and they shall become one flesh Genesis 2:24

Flesh – Sex is a meaningful deed.  So says Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.  What he means is that sex is not like other deeds.  Sex is “one of those things that make a complete world.”  It is a drive that has meaning in itself, not derived from its results.  Sex is capable of taking us places where we may not be prepared to go.  So, when the Genesis account of marriage implies that sex is part of the reunion process, it casts a spell around this deed – a spell that contains some mystery and some warning.  Since sex is intimately connected to the power to create, this meaningful deed creates an entity that is somehow related to the desire for unity.  Here we have a hint about the divine image.  God is one.  His unity is unique.  But His image is stamped into our very being and with that stamp comes the desire to be one.  Male and female complete something of this unity in the meaningful deed of sex.

But that’s not all.  The Hebrew word for flesh is basar.  The intentional reunification and harmony implied in this verse goes far beyond the physical act of sex.  We see a hint at the deeper meanings here when we consider the Hebrew homophone of basar (flesh).  Genesis 2:24 tells us that the objective of reunion is to become “one flesh.”  Too often we think of this only in sexual terms.  But basar has a homophone which means “publish, preach, or to bring news”. Apparently, the Creator designed the human flesh for the purposes of publishing, preaching, and physically bringing His message to others.  If we thought of this only in terms of our ability to communicate with the physical world, then our message might be about God’s creative work in us.  But marriage takes this imagery one step further.  In marriage, our flesh becomes one.  In terms of proclamation, the union of husband and wife declares the unity of the one God.  Marriage is God’s unification proclamation.  It is designed to announce peace.  Marriage is supposed to be the incarnation of shalom in human form.  It is the billboard of God’s unity in the flesh.

This raises an important question.  The question is far deeper than the physical desires or needs of a married couple.  It is deeper than the unity found in physical or psychic bonding.  It is a question at the heart of what it means to be manifest in the image of God.  Unity.  Unity is Yeshua’s plea, Sha’ul’s theme and, apparently, a part of the divine design.  Unity is the opposite of being alone.  It is not merely sexual congress.  It has deeper roots.  It is a reflection of the God who is one.  How it is a reflection may take us a lifetime to understand.  Maybe longer.  But the hint is there.  Something important is happening.  Something that reaches beyond this world.

So, here’s the question.  Where’s the unity?  Where’s the reflection of God’s oneness in your one-flesh marriage?  Where are you (singular) so not-alone that you (plural) experience a hint of the divine in this meaningful deed?

Topical Index:  sex, flesh, basar, proclamation, Genesis 2:24, Steinsaltz

NOTIFICATION:  Thanks to the help of my son, Michael, there are now more than 90 new articles posted to the website.  They have all been tagged for searching by verse and topics.  From the home page, you can just enter the search words and see what’s there.  These articles cover more than 5 years of writing.  I hope you enjoy them.