# 2 - Adam & Eve - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein we explore the profound story of Adam and Eve, revealing the divine blueprint of love, companionship, and the first union that set the foundation for humanity. Discover the timeless lessons embedded in their journey and the significance of their relationship as a reflection of our connection with God and one another.
Episode 2 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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Today's opening prayer is inspired by Genesis 2:22, “The Lord made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”
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Show Notes:
(00:53) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:31) Adam & Eve - Cinematic Retelling
(23:19) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
Previously on the Chosen People.
Let there be light.
It was like a song, an anthem from his voice. Light broke through the noiseless void. At last, it was time. One thing remained for the Creator. It was time to stamp creation with his image, bearers of his likeness to steward the world. God yello him consulted with himself about the nature of his next masterpiece.
Let us craft creatures in our image, imbued with our essence. Let us make man as an image of God, to steward the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and creatures of the earth.
In the garden, Adam and Eve were united by God, our Creator, and their bond became the foundation for ongoing human saga of love, unity, and the quest for deeper meaning. Sello, my friends, I'm ya l Extein here in Israel, and you're tuned into the Chosen People. In each episode, we explore the rich tapestry of the Hebrew Bible to uncover lessons that still resonate with us as people of faith today. If you're inspired by today's episode, please share it and subscribe. Together, let's explore our shared heritage and the stories that shape our faith. Now imagine this the world is fresh and new, a masterpiece straight from God's imagination in the garden of Eden. Every creature has a counterpart, a companion. They exist in perfect harmony, a symphony of life, orchestrated by God's divine inspiration. Except for Adam. Here he is the first man, shaked from the dust of this newly formed world, given life by the very breath of his creator, and made in the image of God himself. But Adam stands alone amidst the wonder of creation, aching from a solitude that not even the most magnificent surroundings Consuthe God, all seeing and all knowing, watches Adam with tender, loving care. He sees that it is not good for man to be alone, as it says in Hebrew and the scriptures lottv Le, Adame Le Hillotte Levade. The stage is set and the anticipation builds. A divine solution is at hand. Stay tuned for the story of Adam and Eve is about to transform a deep solitude into a union destined to echo through the ages to the tale of the First Man and Woman. Adam and Eve were in Hebrew, as we say, Adamb and haav It's beautiful and is also deeply symbolic of our need to belong and of our relationship with God. Welcome to the beauty of God's perfect design. Welcome to Eden.
The light of dawn bounced off the morning mist. The rays kissed the earth, awakening the flowers and creatures below. Leaves dripped mourning dew, falling gently onto the soft dirt. It was from the dirt that God would craft his masterpiece. His voice rustled the leaves as he spoke. He spoke in plurality, representing the essence of the heavenly hosts and a divine identity yet to be fully understood.
Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.
His words were an expression of his intention and a command to the earth. It obeyed. The dirt began to stir, and the animals scurried and watched from their buyers, waiting to see what would happen. A figure began to take shape from the earthy claim, like a potter's vessel, slowly forming on the wheel. The earth spun to the sound of music. The creator's hands moved, precisely, crafting each detail with love and care. From the ground, the first man emerged, a lifeless being of dust and stone. He stood there, lifeless, an unoccupied body in of her soul. The wind whistled through the garden and danced around the lifeless figure God's life giving power. The ruach blew into his nostrils. The man's chest rose, and then he exhaled his first breath. He opened his eyes to see the radiant garden glowing with color and life. He looked around and beheld the trees and every creature looking down on him from a bath, He turned, feeling the dirt underneath his toes. The sensation of mud, leaves and moss electrified him. He drew another breath, feeling the muscles in his chest expanded, then retreat. He smelt the air crisp and fragrant from the mist and blooming flowers. The man considered his own body, looking at his hands, then scanning downward to his bare chest and naked legs. His tongue rolled and slid over the roof of his mouth. Then, mirroring the Creator, he spoke, who am I you are?
Adam?
It was his name and his identity. He was the Man, the image bearer of the Creator, stamped with something divine and filled with the breath of life. Hearing his name made his eyes wide. He was aware of himself and could discern his identity as separate from the voice that spoke to him and the animals observed from a distance.
Where am I?
