What if God was one of us?

(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”

When God was about to create the world, He said to His angelic council: "Shall we create man in our image?" A group of angels stepped forward and offered
this advice: "Lord of the Universe! Consider man's potential for evil: he will lie, murder, commit adultery, and create weapons to destroy Your world. Don't go
through with the plan." However, the divine urge to create a human partner was so great that no argument, however realistic, was tolerated. The Lord stretched
forth His little finger, let loose a surge of energy, and burned the angels, the heavenly realists, to a crisp. Other groups made similar suggestions and were treated in a similar fashion, until the angels acquiesced to the divine desire and gave their approval, saying: "Lord, the world is Yours. Do with it as You see fit."

And Rabbi Chama the son of Rabbi Chanina said, "What is the meaning of the verse, 'After Hashem, your G-d, shall you walk (Deuteronomy 13:5)'? Is it possible for a man to walk after the divine presence? And isn't it already stated, 'For Hashem your G-d is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24)'? Rather, To follow the character traits of G-d. "Just as he clothes the naked, as it is written, 'And the Lord G-d made for Adam and his wife cloaks of leather, and he clothed them (Genesis 3:21);' so too you shall clothe the naked. The Holy One, Blessed be He, visited the sick, as it is written, 'And he appeared in Ailonei Mamrei [while Abraam was in pain] (Genesis 18:1);' so too you shall visit the sick. The Holy One, Blessed be He, comforted mourners, as it is written, 'And it was, after the death of Abraham, and G-d blessed his son Isaac (Genesis 25:11);' so too you shall comfort mourners. The Holy One, Blessed be He, buried the dead, as it is written, 'And he buried him in the valley (Deuteronomy 34:6);' so too, you shall bury the dead." "Cloaks of leather (alt. skin)-" [It is an argument of] Rav and Shmuel. One said, "Something that comes from leather." The other one said, "Something that the skin benefits from." Rabbi Simlai expounded, The Torah begins with loving-kindness and ends with loving kindness. It begins with loving kindness, as it is written (Genesis 3:21), "And God made for Adam and his wife coats of skin, and he dressed them." It ends with loving kindness, as it is written (Deuteronomy 34:6), and He buried him in a valley."

Yet Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: 'The day consists of twelve hours; during the first three hours the Holy One, blessed be He, is occupying Himself with the Torah, during the second three He sits in judgment on the whole world, and when He sees that the world is so guilty as to deserve destruction, He transfers Himself from the seat of Justice to the seat of Mercy;during the third quarter, He is feeding the whole world, from the horned buffalo to the brood of vermin; during the fourth quarter He is sporting with the leviathan, as it is said, There is leviathan, whom Thou hast formed to sport therewith'? Said R. Nahman b. Isaac: Yes, He sports with His creatures, but does not laugh at His creatures except on that day.

R. Aba said to R. Nahman b. Isaac: Since the day of the destruction of the temple, there is no laughter for the Holy One, blessed be He. Whence do we know that there is not? Shall we say from the verse, And on that day did the Lord, the God of Hosts, call to weeping and lamentation?But this refers to that day and no more. Shall we then say, from this verse: If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember thee? But this, too, excludes forgetfulness, but not laughter. Hence, [it is known] from the verse, I have long time held my peace, I have been still, and refrained myself, now will I cry.What then does God do in the fourth quarter? — He sits and instructs the school children, as it is said, Whom shall one teach knowledge, and whom shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk. Who instructed them theretofore? — If you like, you may say Metatron, or it may be said that God did this as well as other things. And what does He do by night? — If you like you may say, the kind of thing He does by day; or it may be said that He rides a light cherub, and floats in eighteen thousand worlds; for it is said, The chariots of God are myriads, even thousands shinan. Do not read Shinan, [repeated], but she-enan [that are not]; or it may be said, He sits and listens to the song of the Hayyoth, as it is said, By the day the Lord will command His lovingkindness and in the night His song shall be with me.

Rabbi Aybu said, and some attribute it to the name of Rabbi Benaya, and it is [also] taught in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: [God] adorned her [Eve] like a bride, and afterwards brought her to him [Adam]. In some places they call 'kil'ata' [braids] 'bin'yata' [net-works]. Rabbi Hamma bar Chanina said: you think that she was brought to him under a carob or sycamore tree, rather she was adorned with twenty four kinds of finery, and then brought to him, as it says: "In Eden, the garden of God you were, and all precious stones were your covering: the carnelian, the topaz..." (Ezekiel 28:13). The Rabbis and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish; the Rabbis said: ten, and Rabbi Shimon said: eleven. Rabbi Hamma bar Chanina and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish both said: a general rule followed by a specific; follow the general rule by adding the specific, and it is all in the general rule - "every precious stone is your covering" is a general rule. "Carnelian, topaz, emerald, beryl..." are the specifics. Follow the general rule - "every precious stone is your covering." Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Simon: one said nine, and one said ten. The one who said ten is like the Rabbis, and the one who said nine argues that the "gold" mentioned in the verse surely does not refer to a canopy. Rabbi Acha bar Chanina said: he made walls of gold and coverings of precious stones and pearls. Rabbi Eleazar bar Bisna said in the name of Rabbi Aha: He even made him hooks of gold.

