כבר חשבו
*בני אדם כי "צלם" בלשון העברי מורה על תבנית 2 הדבר ותוארו, 3 והביאם הדבר לידי הגשמה מוחלטת. לפי שנאמר נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו 4, וחשבו *1 כי ה' כצורת אדם, כלומר: תבניתו ותארו, וחייבו 5 הגשמה מוחלטת והאמינו בכך, ונראה להם שאם יעזבו דעה זו יכחישו את הכתוב, ואף יהיה בכך העדר האלוה אם לא יהיה גוף בעל פנים ויד כמותם בתבנית ובתואר, אלא שהוא יותר גדול ובהיר לפי דמיונם 6, וגם החומר שלו אינו דם ובשר 7. זהו תכלית מה שנראה להם שהוא רוממות ביחס לה'.
אבל מה שצריך להיאמר בשלילת הגשמות וקביעת האחדות האמיתית, אשר אין לה אמיתות כי אם בהרחקת הגשמות תדע הוכחת כל זה מן המאמר הזה 8, ואין ההערה כאן בפרק זה אלא על ביאור עניין צלם ודמות.
Who in fact is it that is preoccupied with such distinctions as between tzelem and tzura, and why?
16 comments:
I humbly suggest: "model" as the English translation.
From Dictionary.com:
1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison.
2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
3. an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.
I suggest "essence" as a translation for the word tzelem. That seems to be the way Rabeinu is describing it in the first chapter. It's also a word that we use often and I sense examples will be pleniful and rich.
Though "essence", "form" and "model" are all closely related I prefer "model".
The connotation of "essence" is something inherent in a thing.
"Model" or "form" points to something beyond.
That's why I prefer "model" - it is close in connotation to "tzelem".
"Model" also has a 2nd meaning. It's used in math and sciences as a simplified representation of [the relevant] parts of the problem.
It therefore has better connotations for a usage like "Tzelem E-lokim" than does "form" or "image".
Notice also that a "tzel", a shadow, is a 2D, flattened representation of a far richer object.
I'm with Yehuda.
-micha
Micha,
I also was thinking about the scientific definition:
model
A systematic description of an object or phenomenon that shares important characteristics with the object or phenomenon. Scientific models can be material, visual, mathematical, or computational and are often used in the construction of scientific theories. See also hypothesis, theory.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
ירמיהו יח, ב-ו
ב קוּם וְיָרַדְתָּ, בֵּית הַיּוֹצֵר; וְשָׁמָּה, אַשְׁמִיעֲךָ אֶת-דְּבָרָי. ג וָאֵרֵד, בֵּית הַיּוֹצֵר; והנהו (וְהִנֵּה-הוּא) עֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה, עַל-הָאָבְנָיִם. ד וְנִשְׁחַת הַכְּלִי, אֲשֶׁר הוּא עֹשֶׂה בַּחֹמֶר--בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר; וְשָׁב, וַיַּעֲשֵׂהוּ כְּלִי אַחֵר, כַּאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינֵי הַיּוֹצֵר, לַעֲשׂוֹת.
ה וַיְהִי דְבַר-ה', אֵלַי לֵאמוֹר. ו הֲכַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה לֹא-אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת לָכֶם, בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל--נְאֻם-ה'; הִנֵּה כַחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר, כֵּן-אַתֶּם בְּיָדִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Main Entry: prin·ci·ple
Pronunciation: \ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəl, -sə-bəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French principe, principle, from Old French, from Latin principium beginning, from princip-, princeps initiator — more at prince
Date: 14th century
1 a : a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption b (1) : a rule or code of conduct (2) : habitual devotion to right principles a man of principle c : the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device
2 : a primary source : origin
3 a : an underlying faculty or endowment b : an ingredient (as a chemical) that exhibits or imparts a characteristic quality
I hope to discuss the various suggestions tomorrow. Please feel free to react to my suggestion of "principle" so that I will be in the position to summarize our intuitions and move on to literary intuition as in Hagyan's suggestion and examples.
Principle just doesn't work for me. "in His principle and His likeness"? sounds too strange. "model" also shares many of the different senses as "tzelem". You can't make a principle of "t'chorim".
In His principle, hmmm.
Rabbi Sacks,
Re: "I hope to discuss the various suggestions tomorrow. ..."
Please include in your discussion how I should judge whether I have "actualized" this "step"; i.e., whether I should tell you: "Hold your horses! We have more work to do before we proceed."
Thanks.
1. My mother language is American secular English. Among my acquired languages are several American Orthodox Jewish Englishes, several American scientists' Englishes, and several Hebrews.
2. For me today, the term 'צלם' does not "resonate" with any "translation" found in any of my Englishes. On the contrary: it "anti-resonates", comprehensively. I have spent several hours verifying that this is so.
3. In fact, I cannot recall a time when the term 'צלם' ever "resonated" with any "translation" from among any of my Englishes.
4. These logical observations correspond to the alienation I have experienced for many decades among the communities who speak these various Englishes.
I am a late commer but I suggest "quality".
It qualifies God as God and man as man. Man has similar qualities to God.
תהיה הכוונה במלה זאת לצורת המין, אשר היא ההשׂגה השׂכלית, ולא לתבנית ולמִתאר.
and
ומכיוון שהאדם נתייחד בעניין מופלא16 מאוד שבו, אשר איננו באף אחד מן הנמצאים שמתחת לגלגל הירח17, והוא ההשׂגה השׂכלית, ששום חוש, איבר או צלע אינם מפעילים אותה, דימה אותה להשׂגת האלוה אשר איננה נזקקת לכלי, אף כי לא דַמְיוּת באמת, אלא לכאורה18.
Reb David
Quality? Isn't that an accident? How can we speak of Tzelem being an accident?
A quality (from Latin qualitas[1]) is an attribute or a property. (wikipedia)
I see Tzelem Elokim in the sense of property of a human being.
(I posted on the wrong post)
Reb David
As I try to show in the post on dogs, property is a material condition which necessarily results from or points to tzelem, it is not tzelem. It is a property of dogs that they can procreate with wolves for example.This would seem to be what toar is, a kind of word never, for obvious reasons, attributed to God.
Tzelem refers, not to the material character of a thing, but rather its theoretical ideational character as in living.
Can you clarify why you think of Tzelem in material terms of property, rather than formal terms of principle?
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