The Deep Sleep of Adam

 In the narrative of the Story of Creation, there are so many deep ideas, cryptic details, each one a world of its own. One of these fascinating points is the account of the creation of Chava, the first woman. Originally Adam, the collective consciousness of humanity is created complete, with both masculine and feminine energies within one being. 

The ideal, just like the supernal light created on the first day, represents a flash of inspiration, a glimpse into the next worldly state of perfection and unity. But just as that primordial light was hidden away, so too humanity would have to be separated into the male and female metaconsciousness, and given the challenge of achieving unity on their own. 

But if we take a look at the Passuk that introduces this concept in Genesis 2:21 some interesting details and questions emerge:

וַיַּפֵּל֩ יהוה אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה עַל־הָאָדָ֖ם וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה

So God יהוה cast a deep sleep upon the Human; and, while he slept, [God] took one of his sides and closed up the flesh at that site. 

Before Hashem could remove part of Adam’s body to create Chava, he needed to put Adam to sleep. But not just any sleep. A very deep sleep. A Tardeima sleep.  A sleep that is referenced only one other time in the Chumash with the story of Avraham at the Bris Bein Habesarim in Genesis 15:12:

וַיְהִי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לָבוֹא, וְתַרְדֵּמָה נָפְלָה עַל אַבְרָם; וְהִנֵּה אֵימָה חֲשֵׁכָה גְּדֹלָה נֹפֶלֶת עָלָיו

And it came to pass, that when the sun was going down, a deep sleep (tardemah) fell upon Abram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him.

Was Hashem performing surgery on Adam Harishon that he could not manage without general anesthetic? What is the connection between the sleep of Avraham and Adam? What does all of this have to do with the separation of gender? And what might this teach us about the deeper nature of sleep and Avodas Hashem?

Let’s start off with an intriguing comment of the Arizal in a number of places in the Kisvei Ari. He mentions that Tardeima, this deep sleep of our Passuk, has the same numerical equivalent of Targum, translation. Rebbi Nachman of Breslov in Lekutei Moharan elaborates on this idea and suggests that going into Galus is not happenstance or mere punishment. 

The deep Avodah of Galus is Klal Yisrael being sent into the darkness to be able to reveal hidden light, reveal the depth of the soul of converts and bring the entire universe to its final Tikkun. 

In other words, the translation of the Torah into Targum (and all 70 languages as well) was not just a convenience for exiled Jews who no longer spoke Hebrew. It was a deep revelation of Nishmas Yisrael that could only achieve its greatness after passing through the test of exile. 

Rav Kook in Orot Hatechya 5:8 furthers this allusion by comparing Klal Yisrael in Galus sleeping with the sleep of Tardeima, just like Adam Harishon. But every sleep is followed by an awakening, more refreshed and alive. And, says Rav Kook, Klal Yisrael’s return from Galus to Eretz Yisrael is the greatest reawakening that humanity has ever seen. 

With this in mind, we can understand the Tardeima cast over Avraham Avinu at the Bris Bein Habesarim. This prophetic event showed him the future Galus of the Jewish people, with all of the pain, confusion and suffering. This was the darkness that was cast over him. But it was much more than grim predictions. 

In order for Avraham to fully grasp his people in exile, he himself needed to go into Tardeima, the deep sleep of exile and understand that as challenging as it was, the sleep will be met with an awakening, a new light will shine once again, but this time far brighter than ever before. 

And perhaps based upon this understanding, we can begin to fathom why Hashem cast Adam Harishon into Tardeima upon the creation of Chava. The Talmud in Sotah 17a says that man carries the divine letter of the Yud while woman carries the Hey. The man’s Yud represents spiritual perfection, theoretical Divine knowledge sitting aloof from the physical world. On the other hand, the woman’s Hey represents a Divine flow that connects very much to this world, bridging Heaven and Earth. 

This cosmic separation between these two letters of Hashem now being manifest separately in man and woman was a Galus of sorts. By getting married, man might have to leave the spiritual cocoon of the Beis Midrash, learn to relate to someone completely different, father children and support a family. But says Hashem, to prepare for this Avodah, you need to go into Tardeima first. 

You need to tap into that recognition that sleep is a healthy, important part of the process. While to the outsider, sleep might seem like a waste of time, a distance from Hashem and to be minimized at all costs, the world of Chassidus explains that sleep, with the self nullification and deveikus that can be achieved is as much part of Avodas Hashem as davening and learning.

Man was not created to live alone in the ivory tower of his Yud. He was challenged to enter her world, the world of the Hey, uniting Kudsha Brich Hu and Shechintei. On a practical level, where he feels that he is as much with Hashem in the Beis Midrash as he his running carpool and changing diapers. Where he can feel just as connected to Hashem when he says Krias Shema in the morning as he does when he says Krias Shema Al Mitah when going to sleep. 

And when he, and all of Klal Yisrael understand that the long, difficult journey is Galus is only so dark so we can appreciate the brilliant light of Geula at the end of the tunnel. Hashem planted the seeds of Jewish destiny right in the opening Passukim. We might just need a good night’s sleep to look at our Torah with fresh eyes of redemption.