23 Tishrei/Tashri 5783 | כ"ג תשרי ה'תשפ"ג
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The Garden of Eden, Thomas Cole, 1828 (Wikipedia). Sorry, no Adam yet!
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Anyone who has learned Hebrew to any depth (not just conversationally but with some of the grammar, especially verb conjugations) might have picked up on a very interesting relationship between conjugations that may not be common among languages. (I am not a linguist, so I don't know for sure that this only involves Hebrew.)
What I'm talking about is in the future tense, and only there. It seems that the second person masculine (atah אתה) and the third person feminine (hee היא) both share the exact same form, in every single Hebrew verb from every binyan ( Hebrew verb conjugation is a whole "building" process). Did your Hebrew teacher ever explain why this is?
I have a thought about it that might make your hair stand on end. It did mine! I have had this question in the back of my mind for almost 15 years, and I finally have an answer!
I never expected it to come from the end of the beginning of Creation. Just remember that context is everything. Stay with me...
During the Simchat Torah part of the last day of the High Holidays (only in Israel!), I found something that suggests the origin of this relationship embedded in Hebrew verbs. It might take one or two years of ulpan to get to the point where one would learn it. After all, the intent is to teach the student to speak Hebrew, as well as memorize the conjugations.
So, here goes. I welcome comments from Torah scholars, who I expect to have more profound thoughts than I have here. Native Hebrew speakers, whether Torah scholars or not, are also welcome to share their thoughts, especially whether they have noticed and pondered (thought deeply) about the content below.
We turn in our book of Genesis (Bereshith) to chapter 2, verses 15-18. I have provided the Hebrew if you don't happen to have it in your sefer.
Hebrew:
English:
A surprise awaits us in verse 17:
Note the last two words, mot tamut (מות תמות "you shall die" above) | Sefaria search (Hebrew) | This phrase, using the word tamut, are not the usual form found in the rest of the Torah (the word tamut does occur, but it obviously refers to the man only, if you look at each verse. Some of the search links show the past tense, so they don't count for the purpose of this article. Sefaria searches often include words with the same root.).
The usual phrase is "mot yumat (מות יומת that one shall die)." Example: See HERE. | Sefaria search (Hebrew) |
It encompasses the definitions of both the atah and hee forms I mentioned above. Notice that G-d is alone with Adam, and Hava is still a rib inside of Adam's body at that point. From what I can see, for the first time in my life, He is speaking to him about both of them!
You shall die, and she shall die. In only two words.
Not four, as would normally be the case.
You can make the point that He is only talking to Adam about himself, and you might be correct. However, the connection in Hebrew up until today and forevermore, that the you and she forms of the future tense are exactly the same across all Hebrew verbs, cannot be explained unless you also understand that He sees, and is including in His warning, a living Hava awaiting manifestation in the immediate future in the context of our portion of Scripture.
Adam's wife.
This is the first mention of the idea of death due to disobeying G-d.
(What used to be taken for granted in earlier times takes special discernment in today's "non-binary"-favoring world to recognize, that G-d created the woman for the man. Non-binary simply doesn't work here.)
That would be seen in verse 18, which describes G-d's initiation of the process of creating a "helper against" (or opposite, or in front of, anti-, counter-, contrary and more that apply to) Adam, that finishes at the end of the chapter.
Now, if only my Hebrew speech and writing would catch up...I would be thrilled beyond all comprehension.
Wishing all my readers a happy, healthy, prosperous 5783...and best of all, a relationship with G-d full of wonder and surprise. May He send Mashiah quickly!
