There is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed among Torah Observant and Christian believers alike. An issue that has been a twisted fight since before the Civil War. It has become a gateway to corrupting the leading roles of men and women today.
This problem is the misunderstanding of the value and purpose of men and women in creation.
Created with a Purpose
In too many cultures around the world, women are not allowed to be the creation they were created to be. “Baby makers”, “homemakers”, “maids”: that’s all women are told they can be. Of course, when you get to the U.S., the narrative is a little different. “Girls can do anything boys can do.” But if girls did everything boys do, then who will do what the girls do?
Seriously, why can’t we all live in ourselves and be who Yah created us to be?
Men and women were created with different roles that are equally needed for the world function.
I loved the example Matthew Janzen gave in his strong women bible study.
The gist of his quote is this: If you were to keep either a wrench or jack in your car in case of a flat tire, which would you choose? You need a wrench to take the wheel off the car, but you need the jack to lift the car to be able to pull the wheel off and replace it. Put simply, you can’t choose from the two tools. They have different purposes, but both are needed to complete the task.
Men and women are different, we were created to be that way. When Adam needed a helpmeet in the garden, Yahweh didn’t give him another man to help with the heavy load; neither did He give him an animal. Yah gave Adam a woman. He gave Adam a woman: not to put her under his subjection, but so that he could have life to the fullest.
I want the start a series here. I would like to cover all of the stories of women in the Bible just to see what their societal roles were and even what women’s role is according to the Torah. I want to explore what notably righteous women looked like, and then what women in the middle eastern culture looked like in ancient days. Hopefully, this will give us a good picture of how men and women are different, why that is a good thing, and how women are valuable to our Heavenly Father just as much as the men.
Without further a do, lets start at the very beginning. (And yes, that was a reference to The Sound of Music)
We all know the story of Eve, or rather, Hawwah, as Adam named her. Let’s read about her story.
And יהוה Elohim said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, I am going to make a helper for him, as his counterpart.” And from the ground יהוה Elohim formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called each living being, that was its name. So the man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field. But for the man there was not found a helper for him, as his counterpart. So יהוה Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. And the rib which יהוה Elohim had taken from the man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one is called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of man.” For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, yet they were not ashamed.“
Genesis 2:15-25 (TS2009)
The Ezer
I LOVED Matthew Janzen’s explanation of the word “helper” or “help meet” in verses 18 and 20. Let’s see if I can do him justice.
The Hebrew word “ezer” (Strongs H5827) carries the meaning of help or succor. I was not previously aware of this English word “succor”, however it has a very bold meaning. According to the Mirriam Webster dictionary, succor means: “relief, aid, help, something that furnishes relief, to go to the aid of, relieve.” The English “succor” is derivative of the Latin “succurrere” which means “to run to the rescue”.
The word “ezer” is not only used for a woman. It is also a term used for military assistance and in reference to Yahweh, Himself, as our help in times of need (Deuteronomy 33:29).
So, by definition of Hebrew, English and Latin, the woman was created to be a saving arm for Adam. This says a lot about Adam’s dire need for her.
In another sense, Eve filled up where Adam was lacking.
It is twisted to say that woman was meant to “help” Adam by being his servant. But by using this word “ezer”, Hawwah was likened to the saving help of Yahweh. Certainly, Yah would not use a word that describes Himself in conjunction with a being He created as a slave or lesser being.
Bone of My Bones
“This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” What beautiful acceptance of the woman into Adam’s heart. He recognized without hesitation that this being was his absolute soulmate.
The Hebrew word for woman is “isha” which is, in fact, clearly derivative of the word “ish” which means man. Man is part of woman just as much as woman is part of man. The two cannot live apart from each other. In fact, in both languages, the word “man” itself is in the word “woman”. They cannot be separated.
When a man and a woman are married, it is said that they become “one flesh”. This is not just allegory. When Yahweh created woman from man, they were once a part of one being, and then became two separate beings. When the man and woman join in the marriage bed, they become one flesh again. I believe this conjunction becomes present with the blood of the first marital intercourse. The blood mixes, not only to join the two together, but to seal the covenant; as in biblical times, blood was a key part of making covenants and, more specifically, everlasting covenants.
But Didn’t Eve Eat the Fruit?
Yes, yes she did. But did you read the part about Adam?
Let‘s look at the story of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil again.
