Lesson 4: The Extra Letter — Two Stories, One Soul

What this lesson is about

One small spelling detail in Genesis 2:7 holds a whole theory of the human being: why you can argue with yourself, and an animal cannot.

The texts

5Text 5Primary Source

Two inclinations

Berachot 61a

“And the Lord God formed (vayitzer) the man” — written with two yuds: two formations, a good inclination and an evil inclination.

Step by step

The spelling. In Genesis 2:7, “and He formed” is spelled in Hebrew with two of the letter yud. When the same verb describes the animals in 2:19 (below), it has only one.
The Talmud’s reading (Berachot 61a, below): Rav Nachman bar Rav Chisda reads the double letter as two “formations” inside the human — a good inclination and an evil inclination.
What it means. An animal has one drive. A human being is formed with two, and must choose.

6Text 6Mitzvah Movement Synthesis

“Clings”

Bereishit 2:24 · Devarim 4:4

“Therefore a man… clings to his wife.” — “And you who cling to the Lord your God are all alive today.”

Step by step

One root, two bonds. The same Hebrew root describes the closest human bond (Genesis 2:24) and the closest bond with God (Deuteronomy 4:4).
A possible teaching we can draw: learning to truly hold on to another person is training for holding on to Hashem.

Think it through

If you were formed with two inclinations, is the struggle inside you a sign that something is wrong?Think about it first — then tap for discussion notes

No — it is a sign that you are human. The extra letter is the reason you can argue with yourself. No lion ever lay awake deciding whether to be a lion. The struggle itself is where choice, and greatness, live.

Key takeaways

“Formed” in 2:7 has an extra letter; in 2:19 it does not.
Two inclinations: the human must choose (Berachot 61a).
One root for clinging to a person and to God.

Up next · Lesson 5 · SagesOne Person, a Whole WorldWhy did God begin humanity with one single person?

← Lesson 3: Two Names of God

Two inclinations

“Clings”

One Torah idea. One mitzvah. One moment of connection.