The Evolution of Human Spirituality
Another singular exception appears in the book of Genesis (4:26) where it states, "At that time humans began to invoke YHVH by name." Most of our rabbinic commentators translate the verb hukhal to mean "profane" taking this as a negative statement. But "began" is the more normal meaning of the verb. The Torah teaches us that prior to Enosh humans did not practice religion with the divine insight that they did later. In the spirit of this Torah insight I offer the following account of the evolution of spirituality. All sentient beings are able to respond to the challenges of life. In each species some individuals respond to new environmental challenges better than others do; and their descendants increase. Some sentient beings that are conscious, are capable of learning from the challenges of life. They can improve themselves. A few are even able to show others what they have learned and thus improve their group and their descendants' chances of survival. These species have developed cultural ways of meeting life's challenges. For many centuries it was thought that mankind's ability to use tools was what made us unique. However, we now know that several