This is Eden? Go explore, survey the splendor of creation, and see what I have given you. This land will be yours to cultivate and fill as my steward, as my image bearer.
Adam took a step forward, feeling every sensation of existence simultaneously. He felt the earth underneath him, the excitement of what was before him, and the owe of what was above him. He walked between the trees, exploring the boundaries of his new home. It was a garden set upon a high place, teeming with vibrant life and vibrating with possibilities. Cascading falls fell majestically, splitting the earth and flowing downward into great rivers. Adam followed the water upward until something caught his eye. He was drawn to a light emanating from the peak of the falls. He grabbed onto the mossy stones next to the falls and climbed up. The waterfall was powerful, nearly blowing Adam off the rocks, but he persisted, hair dripping with water and determination. He finally summited the falls and looked at the source of light. At the top of Eden was a tree, towering above all the rest. Its branches stretched beyond the clouds, and its roots spread throughout the forest. It pulsed with power. The entire garden seemed to hum to its heartbeat. Its fruit hung elegantly from its branches. Light and sound circled it, then left in the breeze to adorn the rest of the garden in splendor. What is this?
This is the tree of life. Its fruit is a gift, a gift to be cherished forever. It is the life I are for you, a life of unity with me.
Ah, It's beautiful.
Look around you, Adam, Everything here is yours to enjoy. You may eat of every fruit in this garden, be filled to your heart's content.
The tree of Life pulsed with the sound of God's voice. Adam surveyed the garden. He saw birds flying above the tree tops and heard the sounds of creatures crying from below. Adam's eyes were aglow with possibilities. He saw the fruit of the trees and the soil's potential to grow new things. He plucked a berry, rolled it between his fingers, and pressed it enough to squeeze the juice out. He examined it, then held it to his mouth to taste. The sweetness lit up his brain and he could feel his body receiving it with gladness. He scaled the slope leading to another section of the garden. He pressed his hand agains against the damp moss and held his nose to the blooming flowers. Adam measured through the brush, then paused when he heard something. A rustling in the bushes startled at him. He stepped back, poised to run. Then from the tall ferns emerged a stag. Its antlers stood proudly atop his head like a crown. Adam laughed at the sight of him.
Ha ha, hello there, who are you?
The two circled each other curiously. The stag bowed its head, stamped its hoofs, and then pranced away into the forest. Adam ran after it, feeling the muscles in his legs extend and contract. He felt the resistance of the earth below and the rising of his heartbeat. It was all new and exciting. Adam leaped over a stream and dodged some low hanging branches. He slid through dirt and water, rounded the corner of the path, and then stopped immediately when he reached the shadow of another large tree. Its trunk was thick and braided, like serpents coiling around each other. The branches shot outward and down, making its fruit low for picking. The fruit was a deep crimson and perfect for one's palm. Adam was drawn to it, but terrified by it. At the same time. His body tensed with every step as he inched closer to it.
Every food of every tree is good to eat.
Right, Adam reached out his hand to touch the fruit, but before he could, God interrupted. His voice rushed through the forest like the evening wind. Adam recoiled and listened.
This is the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. You may eat of every tree in this garden, But the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.
What will happen if I do knowledge.
Of good and evil, which leads to evil itself. While the tree of life brings eternal life, the knowledge of evil brings death.
Death.
A choice is before you, Adam. You can freely take of the tree of life, nourishing yourself in my abiding love. You could live under the comforting canopy of your creator, obeying me and partnering with me to cultivate the earth. Or you can reach for the tree of knowledge. You can awaken your mind to the possibility of evil, seize autonomy, and live apart from my place.
The choice was his. God wouldn't force him to climb the hill and access eternal life, nor would he stop him from grasping at sin, even if it meant separation from all things good. Life was new to Adam, so the concept of death was strange. Yet, if God was the creator of life and all the beauty displayed before him, Adam trusted that God's word was true. Adam looked back at the tree. Something caught the corner of his eye. He peered closer, but saw nothing He could have sworn. He saw a part of the trunk moving. He took God at his word and stepped away. Behind him, Tucked in the shadow of the tree, two eyes watched Adam leave. Adam followed the stap tracts to a clearing in the trees. The stag was drinking from the stream just as Adam was about to approach it. He saw another deer approach, a doe with glistening eyes and a playful wag of its tail. The stag perked at her presence and approached. They circled each other playfully, then dipped their heads to touch. They drank side by side, then pranced around each other and back into the forest. Adam smiled, then frowned in confusion. He felt a lack an ache in his heart. The Creator saw Adam's face. For all the goodness he had imbued in creation, one thing wasn't good.
