Genesis-Chap-2
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Throughout this site I may use any of the following three
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Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all
other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it
once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Genesis Chapter 2 is not a second creation story competing with Chapter 1, it is a zoom‑in, a literary narrowing of the lens. Chapter 1 presents the ‘cosmic’, ‘majestic’, ordered creation of the universe. Chapter 2 shifts to the intimate, relational, and experiential creation of humanity. Where Chapter 1 emphasizes structure, boundaries, and Divine command, Chapter 2 emphasizes encounter, responsibility, and partnership. This chapter is foundational for understanding: the nature of human identity, the meaning of work and responsibility, the relationship between humans and the land, the dynamics between man and woman, and the emergence of moral consciousness. It is a chapter about relationship between the ‘human and the Divine’, the ‘human and the earth’, and the ‘human and another human’”.
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Let us read
Genesis Chapter 2, verses 1 to 25: (JPS-1917
version of the Torah). Below this chapter you will find my commentary on same.
1 “And the heaven and the earth were finished,
and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the
seventh day from all His work which He had made. 3 And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He
rested from all His work which אֱלֹהִים - Elohim in creating had made. 4 These are the
generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day
that אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - LORD
Elohim (God) made earth and heaven. 5 No shrub of the field was
yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - LORD
Elohim had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to
till the ground; 6 but there went up a mist from the
earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 Then
אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the
LORD Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And
אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - LORD
Elohim planted a garden eastward, in
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Here is my Commentary on Genesis Chapter 2:
Verses 1-3: (Completion and Sanctification). The heavens and the earth are “finished,” but the text emphasizes something deeper: creation is not only about making but also about stopping. The seventh day is “blessed” and “sanctified day of rest”. This is the first time in the Torah that anything is called holy. Holiness here is not an object or a place, it is time. The rhythm of creation culminates not in productivity but in rest, reflection, and presence.
Verse 4: (A New Lens). The phrase “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth” signals a shift. The Torah now focuses on the human story. The Divine Name changes to YHVH Elohim, blending transcendence (Elohim) with intimacy. This prepares the reader for a more relational narrative.
Verse 5-6: (The World Before Human Cultivation). The earth is formed but incomplete. Two conditions are missing:
1. Rain;
2. A human to work the soil;
The text subtly teaches that the world requires partnership, Divine provision (rain) and human effort (cultivation). Creation is not static; it anticipates human involvement.
Verse 7: (The Formation of the Human). This verse is one of the most profound in the Torah. The human is formed from dust of the ground (afar min ha’adamah), ‘humble’, ‘physical’, ‘mortal’. But the human becomes a living being only when the Divine breath is infused. Human identity is therefore dual: grounded in earth, animated by Divine breath. This tension, ‘earthiness’ and ‘spirituality’ defines the human condition.
Verses
8-14: (The Garden and its Rivers). The Garden of Eden is not the whole world; it is a specific,
cultivated space. The human is placed there, not created there. This
distinction matters: Humanity belongs to the broader world but is invited into
a space of responsibility and relationship. The four rivers, Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris), and
Verse 15: (Purpose: To Work and Guard). The human is placed in the garden “to work it and to guard it.” But having two responsibilities:
1. Avodah - cultivation, development, contribution.
2. Shmirah - protection, restraint, stewardship.
Humanity’s role is neither domination nor passivity. It is balanced, ethical engagement with the world.
Verses 16-17: (The Command). The human is permitted to eat freely from every tree except one. The prohibition is not arbitrary; it introduces: moral boundaries, the concept of choice, the possibility of responsibility. The “tree of knowledge of good and evil” is not explained. The Torah intentionally leaves its nature ambiguous, emphasizing the human response rather than the tree itself.
Verse 18: (It Is Not Good). This is the first time in the Torah that something is “not good.” The issue is not loneliness in a modern emotional sense; it is incompleteness. A human alone cannot fulfil the relational, moral, and creative potential intended for humanity. The phrase “a helper corresponding to him” means: a partner equal in dignity, one who stands opposite, one who complements and challenges.
Verses 19-20: (Naming the Animals). The human names the animals, an act of classification, understanding, and authority. But none is a true counterpart. This process teaches the human what a partner is not, preparing him to recognize what a partner is.
Verses: 21-22: (The Formation of Woman). The woman is formed from the human’s side, not from the head to rule over him, not from the feet to be beneath him, but from his side, symbolizing equality and mutuality. The Torah emphasizes relationship, not hierarchy.
Verse 23: (Recognition). The human exclaims: “This is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh.” This is the first recorded human speech directed toward
another being.
It is a recognition of shared identity and deep
connection.
Verse 24: (The Human Bond). The Torah describes the ideal human partnership: leaving one’s origin, forming a new primary bond, becoming “one flesh.” This is not merely physical; it is existential. Two individuals form a shared life, a shared destiny.
Verse 25: (Innocence). The chapter ends with a state of openness and lack of shame. This is not naïveté; it is harmony with self, with the other, and with the Divine. The narrative sets the stage for the coming tension in Chapter 3, where this harmony will be disrupted.
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My Closing
Message:
Genesis Chapter 2 invites us to see humanity not as an afterthought of creation but as its relational centre. It teaches that human life is a blend of earth and spirit, responsibility and freedom, individuality and partnership. It reminds us that holiness begins with time that the world requires human stewardship, and that relationships are foundational to human purpose.
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following via several of our prophets...
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For Elohim is the One who
gave us our ... “Life!”
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