(27) And God created humanity in God's image, in the Divineimage God created him; male and female God created them.
- What does 'form' mean here? Does it mean body shape (2 legs, 2 arms, 2 eyes...)? Could it mean something else about human beings that is not physical like our personality, the way we think?
- If our form is 'the image of our Creator', does God look like us?
(א) בצלם אלקים הנה מלת אלקים על צד ההדמות תאמר על כל עצם שכלי בפעל שלם נבדל מחומר ובזה הוא נצחי בהכרח. ולכן תאמר על האל ית' ועל מלאכיו וכמו כן תאמר על השופטים ע''ש החלק השכלי הראוי בהם. אמנם בהיות כי השכל האנושי אע''פ שפעולת השכלתו הוא בלתי שום כלי חמרי ותתפשט על בלתי מוחש ועל קצת עתידות ולא יחלש בהרבותו פעולת השכלתו...
Our mind...it is still not called אלוקים, something divine, but only צלם אלוקים, “something which mirrors something divine.” Until this intellect has acquired חכמה, i.e. a reverence for G’d and love for God, its Creator, it is completely imperfect. It follows that it is a person’s task to perfect one's G’d given intelligence by acquiring the knowledge and insights which can be provided only by the study of Torah and by the practice of the laws of the Torah. If we do not use their intellect in the manner G’d meant for them to use it, it actually becomes a negative asset, a hindrance...
- Sforno explains the image of God in us is our mind, our intellect, our ability to think (unlike, say, a fish that has a brain but doesn't write computer programs or debate politics).
- If our minds mirror God, then doesn't that suggest God "thinks", in other words, weighs decisions, makes up God's mind and maybe changes it later, doesn't that sound more human-like than God-like?
(1) בצלמו, a metaphor for the angels; do not wonder why the Torah had not spelled out the creation of the angels in the report of G-d’s creative activities; Moses had deliberately refrained from writing down anything about either the domains of heaven or purgatory or about other details such as the heavenly Court, etc.; as the purpose of the written Torah is to acquaint us with phenomena visible in our habitat, as I have already pointed out earlier (verse 2) Another exegesis of the word: בצלמו: it is a reference to G-d Himself; G-d wished to forestall people who would view Him as reflection of their image.[Unfortunately, people have a tendency of describing something unknown to them as in some manner reflecting phenomena with which they are familiar. In other words, they make G-d over in their own image by using their own attributes as the yardsticks by which they “measure” Divinity. Ed.]
- Chizkuni argues God says we are made in God's image so that we do not say God is made in our image.
- Can we carry God's image without 'looking like' God? -- What if with God there is nothing to 'see'?