It is not good for man to be alone. I will find a companion suitable for him, one to contend with, grow with, and multiply with, one to help love and be loved in return.
Adam ran through meadows and under trees, prancing with deer and rolling around with wolf cubs. He studied each bird by its song and feather. He understood why some fish swam upstream while others remained at the banks of the ponds. All the creatures had companions, those to multiply with and sing the song of Creation. Although he was in paradise, Adam's heart continued to ache. He yearned for someone like him that night, Adam rested on a grassy hill underneath the stars. The garden mist hovered below, weaving through the trees like wandering ghosts. Adam looked up, pondering his future, the purpose he had been crafted for. A warm breeze enveloped the valley, causing the to sway. God put Adam's mind at ease and cradled him to sleep with a warm breeze and soothing lullaby of swaying grass and crickets. That night, God opened Adam's side, as if making an incision with an invisible blade. Carefully, thoughtfully, lovingly, God removed a rib from Adam. He didn't take a bone from his foot or a piece of his head. He took a rib, desiring to craft a companion to walk beside him, not under him or above him, but beside. God closed up Adam and used the rib to create a new life. Flesh sprouted forth from bone like vines around branches. God's glorious light danced around it as bone begat bone and flesh grew on flesh elegantly. Masterfully, God fashioned a woman and placed her gently beside Adam. She lay peacefully and still in the tall grass the breeze lifted her hair over her face gently, silently, God breathed life into her as well. Her chest rose and she exhaled.
She was alive.
In the morning, the garden had a symphony of sounds and colors. Verdant light delicately touched flower buds. They stretched out, receiving its life giving nourishment. Song Birds awakened the rest of the forest. Foxes emerged from their burrows, and deer drew water from the morning dew. Adam lay there in the grass. The light touched his cheek, gently, waking him up. His eyes opened slightly, then closed again. He opened them again in shock and sprang back. Another creature lay beside him, sleeping soundly on the soft earth. What are you? The woman opened her eyes and looked around. Her eyes were filled with awe and curiosity. She wasn't startled or apprehensive. She was filled with innocent amazement at the grass below and the skies above. Adam stared at her closely. She wasn't like the fawn or the birds of the air. She was like him. Adam approached slowly. She propped herself up and stood across from him. They circled each other mirroring each other's movements. Adam stepped to the side. Quickly, she stepped to the side. Adam smiled, then spun around. She mimicked his movement, returning his smile, but with far more grace. Ha, you're like me. Eve tilted her head to the side. She smiled with her eyes. It sent a pleasant shiver through Adam's body. Feeling jittery, Adam jumped up and rolled down the grassy hill. Flower pethals sprang up behind him. The woman laughed and leaped after him. Adam watched her hips and legs move. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. She enraptured him. They danced around each other, bodies inching closer and closer with each spin. Finally, they stood face to face beside the waterfall, the sound of rushing waters mixing with their breath. The woman tilted her head at Adam and raised her hand to his. He did the same. The two touched fingers intertwined in perfect connection. She looked at their hands, then down at the water. She saw her reflection. She was becoming aware of herself.
Who am I?
Ah?
I'm not sure?
Adam was certain she was like him, but unsure who she was. He held a hand to his side and touched the scar where God had taken his rib. He scanned her up and down. He remembered the stag and doe in the forest. He knew she was a mate for him, but he sensed she was something more. Adam took her hand and brought it to the scar on his side.
You're from me, but who are you? I'm Adam, I am Man Adam.
Knowing his name brought familiarity and intimacy. The woman pondered long, repeating his name under her breath.
Adam, Adam, Adam.
You are Adam Man?
Then what does that make me?
Who am I?
What should I be called? Adam held her hand gently, tenderly, knowingly, he traced the lines of her palms with his fingertips. The wind from the rushing waterfall pushed her hair to the side. Even in a paradise of unfathomable and divine beauty, she was the most breathtaking thing his young eyes had beheld. Adam ran a hand through her hair and touched her cheek.
