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Man, Woman and Dreams 5/4/2012

The Talmud in Bava Metzia 83b, tells us that abbi !leazar son o" abbi #imeon

be$ame a %oli$e o""i$er "or the oman &overnment'

R. Eleazar, son of R. Simeon proceeded to arrest the thieves.

Thereupon R. Joshua, son of Karhah, sent word to him, Vinear, sonof wine!"ow lon will #ou deliver up the people of our $od for

slauhter!% &ac' came the repl#( ) weed out thorns from the

vine#ard.% *hereupon R. Joshua retorted( +et the owner of the

vine#ard himself $od- come and weed out the thorns./Soncino

Translation0

This %ie$e o" Talmud is a "as$inatin& dis$ussion starter "or the interse$tion bet(een

reli&ion, %oli$e authorit), $ommunit) and %oliti$s* +ne $an also eamine the use o" (ine as

meta%hor "or linea&e, $rime and $itizens arrests* Toda) (e (ill "o$us on the sub-narrative o"

namin& and %ers%e$tive* +ne abbi re"ers to the .e(ish $riminal $lass as the %eo%le o" od*The other abbi vie(s them as thorns* +ne abbi sa)s that sin$e these $riminals are .e(s the)

are entitled to s%e$ial %roteia* The other abbi sa)s that sin$e the $riminals are .e(s, their

detrimental im%a$t on so$iet) is all the more %erni$ious and must be (eeded out*

ames sha%e the (a) (e thin, vie( our (orld and evaluate the so$ial %lane* What is

the %ur%ose o" names rom (here do the) derive their %o(er Wh) are names su$h an

im%ortant %art o" the Torah

6et us loo at the narrative (here 7dam names the animals'

1ow "ashem had formed out of the round ever# 2east of

the round and ever# 2ird of the s'# and 2rouht them to the man tosee what he would call each one3 and whatever the man called ever#

livin creature that remained its name. 4nd the man assined namesto all the cattle and all the 2irds of the s'# and ever# 2east of the

field5 /4rtscroll Translation0

This is a "as$inatin& stor) that be&s a "e( uestions'

1* Wh) is it im%ortant to name the animals

2* Wh) does d (ant 7dam to name the animals Wh) doesn9t d name them

:a; 7"ter all, d names 7dam* Wh) $an9t he name the animals

3* sin$e she is taen"rom >Man>* But till no( 7dam (as named >7dam> not >Man>* Wh) and ho( does

7dam9s name s(it$h "rom >7dam> to >Man>

7%%roa$h' To the tabula rasa, the blan mind, the thou&ht does not eist* ather the

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(orld is an un"erentiated mass o" sensations, ima&es, and im%ressions* ames allo( us to$on$e%tiall) divide and ma% our (orld* This is (hat 7dam is doin& (hen namin& the animals*

Mammals have s%e$i"i$ attributes that di""erentiate them "rom re%tiles, su$h as nursin&

their )oun& and hair* ?anines have s%e$i"i$ attributes that di""erentiate them "rom other t)%es o"

mammals* 7 do& and a (ol" are similiar in man) (a)s, but have s%e$i"i$ attributes that

di""erentiate them "rom ea$h other, su$h as diet and domesti$ation* When man em%lo)s his

mind, he taes a va&ue (orld and breas it do(n $on$e%tuall)* ames mar this $on$e%tualbreado(n* Thus instead o" a va&ue $lass o" >animals> (e no( have mammals and re%tiles*

Do&s and (olves are seen as se%arate and $ontainin& their o(n s%e$i"i$ %ro%erties* +ur

%ers%e$tive on the (orld be$omes $learer and more or&anized* amin& somethin& means that

(e no( vie( it as a se%arate entit), thus (e no( have the mental a%%eratus to en$ounter and

understand and bi"ur$ate (hat our senses tae in*

d (ants 7dam to see the ma@esti$ (orld in its &lor) and s%lendor* d (ants man to

(ae u% "rom his mental slumber, to en&a&e and en$ounter the (onderous universe* There"ore

d arran&es a meet and &reet, (here 7dam is introdu$ed to his ne( so$ial s$ene* 7dam names

in order to or&anize his (orld and his mind*

We ea$h see realit) throu&h our o(n e)es* There"ore ea$h %ersons individual vision isuniue* d does not (ant to name the animals "or 7dam*