ליטעראַטור פֿון בית שני אויף בראשית 2:21

The story of the creation of Eve, we are told, is not meant to be taken literally. It is a Myth,” showing forth the origin of Sense-perception, which becomes active when Mind is asleep (Gen. 2:21). The bringing of Woman to Man is the introduction of Sense-perception to Mind, which hails it as its own (2:22 f.). (19 ff., 40 ff.)

§ 20. εἴ γε μὴν … σαρκίνη δήπου; “if one of the two sides was filled up with flesh, are we to presume that the one not so treated was not made of flesh?” Philo captiously presses the words of Gen. 2:21, ἀνεπλήρωσεν σάρκα ἀντʼ αὐτῆς, to mean that in the filling up a different material, namely flesh, was substituted (ἀντι) for the material which was there before; which would of course imply that the other side was of a material other than flesh.

[19] “And God brought a trance upon Adam, and he fell asleep; and He took one of his sides” and what follows (Gen. 2:21). These words in their literal sense are of the nature of a myth. For how could anyone admit that a woman, or a human being at all, came into existence out of a man’s side? And what was there to hinder the First Cause from creating woman, as He created man, out of the earth? For not only was the Maker the same Being, but the material too, out of which every particular kind was fashioned, was practically unlimited. And why, when there were so many parts to choose from, did He form the woman not from some other part but from the side? And which side did he take? For we may assume that only two are indicated, as there is in fact nothing to suggest a large number of them. Did he take the left or the right side?