Beselem Elokhim: In G-d’s Image

In Sefer Bereshit, Perek Alef, Pasuk 27 we are told that G-d created mankind  (male and female) בצלמו, in His image. It has always struck me as something that I wanted to explore further to try and understand what it means to be created in G-d’s image. After all, we are not G-d like. We are human beings and imperfect. We make mistakes. Isn’t that what we’ve always been told? So what, then, does the Torah mean when it says mankind was created “בצלם אלוקים,” in G-d’s likeness or image? 

To try and understand this, it is first important to research more about G-d’s essence and His relationship with our world. To do that we go back to the Torah, to the very first time G-d is mentioned. This is in the very first pasuk of the Torah, Sefer Bereshit Pasuk Alef. It says “בראשית ברא אלוקים את השמים ואת הארץ”. Translated it means, “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.” The very first thing we learn about G-d is that He is The Creator. 

So what does that mean for us? Are we creators too? I believe we are, and that being a creator is our main purpose on this earth. What does that mean exactly? What if a person is not creative? Do we all need to be musicians and artists? Does this mean a person who is not creative is not G-dly? 

I think that being creative is not always what we think of in the traditional sense. In an article in Psychology Today titled “The Creative Personality” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes “Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals.” With this understanding, I believe we can all be creative, and thus G-dly, in every aspect of our lives. We are constantly creating by developing relationships, raising our families, starting a job or a business, creating friendships, creating the right atmosphere in our homes, creating calm in our body and soul… the applications are endless. The manner in which we create, by best using the abilities that G-d has gifted us, determines our degree of Selem Elokhim. 

With that being said I’d like to ask another question, “Is being a creator enough?” Sometimes we create situations that are not in line with our goals. What then? For this, let's go back to the Torah and research further about G-d and His creativity. In Sefer Bereshit, Perek Alef, Pasuk 4 “...וירא אלוקים את האור כי טוב ויבדל אלוקים בין האור ובין החשך” on the first day after G-d created the heaven and the earth and after He created the light, G-d pauses to observe the light. He comments about the light that it is good and then continues to separate the light from the darkness. 

I think what is important to understand from this is that being a creator has a second component. It’s important to pause or stop along the way to reflect on what we are doing. Oftentimes we set ourselves goals and we do everything and anything we can to achieve them, and that’s good, but it's equally as important to pause and make sure at some point that we haven’t lost our way. 

As husbands, wives, parents, sons and daughters, siblings and friends, as employers or employees, in all aspects of our lives we set our goals and then work towards them. At some point we may feel that we are no longer working towards the goal that we set out to accomplish. It happens all the time. You start a job and then you no longer feel fulfilled or the project that you are working on is not what you originally had in mind. You’re raising your family but the same approach doesn’t work for every child. You realize that a relationship with a family member or friend is not what it should be, or you are not getting what you want or need out of a relationship. 

I think as human beings, created in G-d’s image, we have a responsibility not only to use our creative abilities as best we can but to also stop and reflect on what we are creating and what we may be contributing and, in a broader sense, what our legacy will be. We need to make sure that we are either staying the path that we set out on or change the course if the path no longer leads to our goal. In this way, our creativity will be G-dly. 

I believe that using our creativity to establish and meet our goals, as well as reflecting upon them to make sure we are accomplishing what we set out to do will, inevitably, be how we as humans are most fulfilled.

 Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. “The Creative Personality.” Psychology Today, n.d.