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Tzelem Elohim
(Divine Image)
Tzelem Elohim ñ (Divine Image) ñ dignity and potential
One of the most famous and often quoted passages from Torah tells us that humankind was created in the image of God - Bítzelem Elohim. As God has no physical image, we need to look to other aspects of each human being in order to make sense of this idea. Being created bítzelem Elohim unifies all of humankind, while at the same time distinguishing each human being from all others. Just when our awareness of being created in the Divine image might fill us with egotistical urges and an overblown sense of self, we are reminded that each of us is equal in our divine nature, and that our treatment of others is a reflection of our faith and our respect for our role in our society and our universe. We are powerful, unique, dynamic individuals who are also, at the same time, exactly like everyone else. Looking at a personís origin, power, and responsibility through this lens impacts our thoughts, our emotions and our actions each and every day. This is a lens of responsibility, compassion, and self esteem.
Judaism teaches that each human soul is unique in its essence, its capacity and its mission. Our limited view of existence does not afford us the position from which to state that one life is more important than another, even if oneís personís role or task seems to impact on many others, while anotherís role may seem infinitely small. One person can never take the place of another, one life can never objectively be held as more valuable than another. The Mishnah states (Sanhedrin 4:5), ìWhen a human being makes many coins in the same mint, they all come out the same. God makes every person in the same image ñ Godís image ñ and each is different.î Each of us is unique, and still we share a Divine quality at our core.
Elohim is only one of many different names by which God is known in Torah. Many times particular names seem to refer to various aspects of Godís character or behavior. No aspect of God has physical form, however, and Godís fullness remains beyond all description and definition. What does it mean then to be created in the ìimageî of Elohim?
Elohim is the source of all creative energy, the One who takes from nothing and makes everything. According to Torah, it is through the Divine will expressed through speech that the entirety of everything we know comes into being. It is an image which addresses our own capacity to create, to form and to shape the world according to our own will. The potential that exists in our power to communicate concepts, shape ideas, and manipulate our material world is mind boggling. We are able to think, to feel, to reason, to act, to choose, to create. We have enormous capacity for dignity, courage, wisdom and love. It is our powers, the qualities of our soul, that are in the image of the Divine, as opposed to any physical attributes we might possess. Rabbi Harold Schulweiss tells us, ìWhere there is imago Dei - the image of God in us, there is the possibility of immitatio Dei the imitation of God's attributes.î We are created both in the image and likeness of God - one is given, the other is ours to realize.
Our amazement at our creative capacity, our competency, and our potential must extend beyond our individual selves. We must, in response to our amazement, admit to this same Divine potential in everyone with whom we come in contact. It is easy to see those we love, our families and friends, as unique and valuable individuals. It is harder to see the image of the Divine in the stranger - the differently abled, the homeless or infirmed, those of different nationality, faith, or philosophy. ìThe supreme challenge is to see Godís image in the one who is not in our image,î says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. This perspective is not always an easy one. But it is more likely to make an impact on the world than those that are easier to live by.
Great growth and enlightenment spring from difference of opinion, healthy tension within respectful dialogue, and arguments líshem shamayim (literally ìfor the sake of heavenî). It is from the divine potential in those different that ourselves that we gain both strength and humility. Each person brings a unique contribution to the table. A realization of the unity of humankind beneath surface differences sheds light on the unity of the Divine which is so central to Jewish belief.
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg recognizes three dignities within the understanding of Tzelem Elohim: each soul is distinct, of infinite value, and equal to all other souls. The capacity, dignity, and value inherent in each human being, along with a deep appreciation for the areas in which we are remarkably similar to, and vastly different from each other, will impact deeply on our behavior from day to day. Each of us possesses enormous potential and unique gifts. We have both the capacity and the responsibility to acknowledge and realize our own strengths, and to take advantage of our potential to nurture the Divine capacity within others.
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