Adam's Animals: A read-aloud midrash
Gellman, Marc
MARC GiLUIMN: HOW DO THE JUIMALS GiT 1HDR NAMES? ADAM'S ANIMALS_ A READ-ALOUD MIDRASH FOR CHILDREN God made and named almost everything in the world. God made and named Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon,...
...He wanted the big grey tree-eating stomper so he called in a loud voice, "Hey you, come over here and move this rock...
...Suddenly the brown furry with teeth woke up, looked Adam right in the eye, and said, "Listen to me you skinny red-earth foot walker...
...Suddenly it came to him, "I will call all the animals 'Hey You.' That way when I need an animal I will only have to remember one name...
...The next day Adam needed a big rock moved out of his way...
...So Adam returned to the brown furry with teeth to think of a new plan for naming the animals...
...He plopped down on the brown furry with teeth to think of a new plan for naming the animals...
...He gave numbers to slimy swimmers, fuzzy hoppers, squeaky flyers, chirping swingers, speedy crawlers, scaly climbers, furry growlers and a bunch of others...
...Adam looked down at the brown furry with teeth and said, "You are number one...
...Suddenly, it came to him, "I will give each animal a number...
...But nothing came to him...
...When Adam heard that he could name all the animals himself he was thrilled...
...He was still not interested...
...God thought, "I will give man the responsibility of protecting and caring for all the animals...
...He is Hillel Director at Northwestern University...
...But God did not name the animals...
...The brown furry with teeth opened one eye, yawned and went back to sleep...
...God even made and named the first man Adam which means "red earth" because God had made the first man out of red earth...
...With all of your plans you never once asked us what we would like to be named...
...Around late afternoon, somewhere between the numbering of the tiny diggers and the soft woodeaters, Adam lost count...
...God made and named Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, Oceans, Plants—almost everything...
...The brown furry with teeth opened one eye, yawned, and went back to sleep...
...But instead of the big grey tree-eating stomper, a small chirping swinger showed up who was too small to move the rock...
...Adam spent the rest of that day giving numbers to the animals...
...He ran right over to a brown furry with teeth who was sleeping under a tree and screamed, "I am going to name you...
...So Adam asked the animals what they wanted to be called...
...Marc Gellman's contemporary midrashim/or children appear regularly in moment...
...That way when I want to call an animal I can just call its number...
...And they told him...
...Maybe if I allow man to name the animals, he will get to know them better and take his responsibility seriously...
...Adam was annoyed because the brown furry with teeth was not interested, and he sat down on the animal to think out a plan for naming the animals...
Vol. 2 • May 1977 • No. 7
