“From the beginning, Genesis teaches us how to be human together. One of the first things we notice in the story of man and woman is the reason given for Eve’s creation. The verse tells us that her mission is to be an ezer k’negdo—literally, a helper against him. Ezer means ‘helper,’ k’negdo means ‘against him.’ Why against him? The rabbinic commentators tell us that this teaches us a model of friendly antagonism, one in which, in order to support you, I challenge you. My intentions are for the sake of our friendship, so that your thinking is clarified, your ideas refined within the bounds of
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