“Let us make man in our image.”

This verse presents an obvious difficulty as it implies a plurality of creators. Rashi (1:26) addresses the issue using the Midrashic approach that God was in fact addressing His heavenly court of angels:

Although they did not assist Him in forming him (the man) and although this use of the plural may give the heretics an occasion to rebel (i. e. to argue in favor of their own views), yet the verse does not refrain from teaching proper conduct and the virtue of humility, namely, that the greater should consult, and take permission from the smaller; for had it been written, “I shall make man,” we could not, then, have learned that He spoke to His judicial council but to Himself. And as a refutation of the heretics it is written immediately after this verse “And God created the man,” and it is not written “and they created.” (Bereishis Rabbah 8:9)

Note the dramatic implication of this choice. God had two choices: He could have written “I will make man,” which would have avoided any issues of heresy, but missed an opportunity to teach proper conduct and humility, or He could have written “Let us make man,” to teach character but potentially open the door to heresy. God chose the latter.

Both Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the alter of Slobodka, and Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap, of Yerushalayim, saw in this choice a critical value statement: Teaching good character provides the ultimate assurance that we will maintain our proper faith. The same cannot be said for a clear theology that remains silent on matters of character. God created man with a message: Good character, derech eretz, is the foundation of our faith.

Noach: Seeing the Divine in Others

In Parshas Noach (9:6), man is again referred to as being made in the Divine Image, בצלם אלקים. Yet the presentation here is different than it was in the original account (1:26-27), in the creation narrative. There, when Adam was created, it describes how he was created in the Divine Image, implying his own significance within the world. Here, on the other hand, man is told how he must not spill the blood of another man because the other is created in God’s image.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, suggests the following brilliant insight: There is great value in reflecting upon our own significance and potential. But it is not without danger. In focusing on our own potential, we can remain self-centered, potentially leading to a generation like that of the flood, characterized by self-centeredness and a lack of consideration of others. It is after the failed generation of the flood that God taught us to focus on the Divine in others, to recognize their greatness and potential. It is then, by transcending the self and focusing our attention on others that we can heal and receive the Divine assurance that the world will never again need to be destroyed.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer is executive vice president of the Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization.