created [this verse].  By grounding human dignity in Divine dignity, any slight or act of disrespect to a human being becomes an affront to God.  By respecting others, our relationship with them becomes holy. DORSEX 134-5

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GEN49 Exactly which feature of the human being reflects this divine image is a matter of debate within the tradition. The Torah itself seems to tie it to humanity’s ability to make moral judgments—that is, to distinguish good from bad and right from wrong, to behave accordingly, and to judge one’s own actions and those of others on the basis of this moral knowledge. [this and following verse; also see Genesis 5:1] Another human faculty connected by the Torah and by the later tradition to divinity is the ability to speak. Genesis 2:18-24; Numbers 12:1-16; Deuteronomy 22:13-19 Maimonides claims that the divine image resides in our capacity to think, especially discursively.  Maimonides, Guide of the Perplexed, part 1, chap. 1. Locating the divine image within us may also be the Torah’s way of acknowledging that we can love, just as God does, Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, 33-34 or that we are at least partially spiritual and thus share God’s spiritual nature.  Not only does this doctrine describe aspects of our nature but it also prescribes behavior founded on moral imperatives.  Specifically, because human beings are created in God’s image, we affront God when we insult another person. Genesis Rabbah 24:7 More broadly, we must treat people with respect, recognizing each individual’s uniqueness and divine worth, because all human beings embody the image of God. M. Sanhedrin 4:5 Perhaps the most graphic articulation of this doctrine is the traditional blessing: “Praised are you, Lord our God, meshaneh ha-briyyot, who makes different creatures,” or “who created us with differences.” Precisely when we might recoil from a deformed or incapacitated person, or thank God for not making us like that, the tradition instead bids us to embrace the divine image in such people—Indeed, to bless God for creating some of us so.  Moreover, the Torah demands that the body of a person who was executed for a capital crime be removed from the place of hanging by morning out of respect for the divine image inherent in even such a human being. Deuteronomy 21:22-23  Ultimately, disrespect of others amounts to disrespect of God: “Rabbi Akiva said: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ Leviticus 19:18 [implies that] you should not say that inasmuch as I am despised, let my fellow-man be despised with me, inasmuch as I am cursed, let my fellow-man be cursed with me. Rabbi Tanchuma said: ‘If you act in this manner, know Who it is you despise, for “in the image of God made He man” Genesis 1:27. Genesis Rabbah 24:7 DORFFLOV 22

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GEN50 Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch clarifies the [Walk in His Ways] concept as an all-inclusive commandment which teaches the Torah Jew to emulate the bountiful love and kindness of the Creator. “To no other being but man did God give the eyes to discern Him and to recognize Him. But the purpose of this recognition should be to imitate Him in action, for God created you in His image. [this verse]. And just as the one aspect of God which you can behold everywhere and always is His activity, and this activity is nothing but love – the birth of creation is love, the existence of every creature is love, the maintenance of the world is love, its ordering and advancement is love, love for the whole, for every individual for you – so let the goal of your striving after God be love, love in deed and action with every power that is in you, in every moment of your existence, in order that you may become a blessing in your own circle, in whatever way and whatever place you can. And let this holy model [i.e. of God’s attributes] be always and everywhere before you … This all-present, all-loving God calls upon you in His love to follow in His steps according to the measure of your powers, to be His image in the sphere of your activities. Therefore look to Him and Him alone at every moment, and make yourself His image in love.”  And if we find it difficult to fathom the pattern of Divine mercy and compassion as reflected within the works of creation, we turn to the Torah to provide us with a deeper insight into the infinite kindness and compassion of the Eternal.  Thus, the entire universe – as seen through the eyes of Torah – becomes our planbook in our quest for improving ourselves and perfecting our ethical and moral pattern of behavior. The words of Tanach, too – the Scriptures – take on new meaning, as they become our eyes and ears, providing us with a more perceptive appreciation of the attributes of God. FENDEL 9-10

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GEN51 [In the view of Jewish thinkers], that which we have in common with God is that which makes us human. By determining in what sense we have been created in the divine image, we can discern the characteristic that both makes us most like God and that reveals the essence of our humanity.  From this perspective, love is understood as the attraction of “like to like,” i.e., two loving partners are drawn toward each other because of a shared essential quality.  Hence, love of God stems from the desire of the divinely implanted part of us – from the quintessentially human feature of our existence that we bear and share with God—to attain communion with the divine.  HTBAJ 30-1

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