And out of the ground Yahweh Elohim created every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight sand good for food, with the tree of life in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:9
And Yahweh Elohim commanded the man, saying, “eat of every tree of the garden, but do no teat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall certainly die.” - Genesis 2:16-17
1 And the nahash was more crafty than all the lives of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made, and he said to the woman, “Is it true that Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’? 2 And the woman said to the nahash, “we are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but of the treee which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’” 4 And the nahash said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die. 5 For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” 6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave it to her husband with her, and she ate. - Genesis 3:1-6
Did you catch it?
Why does the Bible always attribute the sin in the garden to Adam? It was Eve who started it… or did she?
Adam was right there with her! Verse 6 says, “And she also gave it to her husband with her.” Adam was right there next to her: not only eating the fruit, but allowing the nahash (serpent) to deceive her.
Eve was in the wrong for not only eating the fruit, but also for changing Yahweh’s words. Did you notice that? Yah never said that they couldn’t touch the fruit, He just said that they couldn’t eat of it. Eve was the one enticed and manipulated and who ultimately reached out for the forbidden fruit. She was sinning. She broke the only command that Yah had given them in His perfect garden.
But Adam could have stopped her.
This is why the responsibility for the sin being in the world is on Adam’s shoulders. He was responsible for every living thing in the garden, and that included his counterpart, Hawwah. Yet he stood by and watched as she ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil and even partook in the rebellion.
“… and he does rule over you.”
Oof. I hate this verse because it is so manipulated! But here it is.
To the woman He said, “I greatly increase your sorrow and your conception - bring forth children in pain. And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.” - Genesis 3:16
Haha, another 3:16 verse that is cherry picked and redefined. (I find these often)
Okay. Let’s break this down, shall we?
With a first glance at Blue Letter Bible, there is actually nothing on the phrase “over you” in Hebrew! It wasn’t there to begin with. The phrase “rule over you” was added later by translators to push a narrative.
“Your desire” is the Hebrew word “teshukah” which means desire, longing, craving. It is an intense desire of a woman for a man or vise verse. So Yahweh told Hawwah that she would have this strong desire for her husband, but…
“He does rule”. What does this mean? The Hebrew “mashal” means to rule, have dominion, reign. But it also means to cause to rule or to exercise dominion.
Hawwah would have a strong desire towards Adam, but Adam would exercise dominion. And not only over her, since that part wasn’t in the original text. Adam would exercise dominion over the world!
What a prophetic statement. This is exactly the dynamic we see in EVERY SINGLE CULTURE in the world today! Coincidence? I think not. Not only do men generally exercise power over women in their marriage and in the church; but men have also been the leading force behind dominion over the nations. And women, up until recent years, have not been allowed to have the same or similar authority. Not in marriage and not in society.
That issue still isn’t and won’t be resolved by merely switching men and women’s roles.
The fact that Yahweh lists this dynamic as a consequence of Adam and Hawwah’s sin, means that this was NOT the intended model of creation. Husbands and wives were meant to be equals; neither ruling over the other.
So What Was The Intended Creation?
Yahweh created Hawwah to be Adam’s strength in weakness. To come to his rescue and be his leaning pillar of support. She was created to help him; to split the load of work in the garden and to be able to do what Adam could not do by himself.
She was also created for Adam to love and protect. To guide her in Yahweh’s Words and protect her from the serpent.
Adam was not meant to rule over Eve; to exert authority over her. In fact, Hawwah must have had great strength, herself, being an ezer.
Adam needed Hawwah. He could not do it all by himself. Hawwah was created to compliment Adam and be his companion. They were created as an equally valued creation.
Men and women need each other to make it in this world. Each one’s strengths and weaknesses complement the other to form a complete and functional place in creation. If men and women don’t work together, in society and in marriage, that is when we see divorce, civil distress and war. As long as we are trying to rule over each other we will never have lasting marriages. We will never create a peaceful environment. And we will never see Yahweh.
Message of the Day
To the women: Embrace who you are as a woman. Don’t let societal norms dictate who you were created to be. You were created with a purpose and a for good reason. You are essential to make creation function properly.
To the men: love your wives as Messiah loved his followers. (Ephesians 5:25-31) By guidance and example, show your wife the love of Yahweh. Respect your wife, and all women, because Yahweh created them with intention.
Much love,
-Alexis
