And so the Lord God sent a deep sleep upon Adam. And when he was fast asleep, He took one of his ribs, and He completed it with flesh for it. (Gen 2:21)
וַיַּפֵּל֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה עַל־הָאָדָ֖ם וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה׃
καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Αδαμ, καὶ ὕπνωσεν· καὶ ἔλαβεν μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσεν σάρκα ἀντʼ αὐτῆς.
Immisit ergo Dominus Deus soporem in Adam. Cumque obdormisset, tulit unam de costis eius et replevit carnem pro ea;
For the first time in the Hebrew Bible, sleep is mentioned. Adam’s first sleep was almost as deep as death. Outside his consciousness, God created the first woman. The Septuagint conveyed the meaning of this dream through the word “ekstasis”. From this sleep, Adam awakens to a new life, because from then on he enters into a relationship that is only now mutual.
Based on the second description of the creation of man, we can discover the subsequent stages of Adam’s “awakening”. First, his practical mind awakens — he cultivates and looks after the Garden of Eden. Then his cognitive intellect awakens — he creates the first concept, that is, names creatures. Finally, Adam awakens to a relationship from the deepest sleep. Only now is he fully who God intended him to be. Looking at the woman, he sees something of himself in her, and at the same time, he experiences delight when she becomes the companion of his life, which God brought out of loneliness.
Later deep sleep took hold of Abraham, Jacob, Samuel, and St. Joseph. After awakening, everyone received a new impulse to live in a community with God and people.
