Bahir Verse 198

The heart of the matter approached so many times, alluded to in countless Torah verses now becomes clear. The secrets of creation itself are discussed.

Bahir verse 198: Why was she called Tamar and not any other name? Because she was female. Can we then say that [it was something special that] she was female? But it is because she included both male and female. For [Tamar means a date palm, and] every date palm includes both male and female. How is this? The frond (Lulav) is male. The fruit is male on the outside and female on the inside. And how? The seed of the date has a split like a woman. Paralleling it is the power of the moon above. The Blessed Holy One created Adam male and female, as it is written (Genesis 1:27), "Male and female He created them." Is it then possible to say this? Is it then not written (Genesis 1:27), "And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him"? It is only then later written (Genesis 2:18), "I will make him a helper opposite him," and (Genesis 2:21), "And He took one of his ribs, and closed the flesh under it." [We therefore see that the male was created first, and only later the female.] But we must say that the Torah uses [three different words]: "formed" (yatzar), "made" (asah), and "created" (bara). When the soul was made, the word "made" is used. [The word "created" is then used:] "Male and female He created them." The word "formed" was used when the soul was combined with the body and the spirit was brought together. How do we know that "forming" means bringing together? For it is written (Genesis 2:19), "And the Lord God formed (gathered) all the beasts of the field and all the flying things of the heaven, and He brought them to the Man to see what he would call each thing." This explains the verse (Genesis 5:2), "Male and female He created them." It is also written (Genesis 1:28), "And God blessed them."

Commentary: This verse mentions Tamar as a reason for expounding the relationships between male and female in terms of the energy that each represents. Tamar shows us the unity of male and female as indicated by the date palm and the above verse “male female he created them.” Lets approach this from the standpoint of thought which issues from the Creator and then transforms itself into the image of that Creator becoming in effect the response of creation directed due to the action of the Creator. Male is the Creator or the active force of Intention. It is what we’ve been calling our ‘heart’s desire’ all along during these discussions. This is referenced above when ‘he brought them to the man to see what he would call each thing.’ What we call something is our Intention. Everything we see above that has to doing with being formed, created or made out of something is the female counterpart of the male principle. These all are various levels of gestation that take place whenever we realize an Intention in our thoughts.

Here is the scenario laid out by the above verses. We have an Intention.

"And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him"

This Intention comes from the Creator. It is placed within us as an image of that which the Creator wishes to see represented in His Creation. How will this come about?

"I will make him a helper opposite him,"

This is the female aspect or the Creation itself. It is the form of the Image that is being cast by the Creator through the agency of His Creation. What is this agency?

"And He took one of his ribs, and closed the flesh under it."

This is say that Creation is one with the Creator. Ribs are the housing or container of the body. Taking the representation of this container all that is now make takes on it semblance as in closing the flesh under. This container is where our thoughts take form as when the soul is brought into the body bringing both together. The soul is the thought and the body is the Creation. The two are one. Why does God bless these two who are one? Because this is necessary for Creation to continue to flow and grow and maintain the same kind of momentum exhibited from this first act of renewal. The Lord God mentioned above references our thoughts above that act to bring to us everything that we would have and therefore cause to be named or come into Creation as a living thing. These living things are the life experiences that we go through.