The Essence of Motherhood

“Then the Man said,

‘This one at last

Is bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh.

This one shall be called Woman, 

For from a Man was she taken.’” 

Beresheet 2:23

Adam HaRishon was created on the sixth day, after the world and all its animal life and vegetation had already been put into place. He was brought forth into a ready made world and given the divine task of naming the creations around him. In Lashon HaKodesh, the Holy Tongue, he named the birds, “birds,” the lions, “lions,” and so forth. Through each naming, Adam infused holiness within, and defined the essence of, each of G-d’s creations, articulating each one’s unique potential.

G-d then brought forth a partner for Adam whom he was once again tasked with naming. Adam called her “isha” for she was from a part of him, ish. The isha, woman, was a partner to Adam, and their names reflected this. She was an extension of him; they were parts of a whole with one identity. 

Adam and the woman ate of the forbidden fruit, their knowledge was blurred and they were unable to distinguish between good and evil. The woman, now a separate entity from Adam with her own mind, was named on an individual level to reflect this change. 

“The Man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.” 

Beresheet 3:20

Adam, once again, named her for her essence, as someone separate from him with her own potential and purpose in the world. He named her Hava, as she was to be the mother of all living, speaking beings. At this point, Hava was mother to none, for she had not yet borne any children. Despite her involvement with the sin, Adam recognized her potential to give life and through her name, he encouraged her to fulfill her purpose. Adam understood the process of procreation and from whom humanity would ultimately come. 

“Now the Man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have gained a person with the help of G-d.’”

Beresheet 4:1

Adam and Hava birthed a son. This time, however, it was Hava who accepted the responsibility of naming him. In her first act of parenting, Hava endowed her child with his potential and defined his nature. It was she who would guide him into being who he would be. Not naming her second son, Hevel, Hava rectified this through the naming of her third son, Shet.

“Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Shet, meaning, ‘G-d has provided me with another offspring in place of Hevel,’ for Cain had killed him.”

Beresheet 4:25

Apart from naming her children, the Torah makes no mention of Hava interacting with her sons, which begs the question .. as the primordial mother of all living beings, as the first in the world to bear children, to earn the title mother, what are we to learn from Hava?

More simply, what is the essence of motherhood?

At her core, a mother is a partner in the bringing forth of life. A woman takes the seed of her husband, the potential for life, and actualizes this potential into something substantive. Her body nourishes and homes this unborn child until it is ready for its next stage, for birth. She gains the title mother and, once earned, is hers until the end of days. 

As with the womb, women structure the home and nurture those within, enabling the blossoming of those within. We take the child, the seed, and care for it, embracing it. We tend to our child’s needs, feeding and clothing and bathing him, committing ourselves to this daily. We continually give life.

A mother helps to define the essence of a child's soul. We endow him with spirituality to express his potential. A mother has an innate connection to her child’s soul; devoting herself to understanding the distinct spirit of each child and what each needs. This is what enables us to encourage a child to his unique possibilities. When a mother names a child it is an expression Ruah HaKodesh, an inspiration from the spirit of G-d. 

Adam articulated women's ability to shape life, and it was Hava who brought the child to fruition. Hava received her own identity, one of the giving of life, continuing the lineage of G-d, both physically and spiritually. 

Who is a mother? 

A mother is one who nourishes life.

A mother is one who bestows an identity.

A mother is one who nurtures souls.

At her core, a mother is she who brings forth life.