It is known from the bible and from other records that Adam rejected his first female companion as she was too independent. Therefore, God gave him a new partner made from Adam’s own rib so that she would be devoted to him and that harmony between the sexes and people would be created. It could easily have been the other way around, with man being made from Lilith’s rib; however – this is my interpretation – woman was already invested with the power to bear and nurture children, and was as such already stronger than man, so that this was perhaps a kind of compensation. [As a part of his body, she became dependent upon him.]
Religious Jewish men still thank their God every day (often repeatedly) that they do not have to be a woman. Are women as dependent as the Bible says they are? I think if women were to answer truthfully, most of them would affirm this. When a woman loves with all her heart, her body becomes dependent upon that of her partner, her partner becomes part of her, and the loved one the centre of the world. Woman’s highest pleasure is in the total devotion to her lover and the lover’s devoted act of love, a prolonged and extensive act for the benefit of both partners and the happiness of the woman. Greatest freedom and comprehensive mutual trust are the prerequisites for this act. As long as her love and happiness are not overshadowed and her lover or other events do not destroy her trust, all her fibres, her cells, every drop of her blood will belong to her lover. She will be a part of him – or her, if two women love each other. That is the essence of female love.
The freedom-loving Lilith, the predecessor of this Eve-love, was banished to the past, and woman’s relinquishing of her freedom has never been accorded due recognition. This must change in order to reach peace between the sexes and in the world. It is time for men to recognize the high level of responsibility they have towards women. They determine the happiness, health, and well-being of women. It is their duty to devote their actions and the fruits of their labours to the benefit of women, instead of squandering it on destructive male games.
Respect for womankind automatically includes respecting nature, its beauty, harmony, and sensuousness/sensuality. What happiness would be possible if men were to put their efforts into the conservation and care of nature and, together with women, were to deepen their understanding of natural laws and the harmony of the whole, for the good of the present and the future.
[Text by Marion Schneider]