Some Ideas to Jump-start Your Own Creative Interpretations

Choose one of these verses and write, draw, dance or sing about it:

  • Genesis 3:20: “Adam named his wife Eve [Chava], because she was the mother of all living [em kol chai].
  • Genesis 4:6-7: “And God said to Cain, "Why are you distressed, and why is your face fallen? Surely, if you do right, there is uplift. But if you do not do right sin crouches at the door; its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master." (Include Eve in your interpretation of this verse).
  • Genesis 4:8: “Cain said to his brother Abel [...]. And when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him.” (Write, dance or sing what you think Cain said to Abel; include Eve in some way.)

Or try one of these:

Visual

  • Draw or sculpt a forbidden Eve goddess figure
  • Sketch a depiction of Eve saying goodbye to Cain after his banishment
  • Diagram the scene of the first birth; where were Adam, Eve and God?
  • Create a collage to represent Eve’s feelings about, or experiences of, motherhood

Music

  • Write a lullabye for Eve to sing to Cain or Abel as a baby
  • Make a playlist of songs related in some way to the family story of Eve, Adam, Cain and Abel
  • Write a chant or melody based on one moment in this story (using Hebrew or English words from the text if you wish, or create a niggun - a wordless melody)

Movement

  • Choreograph a dance of the first birth and/or the first burial
  • Choreograph a dance of the interaction between Cain and Abel in the field; include Eve in some way.

Writing

  • Write your own prayer to Eve, using Kathleen Norris’ poem (from the Poetry section) as inspiration, if you wish.
  • Write a journal entry in Eve’s voice at any point in the story you choose
  • Write a letter of advice from Eve to parents - or children - today
  • Write a 6 word summary of Eve’s life

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Some Ideas to Jump-start Your Own Creative Interpretations." (Viewed on November 29, 2024) <https://jwa.org/node/23158>.