Eve was created out of the 'rib' of Adam, or out of his 'side,' depending on the translation. Many people read this moment of creation as if Adam and Eve were created together, as one being, then were separated, the male stepping out of one half and the female out of the other. This interpretation has made the story of creation easier for me to understand, to accept, as if the being that was created in the image of God, Adam, was both male and female, later to be divided into two beings who could then come together willingly, as partners.
So then, what happened while Adam was sleeping? We read that Adam was in a deep sleep when God took his 'side,' then woke, as a man, to find Eve there, a separate being, beside him. There is a story in the Aggadah, or legends from thGemarra, of a foreign ruler who brought up an issue with Rabban Gamliel. This ruler accused the God of Israel of being a thief, for stealing a portion of Adam in his sleep. Rabban Gamliel's daughter took it upon herself to answer the accusation. She asked for a police officer to be called, complaining that thieves came in the night, stealing a silver pitcher, and replacing it with one of gold.
So while Adam was sleeping, God took something of silver and replaced it with something of gold. Man and woman were one, fused, but alone. This is an existence of silver. I am familiar with this world of silver, of feeling full, complete, alone. On the second day of Rosh Hashana I felt something stolen from me, part of me. Maybe I was sleeping, as I awoke to find heavy pieces of silver had been removed, creating empty space within. As the holidays continued, through Yom Kippur, Succot, Shimini Atzeret, I felt winds blowing through this space, testing its dimensions, hearing the echoes. Finally Simchat Torah, and bits of gold dust began to filter in, rubbing against the sides of this space, beginning to fill in some cracks. This year Rosh Hashana was about making space, clearing out what was no longer necessary, allowing the silver pitcher to be skirted away in the night, trusting that God would replace it with gold. And the other half stands beside me, looking to reconnect, choosing to be with me in the garden. This should be a beginning, as we start the portions in the Torah again, as we take down the Succahs, as we reintroduce our sweaters to our closets of a golden existence.