Parashat B'reishit 5769

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat B’reishit, we encounter the beginnings of our world. We are called upon to envision the process of turning chaos and void into earth and life. This week’s parasha, though, speaks not only of creation, but also of the fundamental definitions of what it means to be human. Being human means struggling and learning; it means falling and forgiving. Humans, we learn from the first stories of Torah, are creatures capable of violence and compassion, of good and evil.

In Parashat B’reishit, we read “God created the human beings in [the divine] image, creating [them] in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). In this oft-cited verse, we learn that all human beings are considered equally close to the divine, regardless of our particular attributes or differences. We are taught that the first human being, adam, was created out of the dust of the earth, adamah, teaching us that we have a fundamental connection not only to all of humanity, but also to all of creation.

The question of what makes us essentially human has been on my mind since this past Sunday, after I listened to the National Public Radio program Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett. The program, which airs locally on 89.3 KPCC at 4:00 pm on Sundays, explores issues of faith in meaningful and provocative ways. Speaking of Faith is my weekly post-religious school treat and I listen to it (pardon the pun) religiously!

This past week, the show was entitled “Being Autistic, Being Human.” (you can download the mp3 if you are interested). During the broadcast, Tippett’s guest, Paul Collins explains, “...Autism is an ability and a disability: it is as much about what is abundant as what is missing, an over-expression of the very traits that make our species unique. Other animals are social, but only humans are capable of abstract logic. The autistic out-human the humans and we can scarcely recognize the result.”

And I wonder again: What are the traits that make us essentially human? At the World Science Festival, held this past June in New York City, a panel of scientists gathered to discuss this very question. According to the Wired Science Blog, one participant, Marvin Minsky, an artificial intelligence pioneer, suggested that “We do something other species can’t: We remember. We have cultures, ways of transmitting information.”

And I think: Remembering. Yes! Is this not the ultimate purpose of Torah? Torah is meant to remind us that we have common origins. We read Torah to remember that we are all created in the same divine image. We read Torah to remember that we are called upon to be a just and compassionate people. We read Torah to remember that even before we were Israel, we were humanity. We read Torah to remember that being human means more than just existing.

We become fully human when we recognize the humanity of others. And, this I believe was the purpose of Tippett’s recent reflections. When we look to those around us and see them not as “less human,” but “more human,” we are able to elevate all of existence.

What does it mean to be human? It means to remember. And to remember carefully. For how we remember shapes who we are and what we will become. My blessing for us all on this Shabbat is that we remember and we remember well. May our foundational memories, retold to us this week, shape our actions toward good in this world.