Chronology of Man's Creation

Rosh haShana is the anniversary of the creation of man Zohar 1:37

The Talmud [Sanhedrin 38b] presents an intriguing chronology of Adam’s first twelve hours:

Rav Aḥa, son of Rabbi Ḥanina says: the day (of Adam’s creation) was twelve hours long.

The first hour, his dust was gathered (from all over the earth).

The second hour, he was given gross shape.

The third, his limbs were stretched.

The fourth, a soul was cast into him.

The fifth he stood on his legs.

The sixth, he named the animals.

The seventh he mated with Eve.

The eighth he bore two children (Cain and a twin sister).

The ninth, he was commanded not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.

The tenth he sinned.

The eleventh he was judged.

The twelfth he was sent out (of Eden).

Maharal of Prague offers a fascinating elucidation of the above Aggada, in which he suggests that Rav Aḥa’s comments are a continuation of the previous Talmudic comment, which refers to Adam as the epitome of God’s creation. As such, Rav Aḥa asserts, God devoted the entire sixth day to Adam’s creation, because to have devoted anything less to Adam’s creation, would indicate that there was something incomplete about him.

With this as his basic premise, Rav Aḥa describes Adam’s creation in developmental stages. Obviously, the first stage must be having the necessary raw material, which God gathered during the first hour of the sixth day of creation.

In the second hour, the Creator prepared the raw material for its formation into man. But at this point, Adam is no better than inanimate objects, he is not yet above a rock.

The third hour, Adam’s limbs were stretched, that is, he was given the strength to grow, achieving a living developmental stage the equal of a plant’s.

In the fourth hour, although Adam was animated when given a soul, he was not yet man. At this stage he has merely equaled the animals.

In the fifth hour, Adam asserted his mastery over the animals. Maharal notes that although other animals walk bent over, as a servant in the presence of his king, only man stands upright as a king in the presence of his servants. Thus, in the fifth hour, Rav Acha is stating that he indeed became the king of God’s creation.

In the sixth hour, although Adam achieved true human status by his mastery of the ability, unique to man among the animals, to speak and to think, enabling him to name the animals, he was a lone individual, and therefore incomplete.

In the seventh hour, Adam reached his completion through Eve.

In the eighth hour Adam and Eve bore children, going beyond themselves. They now reached the level of Mankind.

The ninth hour brought God’s first command, which put Adam in his place. While he is master of the earth, he still must accept the yoke of heaven and understand that God is his master.

In the tenth hour, Adam demonstrated that he is truly human by using his free will to disregard God’s command.

The eleventh hour brought Divine judgment, the inevitable result of man’s choosing to sin.

In the twelfth hour, Adam received his punishment and left Eden, having failed to realize his potential. Yet because Adam had begun the process of teshuva (repentance), he still has the possibility of realizing his potential.

Maharal’s analysis of this aggada indicates that sin, Divine judgment, punishment and repentance are all part of man’s development.

Indeed, our Sages taught that teshuva, along with Torah, is one of the things created before the world. God prepared those things necessary for the world’s existence before He actually created the world. Since “There is not a righteous man upon earth, who does good and sins not,” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) without teshuva, the world could not continue to exist.