Adam I and Adam II
Religion is not, at the outset, a refuge of grace and mercy for the despondent and desperate, an enchanted stream for crushed spirits, but a raging, clamorous torrent of man’s consciousness with all its crises, pangs and torments. Turmoil and sacrifice, not comfort and placidity, are, by divine edict, the hallmarks of authentic religious life.
Born into a 200 year old rabbinical dynasty, Joseph B. Soloveitchik was born into one of the most prominent religious families in Russia. An intellectual giant in his own right, the Rabbi was confronted with a unique predicament that plagued the modern men and women of faith of his time, one which he too was a victim of.
“I will speak that I may find relief”; for there is a redemptive quality for an agitated mind in the spoken word, and a tormented soul finds peace in confessing.
The heart of the Rabbi’s dilemma was to examine if the new man of faith, existentially, can live and function in a society consumed by material triumphs and enamored by technological advances. Unlike the intellectual conflicts that his forefathers faced, Rabbi Soloveitchik was not interested in secular knowledge as much the secular man living in a secular society. In order to find some clarity for this thoughts, the Rabbi, like some of the Islamic theologians before him, looks for answers in the first chapter of his sacred text.
He points to the two seemingly-contradictory accounts of the creation of Adam in Genesis — Adam I, who is created alongside Eve and Adam II, whose rib is removed and is used as a blueprint to provide him with companion and sanctuary. But are these surface-level discrepancy’s the only variation between the two accounts?
According to Gensis, Adam I seeks to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28), to conquer, dominate and cultivate his environments. Adam I rises to the heights of mans external capabilities and seeks ‘dignity’ and ‘majesty’. Adam I is the archetype of modern man, he eradicates diseases, conquers space and terraforms the land around him. Adam I is created with Eve by his side and together, subdue the Earth bestowed to them and create Paradise around them. But this act of subjugation is not to be confused with disobedience to God, but rather the affirmation of God’s qualities and His tasks to man:
There is no dignity without responsibility, and one cannot assume responsibility as long as he is not capable of living up to his commitments. Only when man rises to the heights of freedom of action and creativity of mind does he begin to implement the mandate of dignified responsibility entrusted to him by his Maker.
Adam II, on the other hand, isn’t interested in exploring his environment but attempts to discover the hidden meaning behind the images laid out in front of him, rather than how he seeks to understand why. Adam II isn’t interested in what is next but what comes first. It is this Adam that the Rabbi affirms who experiences the loneliness deep in his inner life, due to his ontological awareness of differentiates and uniqueness. For Adam II the political alliances of Adam I is not sufficient, he requires the deep and intimate relationships between other human beings and with God. Adam II struggles not to overcome the external world around him but the internal — his desire, his passions and his ego — and ultimately seeks to be overtaken by God.
In this interpretation of Genesis, Adam I and Adam II are not two separate beings but rather symbolize the dual nature of the man of faith. God bids the human being to live in oscillation between these two states, one being the conqueror and subduer and the other being the humble, submissive servant. And herein lies the heart of modern man of faiths’ suffering, the need for oscillation means man has no permanent home. He must constantly uproot himself from his station and move onto the next eternally in order to carry out his responsibilities towards God and man. In this perpetual cycle modern man finds his source of loneliness — one that he must endure. Man cannot lay his foundations in either of these abodes, as the true human being is required by God to carry out both assignments:
Dignity is not acquired by man whenever he triumphs over nature. Man find redemption whenever he is overpowered by the Creator of nature. Dignity is discovered at the summit of success; redemption in the depth of crisis and failure….The dialectical awareness, the steady oscillating between the majestic natural community and the conventional faith community renders the act of complete redemption realizable.
The destiny of the modern man is filled with tribulation and a sense of loneliness. But it also in this suffering and isolation that Gods Presence is nearest, as described in the story of Elisha:
Elisha was indeed lonely, but in his loneliness he met the Lonely One and discovered the singular covenant confrontation of solitary man and God who abides in the recesses and transcendental solitude.
