Page 23 - Jewish News_June-July-2021

JEWISH INTEREST June/July 2021 23A

K’zohar Ha-Ivrit

Adam – A human

By Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin
ather’s Day is celebrated in was formed. (Gen.3:19) It is also inter-
June. According to the bibli- esting to note that the noun adamah is
Fcal story, Adam, the first hu- a feminine noun, which has no mas-
man created by God and named by culine form and it is derived from the
Him, is the father of all humankind. adjective adom, meaning red, which
So, in honor of the day, let us brief- originally pointed to the red arable
ly explore the Hebrew word Adam. ground, its redness and beauty. By the
Adam is men- way, Hebrew is not the only language
tioned in the Bi- which juxtaposes human beings with
ble 561 times. the Earth. In Latin we find the word
The word gen- homo, which means a human being,
Aryan Germans and where members of erally refers to and humus, or ground or the Earth.
the local population were expendable, human beings, The word Adam is at the center of
Jews especially so. men and women many phrases in Hebrew. For example,
The Commissar Order was one alike. According- a person with fine manners is called

     
of two Führer commands at this time. ly, God created ben adam, literally a son of a human
The other was entitled “Guidelines them both in His being. On the other hand, pereh adam,
for the Behavior of the Troops.” This Dr. Rachel Dulin image and bless- a wild human, is a way to point to a
mandated that all legal protections for ed them equally, as it is written: “God rude, uncivilized person. The idiom
local civilian populations were to be created Adam in His image … male and ha-adam ha-na-khon ba-makom ha-
rescinded, and soldiers were informed female. He created them. (Gen1:27) na-khon means the right person at the
that actions which would have been Also, we read, “When they were right place. And Leshon b’nay adam,
considered crimes in the rest of Europe created, He blessed them and called literally the tongue of human beings, is
were to be pursued in the Soviet Union them Adam.” (Gen 5:2) the proper language to use in commu-
without punishment. Such guidance, From this, we may surmise that in nication between b’nay adam.
issued directly to the troops, both con- many references, Adam in the Bible We should also mention that the
doned and led to the abuse of civilian does not point exclusively to the male way to behave is dictated by rules
populations. gender, rather Adam is an all-inclusive beyn adam la-cha-ve-ro, literally be-
Together, the two orders informed name, directed to all human beings, tween one human being and his fellow
soldiers of the racial component of the male and female alike. However, there human, not to be confused with rules
war, and that Bolshevism and its “car- are times in which Adam is a gen- beyn adam la-ma-kom, between man
riers” (that is, Jews) were the “mortal der-centered word, referring specifi- and his maker.
enemy of the German people.” The cally to a man. For example, “It is not We will end our list with the phrase
orders authorized reprisal killings of good for Adam to be alone. I will make me-adam ve-ad be-he-mah, literally
civilians and further encouraged sol- a fitting helper for him.” (Gen. 2:20, et from a human being to a beast, which
diers to treat all civilian populations al) refers to all of God’s creation, humans
The more common word in the and the beasts of all kinds.
Text addressing a man is the noun Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day,
ish, (plural a-na-shim). Depending on are lovely days to remind us that we
context, the word ish means not only are b’nay adam, and have to behave
HELP...
man, but also husband and hero, and is accordingly, respecting and cherishing
mentioned 2,179 times in the Text. The the family, as the rules beyn adam la- HELP...
feminine form of ish is i-shah, namely cha-ve-ro were revealed to us. Enjoy
woman (plural na-shim), and it appears the day.
s a
i
782 times in the Text. Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin is a professor is a
Interestingly, in Hebrew, the of biblical literature at Spertus Col-
phone
Have you ever been asked noun Adam has no plural or feminine lege in Chicago, and a retired adjunct phone
professor of Hebrew and Bible at New
form. It is derived from the noun ad-
questions about Israel amah, meaning earth or ground, out College in Sarasota.
call
or antisemitism that of which, according to the Text, Adam call
away
you can’t answer? War of the Century...continued from previous page a wa y
with ruthless brutality. Criminality and
On May 6, 1942, however, less
excess were accepted, indeed, encour- than a year after the start of Operation
onnec
t
C
CRConnect, a program of aged. Barbarossa, the Kommissarbefehl was
CR
Enforcement of the Commissar
the Heller CRC, addresses Order led immediately to tens of thou- finally overturned after continued ap- In partnership with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and
peals to Hitler from German field com-
the generosity of our donors, JFCS of the Suncoast is able to offer
these difficult questions sands of executions, not only of polit- manders. This did not stop the killing, the following services at no cost to anyone in the
ical commissars, but also of Jews and
of course. The most intensive murder
such as Palestinian vs. Israeli of huge numbers of Soviet prisoners phase of the Holocaust was already un- Jewish community regardless of age:
sovereignty, Israel as a of war. This would grow to hundreds derway, now as a designated SS oper- • A friendly voice Get the
of thousands over succeeding months.
ation. What began with the invasion of
“superpower,” the “Apartheid” Jews were seen as racial enemies just the Soviet Union in June 1941, devel- • Counseling
claim, peace in the region as much as bearers of Bolshevik ide- oped an irrepressible momentum that • Caregiver support assistance
ology. Moreover, every German gen-
would only see an end with the defeat
• Bereavement support groups
and much more. eral involved in Operation Barbarossa of Nazi Germany and the liberation of • Pastoral care you need!
throughout the summer and autumn of
the camps from the Fall of 1944 on-
1941 enforced the Order. wards. • Delivered meals
Accordingly, special mobile killing Paul R. Bartrop is Professor Emeritus • Temporary financial assistance
C
t
onnec
Q
.or
JFEDSR
g/CR
Visit JFEDSRQ.org/CRConnect squads, the Einsatzgruppen, were estab- of History and the former Director of
the Center for Holocaust and Geno-
lished to accompany the combat troops
to see the questions and learn the answers. of the German Army close behind in cide Research at Florida Gulf Coast If you are in need of
the weeks following the invasion. University. assistance, please call
Send your comments and Letters to JFCS at 941-366-2224
For more information, please visit and ask for Pam Baron
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