You are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. You are part of me, from me and me I am Man, and you a woman.
Eve. Eve heard her name and became more aware of herself. She was distinct from Adam, separate, but still crafted in the image of God. She looked at Adam with knowing eyes and leaned closer to him. He mirrored her gesture. They embraced each other in the safety of the garden. They were naked and unashamed. Nothing separated them, no lies, no fear, nothing to be hidden or withheld. Their bodies intertwined in the flowers and beside the rushing waters. Adam was no longer alone. He had a companion, a friend, a helper. The two would walk side by side, filling God's creation with more image bearers. All seemed perfect good, just as God intended. But deeper in the forest, coiled under the shadow of the forbidden tree, an evil presence waited for its moment to strike. Wow.
What an incredible story we have so much to learn from these early tales of Eden. We've reached the seventh day of creation, a day unlike any other. God, having woven the cosmos into bean, chooses to rest, as it says in the scriptures in Hebrew Bayom Hushfii Shavat Vaina fash on the seventh Day, he rested. Now, let's not get mixed up. God doesn't rest because of weakness. He doesn't get tired or need a break. God was just setting a precedent for us human beings, a precedent of enjoyment, contemplation, and rest, and he was creating for us a divine rhythm of work and rest. In this cadence of creation, there's a profound truth for us. We too need rest, not just sleep. Sleep is different than rest. What's rest, well, rest is a holy pause, a time to stop working and to start enjoying life, a time to worship. What we need in order to partake in this holy rest is the Sabbath. There's a quote by the nineteenth century Jewish writer and early Zionist that I love. He said, very famously, more than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Shabbat, as we say in Hebrew, the Shabbat has kept the Jews. That quote reminds me that the Jewish Sabbath is an incredible gift, one that has helped the Jewish people survive and thrive despite thousands of years of exile and persecution. And Shabbat the Sabbath is an anchor in my own personal life. I can't imagine my life without it. But we can all as people of faith, benefit from the lessons of the Sabbath in our marriages, our friendships, and our communities. We are called to be givers and receivers of rest, to support, to uplift, and to renew each other. And we can all Christians and Jews alike learn from the divine example to work with purpose and for rest with purpose. Let's embrace the rest of God shabat ba yina fash, as it says in the scriptures, and then let's offer that rest to each other. This verse also knows that there were no people, yet, something God remedies ten verses later when he and I quote took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. Here we'll look at the Hebrew word that was originally used in this verse, and that word is shmurrah, which means to keep or to observe. He wanted them to keep or to observe the garden of Eden. What does that mean? The rabbis taught that it wasn't just the land that the humans were meant to keep and observe.
No.
Once God gave his people the gift of his word, the Torah, the scriptures, we were meant to work it through active Bible study, but we were also meant to keep and observe its laws, something that the Jewish people continue to do all of these thousands of years later. It's what keeps the tradition and the scriptures alive. But this story doesn't end there. It also gives us the first marriage, the first union of man and woman, of Adam and Eve. The phrase from the scriptures bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh resonates with the profound significance deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. When Adam first sees Eve, he recognizes her not as a mere companion, but as an integral part of himself, an expression of his being. Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This recognition is not just poetic, it's actually theological. Bone symbolizes strength, the structure and support of our bodies. Flesh, on the other hand, denotes vulnerability, a softness that requires protection. When Adam declares Eve to be bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, he is acknowledging more than just her role as his counterpart. He's expressing a divine truth about unity and identity. Eve is not an outsider, she is an inseparable part of him, sharing in the same essence and existence. This biblical insight extends far beyond the marital relationship. Rather, it informs our communities as well. In our faith communities, we're often reminded that we are one. Each of us is a part of the other, interconnected to our shared humanity. This decl in Genesis invites us to view each other with dignity and respect, to care for each other as we would for our own bodies. In our relationships, whether there are romantic relationships, our extended families, our communities, or our friends, we are called to recognize the same connection. As we all come from Adam and Eve. We are all bone of bone and flesh of flesh.
We are all.
