Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 6.djvu/66

36 Qolem

Goliath

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

36

chende Eechtswissenschaft," viii. 406-423; "Der Chatib bei den Alten Arabern," ia " W. Z. K. M." vi. 97-102; "Der Divan des Garwal b. Aus Al- Huteja," in "Z. D. M. G." xlvi. 1-53, 173-325, 471- 527 ; xlvii. 43-85, 163-301 ; " Le Denombrement des Sectes Moliam^tanes, " in "Rev. de I'Histoire des Religions," xxvi. 139-137; "La Notion de la Saklna Chez les Moliametans," in ih. xxviii. 1-13; "Sulih b. 'Abd al-Kuddils und das Zindilcthura Wahrend der Regierung des Clialifen Al-Mahdi, " in " Transactions of tlie Congress of Oriental Languages," 1892, ii. 104-129 ; " Mohammedan Propaganda in America " (Hungarian), in "Budapesti Szemle," Ixxix. 45-60; " Sa'd b. JIansfir ibn Kammiina's Abhandlung ilber die Seele," in " Steinschneider Festschrift," pp. 110- 114; " Neue Materialien zur Litteratur des Ueber- lieferungswesens bei den Muhammedanern," in "Z. D. M. 6." 1. 465-506; "TJeber eine Formel in der Jiidischen Responsenlitteratur und in den Muham- medanischen Fetwas," in "Z. D. M. G." Ixxx. 645-653; "Die Sabbathinstitutiou im Islam," in "Kaufmann Gedenkbuch," pp. 86-103; "Proben Muhammedanischer Polemiis Gegen den Talmud," in Kobak's " Jeschurun," viii. 76, ix. 18; "Ibn Hud, the Muhammedan Mystic, and the Jews of Damas- cus," in "J. Q. R." vi. 218; "Bemerkungen zur Neuliebraischen Poesie," in ib. xiv. 719; "Sa'id b. Hasan d'Alexandrie," in "R. B. J." xxxi. 1; "Me- langes Jud^o-Arabes," in ib. xliii. 1, xliv. 63, xlv. 1, •xlvii. 41.

BiBLiORRAPiiY : Broo.khaus, KonversaUons-Lexilwn ; Meyers Kntiven^tions-Lexikon; Pierer, Universal-Lexikon ; Gu- bernatls, Dlctwnnalre International; Pallas Lex.; La Grande Encyclopedie.

s. M. Sc.

GOLEM (Clhi) ■ This word occurs only once in the Bible, in Ps. cxxxix. 16, where it means "em- bryo." In tradition everything that is in a state of incorapletion, everything not fully formed, as a needle without the eye, is designated as " golem " ("Aruch Completum,"ed. Kohut, ii. 397). A woman is golem so long as she has not conceived (Sanh. 23b; comp. Shab. 53b, 77b; Sanh. 95a; Hul. 35a; Abot v. 6; Sifre, Num. 158). God, father, and mother take part in the creation of the child : the skeleton and brain are derived from the father ; the skin and muscles from the mother; the senses from

God. God forms the child from the Embryo, seed, putting the soul into it. If the

male seed is emitted first, the child is of the male sex ; otherwise it is of the female sex (Nid. 31a). Although God impresses all men with the seal of Adam, there is no resemblance between any two of them (Sanh. 37a).

In the womb the navel is first formed, and from this roots spread out, until the child is fully devel- oped. According to anotlier opinion the head is first developed. The two eyes and the two nostrils of the embryo resemble the eyes of a fly ; the apei- ture of the mouth is like hair (or a barleycorn). R. Jonathan says: "The two arms are like two pieces of string; the other members are combined in a mass" (Yer. Nid. 50(1; comp. Nid. 35a; Sotah 45b). Women that eat much mustard give birth to glut- tonous children; those that eat many dates, to blear- eyed childi en ; those that eat much small fish, chil-

dren with unsteady eyes; those that eat clay, naughty children ; those that drink beer, dark- skinned children ; those that eat much Causes meat and drink much wine, healthy Influencing' children ; those that eat many eggs, tlie Embryo, children with large eyes ; those that eat much large fish, beautiful children; those that eat much celery or parsley, children with tine complexions; those that eat oleander, well-nour- ished children; those that eat paradise-apples, fra- grant children (Ket. 61a). The same Babylonian amora, of the fourth century, also indicates why epileptic and otherwise defective children are born (Brecher, "Das Transcendentale, Magie und JMa- gische Heilarten im Talmud, " pp. 174 et seq. ). Moral, not physical, reasons are given as the principal fac- tors in the birth of healthy or sickly children. De- cent behavior produces male children (Sheb. 18b; comp. Nid. 71a), wlio are also regularly produced under certain conditions ('Er. 100b; B. B. 10b; Nid. 31a, b). A dwarf should not marry a dwarf (Bek. 46a). Other references to the embryo are found in Nid. 15a, 17a, 31b, 37b, 38a, 45b, 66a; Bezah 7a; Bek. 44b-45a; Hul. 137a; Ned. 30a; Pes. 112a, and passim. Unfounded hatred causes abortion and the death of the child (Shab. 32b).

The imagination of the ancient Israelites fre- quently turned to the birth of the first man, who was formed of dust and not born of woman. A principal passage reads as follows : " How was Adam created? In the first hour his dust was collected; in the second his form was created ; in the thiid he became a shapeless mass [golem] ; in the fourth his members were joined; in the fifth his apertures opened; in the sixth he received his soul; in the seventh he stood up on his feet; in the eighth Eve was associated with him ; in the ninth he was trans- ferred to paradise; in the tenth heheard God'scom- mand; in the eleventh he sinned; in the twelfth he was driven from Eden, in order that Ps. xlix. 13

might be fulfilled" (Ab. R. N. ed.

Adam Sohechter, Text A, i. 5; comp. Pe&ik.

as Golem. R. ed. Friedmann, 187b, and note 7;

Kohut, in "Z. D. M. G." xxv. 13). God created Adam as a golem ; he lay supine, reach- ing from one end of the world to the other, from the earth to the firmament (Hag. 12a; comp. Gen. R. viii., xiv., and xxiv. ; Jew. Ekcyc. i. 175). the Gnostics, following Irenreus, also taught that Adam was immensely long and broad, and crawled over the earth (Hilgenfeld, "Die Jiidische Apokalyptik," p. 344; comp. Kohut, I.e. xxv. 87, note 1). All beings were created in their natural size and with their full measure of intelligence, as was Adam (R. H. 11a). According to another tradition Adam was only one hundred ells high (B. B. 75a) ; according to a Mohammedan legend, only sixty ells (Kohut, I.e. xxv. 75, note 5; the number "sixty" indicates Babylonian influence). When he hid from the face of God, six things were taken from him, one of these being his size, which, however, will be restored to him in the Messianic time (Gen. R. xii. ; Num. R. xiii. ; Kohut, I.e. xxv. 76, note 1 ; 91, note 3). Other conceptions, for instance, that Adam was created a hermaphrodite (see Andbogynos), or with two faces (D1S1Dna''l = <5iTp(iff(j7rof; Gen. R. viii. 7), be-