I cannot imagine that G-d is interested in man because we physically resemble Him.
The Jewish reading of the Torah is that G-d is entirely non-corporeal. The G-d of the Jews and Torah is not a man, and is not made of physical stuff. So, for example, any reference to “G-d’s Mighty Arm” is meant to be understood symbolically, not literally. We refuse to physically anthropomorphize the Creator. Unlike the Greeks, our culture does not seek to admire our bodies; instead, we admire the potential within our soul.
True, we are made “b’tzelem elokim,” in the image of G-d. But that image is not our body. Our bodies, by contrast, are from the animal world, and while we aim to elevate ourselves, it is by harnessing our minds and bodies together, fusing the body and soul in serving Hashem.
No – “in the image of G-d” must be a description of our souls – the spark of life and infinite potential that is loaned to us by our Creator. It is our souls that make us capable of improving ourselves; Jews are more likely to become intellectuals than athletes in part because of lousy genetics, but also in large part because we seek to better ourselves through our minds, the part of ourselves capable of genuinely imitating Hashem – through innovation and creation.
Which led me to musing that it boggles the mind that G-d would actually want to understand us. Why would He bother? What about our similarities, even the spiritual ones, makes G-d even remotely interested in what we think?
Could it be that G-d is directly interested in the choices that we make, and the results of those choices?
One reply on “Why is G-d Interested in Man?”
Great topic. God struggles with man as much as man struggles with God. This is a challenge to get people to do the right thing. God’s pep talk to cain is perhaps the most epic example of how humans can’t handle good advice. God is challenged by trying to get people to succeed. It is like the movie the truman show. Except, God gave truman the torah to figure things out.