The Chronicles of Jerahmeel

1 On the sixth day God brought forth from the earth all kinds of animals, male and female, and the Behemoth that lies on a thousand hills, from which it obtains its food every day. In the night, the food grows back again as if the hills had not been touched, as it is said, "Its food is from the produce of the mountains, and it drinks from the waters of the Jordan," for the waters of the Jordan encompass all the land of Israel, one half of which is above, and the other half below the earth, as it is said, "He can draw up the Jordan in his mouth." The Behemoth is preserved for the day it will be brought as a sacrifice at the great banquet for the righteous, as it is said, "Its Maker will approach it with His sword." 2 Everything in the world was originally created before Adam, who was created last, on the sixth day, on the eve of the Sabbath, so that people could not say that God had a helper in the work of creation. 3 When God wished to create the world, He called the company of angels under Michael and said to them, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness." They replied, "What is man, that You should remember him, and the son of man, that You should think of him?" At that, God stretched out His little finger among them and destroyed them, so that Michael alone was left. 4 God then called the company of angels under Gabriel and said, "Let us make man in our image." They also replied, "What is man, that You should remember him?" Again, God stretched out His finger and destroyed them. 5 Then God called Boël and his company and said, "Let us make man in our image." Boël said to his associates, "See what happened to those who said, 'What is man that You should remember him?' They were all destroyed. If we say the same, He will destroy us too. In the end, He will do His will anyway. It is better if we comply with His wish." They immediately answered, "Lord of the world, it is good that You have decided to create man. Do as You will, and we will act as attendants and servants to him and reveal all our secrets to him." 6 God said to Boël, "From this day forward, your name shall not be Boël but Raphael, because through your counsel you have saved all your host from being consumed like the others." 7 God then called Gabriel and said, "Go and bring Me dust from the four corners of the earth, and I will create man from it."⁠a Gabriel went to gather the dust, but the earth drove him away and would not allow him to take any. Gabriel said, "Why, O earth, do you not listen to the voice of your Lord, who founded you upon the waters without props or pillars?" The earth answered, "I am destined to become cursed through man, and if God Himself does not take dust from me, no one else will either." 8 When God saw this, He stretched out His hand, took some dust, and created the first man on the sixth day. God created the body of man with four colors: white, black, red, and green. The bones and sinews are white, the intestines black, the blood red, and the skin greenish (livid). When the soul departs from the body, it immediately becomes livid. 9 The Torah then said to God, "Lord of the universe, this man You have created will be short-lived and will sin before You. What will happen to him?" God replied, "Is it for nothing that I am called slow to anger, abundant in mercy and truth? If he returns to Me in repentance, I will pardon him." The Torah said, "If so, do Your will." 10 Why did God create man from the dust of the four corners of the earth and not just from one place? Because man travels across all the earth, and when he dies, the earth should not be able to say, "You were not made from me; go back to where you were made and be buried there." Thus, wherever a person dies, there they shall rest. God created man poor and from dust, and to dust he shall return; therefore, dust was taken from the four corners of the earth. 11 There are twelve hours in the day: In the first hour, He gathered the dust. In the second, He shaped it. In the third, He formed it into the shape of a man. In the fourth, He thrust the soul into it. In the fifth, the man stood on his legs. In the sixth, he named all the birds and animals. In the seventh, Eve was joined to him. In the eighth, they produced two children. In the ninth, they were commanded concerning the trees. In the tenth, he transgressed the command. In the eleventh, he was judged. In the twelfth, he was driven out, as it is said, "And He drove Adam out of the Garden of Eden." 12 God kneaded and shaped the dust for man in a pure place, covering it with skin and sinews and giving it human form, but it had no breath or soul yet. What did God do? He breathed the breath of life into him, as it is said, "And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." Adam stood up, looked above and below, saw all the creatures God had made, and was filled with wonder. He began to extol and praise his Creator, saying, "How great are Your works, O Lord!" 13 Adam stood on his feet, in the likeness of God. His height extended from east to west, as it is said, "Behind and before You have formed me." "Behind" means west, and "before" means east. All the creatures saw him and were afraid, thinking he was their creator, and they prostrated themselves before him. Adam said to the animals, "Why do you bow before me? Come, let us all go and crown the One who created us with majesty and strength and make Him our King. If the people do not honor the King, He honors Himself; if they do not praise Him, He ensures that He is praised." As soon as Adam spoke, all creatures agreed and crowned their Creator as King, saying, "The Lord the King is clothed with majesty." 14 Adam walked about the Garden of Eden like one of the ministering angels. God said, "Just as I am alone in My world, so is Adam. Just as I have no companion, neither does Adam. Tomorrow the creatures might say, 'He does not reproduce; he must be our creator.' It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helpmate for him." 15 When the earth heard the word "helpmate," it shook and trembled and said to its Creator, "Lord of the world, I cannot provide for all of mankind." God replied, "I will feed all mankind." God made a covenant with the earth and created the sleep of life. When a person lies down to sleep, they are fed, strengthened, and refreshed. This is the healing and feeding God provides, as it is said, "Then I slept, and then I was refreshed." God also waters the earth so it yields its fruits as food for all creatures, yet man still obtains food through toil and hardship. 16 God had pity on Adam. To spare him pain, God caused a deep sleep to fall on him. During this time, God took a bone from his ribs and flesh from his heart, and from it made a helpmate, placing her before him. When Adam awoke and saw her standing there, he said, "This is woman, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." 17 While he was still alone, he was called Adam. Rabbi Joshua ben Qorḥa said his name was Adam because he was made from flesh and blood. God said, "You are Adam." But when a helpmate was made for him, he was called Living Being — meaning Fiery Being. God added two letters from His own Name to theirs, making the name of man איש (Ish) and the name of woman אשה (Ishah). He said, "If they walk in My ways and observe My commandments, My name will abide with them and protect them. But if not, I will remove My name, and they will become אש (fire) — fire consuming fire."