Made in the image and likeness of God, and we are all worthy of dignity and honor. In the ancient world, only pharaohs and kings were believed to be made in the image of God. So when the Hebrew Bible introduced the idea of every human, whether slave or free, rich or poor, male or female being made in the image of God. It was a new and unique concept. What the Bible is telling us, which was once a radical concept, is that every life matters. This acknowledgment drives us to act justly and love mercy, to bury each other's burdens, and to live in such harmony that we truly reflect the image of God, who created us to be together, to be one. In this unity, we find the fullest expression of our humanity and a glimpse of the divine purpose for which we were created. As we reflect on the union of Adam and Eve and its significance for the Christian tradition, let's hear from my dear friend, Bishop Paul Lanier.
Oh thank you so much. Well, you know I've sitten here now is listening some time ago to your first podcast of the Chosen People, and it was just blowing my mind at the profound revelation God is flowing through you. So beautiful. Now we're sitting here thinking about that scripture, and for yourself or myself, for all of us who are a part of this moment. If we can accept and believe in the first four words of the Bible, in the Beginning gone. If we can believe the first five words in the beginning God created, Well, if we can go there, we can believe anything. It's extraordinary. And that glorious first book of the Hebrew Scriptures tells us that he is the beginning. He's extraordinary, he's magnificent, he's glorious, and he sits upon that throne, and he has no peers. And we begin to pull back some of the layers of his magnificence, and we are in awe of him. That he's omnipotent, which means he can do all things. Scripture asks a rhetorical question, is anything too difficult for God? And of course the answer is no. We learn that he is omniscient, which means he knows all things you can't teach. God he can't learn, because he's the personification and the wisdom of all things. He's glorious, he's powerful, he is omni present, which means he exists in rules and reigns from all space, in all time. And I could just go on and on, because I'm like you, so in awe of him and just love to declare his goodness and his greatness. But we come to this part about Adam and Eve. The Bible uses marriage to help us understand the intimacy and that covenant relationship between God and his chosen people. The prophets of old speak of Israel as the wife of God. And then for some of us we move to the Christian scriptures and we find that intimacy continuing through the person and passion of Jesus. You know, throughout his ministry recorded in the Christian scriptures, Jesus taught us some of the hard truths through stories or what we would call parables, And actually from the Christian scriptures we read that jesus first miracle ever performed was turning water into wine at a wedding of all places. From that genesis we learned that it was from Adam's side that came his bride Eve. From the Christian scriptures, likewise, we read from the wounded side of Jesus upon the chross of Roman crucifixion, came jesus bride, who we later recognized as the Church, from the wound inflicted by the Roman soldier, and from Jesus' side came blood and water. In fact, throughout the Christian scriptures we find the Church referred to as the bride of Christ. The apostle Paul, as we refer to him, was a profound teacher, and he admonished some of the believers in the city of Ephesus that husbands should love their wives as Jesus loves his church and gave himself up or sacrificed himself for his church. And from that same letter to the Visions starts talking about apostles and prophets and pastors and teachers and evangelists, and who are they and what are they about? Well, he says they are responsible together to help mature the people of God. So we are not tossed here and there believing every kind of doctrine. We will not be the baby of Christ, but the bride of Christ, and we become corporately who Jesus is personally. That's wow, that's so huge. The whole extraordinary conversation would surely fit in the category of mystery. I'd have to say that word that we find so often in the Christian scriptures. Christians would look back to the story of Eden and refer to the first Adam. That's what the apostle Paul referred to that atom as the first Atom, who declared his wife Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Well, Christians read from the Letter to the Corinthians that every believer is part of the body of Christ. Each believer is a member of that body, so that some believers are the eyes or the ears or the hands extended. But this is important. Eyes don't see, and ears don't hear, and hands aren't reaching, and feet aren't walking. People here people see. So no matter how special my own gift or contribution might be, it only gets validated and makes sense and works and functions when I'm inseparably, gloriously, supernaturally connected to the rest of the Body of Christ.
I want to leave you with a final blessing in English and then in Hebrew. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace yvoresa hashen vichmerecha ye hear chempavi le ye saempavile le shaloon with blessings from here in the Holy Land Shalloon.
You can listen to the Chosen People with isl Exstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the Pray dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellavaga and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.