This sheet on Genesis 9 was written by Shira Hecht-Koller for 929 and can also be found here
After the Flood, there is a new world order. It is reflected in this beautifully concise line, a chiastically structured short poem (ABC/CBA) followed by a profound statement of theological anthropology.
שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ / כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֶת-הָאָדָם
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed/ For in His image did God make man.”
Though short in words, the verse makes three critical points about the postdeluvian world.
The first, is that human beings are sacred. There had been bloodshed in the past – Cain, Lemech perhaps – but no retribution. Paradoxically, the shedding of human blood requires that more blood be shed. Otherwise, the land becomes defiled. Second is that justice is in the hands of humans. There will be no appeal to the divine court. One who violates the law must be punished by humankind. And finally, there must, therefore, be law in the world. We cannot rely upon people to “do good” intuitively: God had seen that “every plan of the human heart was nothing but evil” (6:5).
At this point in the formation of the world as we know it, then, comes the birth of human responsibility and the quest for a just society. It does not quickly work – as the Tower of Babel is about to show – and this will bring us to the need for a chosen people, beginning with Abraham in chapter 12. The poetics of this new world order underscores the sacred calling and responsibility to establish, maintain and implement justice. It is what drives the formation of the community that will emerge.
Shira Hecht-Koller is the Director of Education for 929 English.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
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