What means, "And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man, made He [banah] a woman"? It teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, plaited her hair and brought her [adorned] to Adam ; for so in the sea-towns they call plaits binyata. Another explanation of "And He made [lit. built]" — Rab Hisda said (another version : It was taught in a Baraita) : This means that the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned Eve like a store-building ; as the store is narrow above and broad below so as to receive the fruits, similarly is a woman narrow above and broad below so as to receive the child. "And He brought her unto the man" (ibid.). R. Jeremiah b. Eleazar said : This means that the Holy One, blessed be He, constituted Himself Adam's "best man"; hence the Torah teaches a rule of conduct, viz. : that an eminent man should accompany one of less importance as "best man," and it will not injure [his dignity].

When the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers His children who dwell in misery among the nations of the world. He causes two tears to descend to the Ocean, and the sound is heard from one end of the world to the other ; and that is the rumbling."

(4) ...Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon began: (Psalms 68:7) "God maketh the solitary to dwell in a house". A matron asked R. Yosi bar Halfa, saying to him: "How many days did it take the Holy One Blessed be Him to create the world?" He said to her: "[to] Six days, as it is written (Exodus 20) "Because six days God made the heavens and the earth." She said to him: "What has He been doing since that hour and now?" He said to her: "The Holy One blessed be He sits and matches matches; the daughter of this one to this one, the wife of this one, to this one, the money of this one, to this one." She said to him: "And this is His occupation! Even I could do so! How many servants, how many maidservants do I have. In an easy moment I could match them." He said to her: "If it is easy in your eyes, it is as difficult in the eyes of the Holy One blessed be He as splitting the Red Sea."

(4) Another interpretation: And Moses entreated [vayehal]. What is this? R. Berakhya said in the name of R. Helbo in the name of R. Yitzhak that he released the vow of his creator. How so? At the time when Israel made the calf, Moses stood and appeased God so that He would forgive them. God said: Moses, I have already sworn: “One who sacrifices to the gods will be proscribed [yohoram]” (Exodus 22:19). And an oath that has gone forth from my mouth - I do not take it back. Moses said: Master of eternity, did you not give to me the annulment of vows [when] you said: “A man, who swears a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to bind himself - he shall not profane [yahel] his word” (Numbers 30:3). He shall not profane it - but a sage may profane his vow when he is asked about it. And any elder who gives instruction - if he wants others to receive his instruction, he must observe it first. And you have commanded me about the annulment of vows. It is logical that you should release your vow, as you have commanded me to release others. [Moses] immediately wrapped himself in his garment and sat, like an elder and the Holy Blessed One stood like one asking about a vow, and thus it says “I sat on the mountain” (Deuteronomy 9:9). And is it possible, that Moses was sitting and God - may his name be blessed - was standing? R. Drosai said: they made a chair for him, like the chair of the scholiasts, when they come in before the ruler and they appear to be standing, but are actually sitting. And here too it is thus: sitting that looks like standing - that is “I sat on the mountain” (Deut. 9:9). Another interpretation: “I sat on the mountain” - is there sitting on high?! You find that everyone is standing, as it is said “Serafim are standing above him” (Isaiah 6:2), and thus, “When they stood, their wings relaxed” (Ezekiel 1:25), and thus, “I approached one of those standing” (Daniel 7:16). Even Moses, who ascended on high, stood. As it is said “I stood on the mountain” (Deut. 9:9). And it is written “And I stood between you and the Lord” (Deuteronomy 5:5). And no one sits there, save God alone: “I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne [and the entire host of heaven was standing to his right and to his left]” (2 Chronicles 18:18). And he says: “I sat on the mountain”?! What is this? R. Huna b. Aha said - [Moses] sat to release the vow of his creator. And what did [Moses] say to Him? A difficult thing! R. Yohanan said - [Moses] said before Him a difficult thing. Do you regret? [God] said to [Moses]: “I regret the evil that I said I would do to my people.” At that moment, Moses said: “You are released, you are released, there is no vow here, nor any oath.” This is “And Moses entreated/profaned [vayehal]” - he annulled the oath of his creator, as it is said “He shall not profane [yahel] his word” (Numbers 30:3). R. Simeon b. Lakish said: Therefore, his name was called “The man/husband of God,” for he released the oath of God - and this is “Moses entreated/profaned.”