Tazria: Chapter 22

Man, person

Synopsis

We learn that man has different names in different stages, but the greatest of these is Adam. In scripture it is often the word 'Adam' that is used rather than 'Ish' (person) or Enosh (human), for example, because it refers to man on the highest level. The name Adam includes the four faces of the Chariot, which is perfection. Everything that was created in the world exists for his sake. Once Adam was created, everything was completed above and below. The Hidden Book says that when Adam was created he descended in a holy supernal form and that two spirits came down with him, the right spirit is the holy Neshamah and the left spirit is the living Nefesh. It was due to his later sin that these two spirits were separated. We hear of how the demons and their offspring, the plagues, were created from the left hand spirit. The rabbis have a question about the nature of Ish: Is it a perfect upright man or a man of judgment, since the word is used in both senses in scripture?