But what does that really mean? Does God have an image? Is He physical? Of course not. The Rambam points out that God is pure Form whereas everything else in creation is a combination of Matter and Form. It is difficult for us to grasp the concept of pure form, so this limits our ability to understand the nature of God and, therefore, how to define His “image.” So the best man can come up with is a finite definition of the Infinite trait of tzelem Elokim.
To me, the image of God in which we are created is one of a refined and high moral character. We must try to live up to the image in which God created us and not lower ourselves by debasing God’s creations, especially our fellow human beings who are also created in His image.
What gives us the means to act in God’s image are the faculties of reason and knowledge. This is the unique way in which Man differs from animals. In this way we can begin to understand God’s creation of Man b’tzelem Elokim. It is rational thought, combined with the ability to distinguish and discern, deduce and learn, communicate and teach; the ability to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and ultimately build up the world.
Man is also given bechirah chofshis, freedom of choice between good and evil. In this way Man can earn Divine acceptance by choosing good over evil, and thereby refine his tzelem Elokim.
Level of intellect is unimportant. It is not one’s intelligence that makes him “in the image of God.” It’s not the level of knowledge or deeds measured against someone else that God judges, but the level of knowledge or deeds measured against one’s own potential. And to the level that we emulate His traits is to the level that we achieve worth. To the level of our mitzvah observance is to the level we achieve higher value.
So in the end, being born a Jew is of minimal consequence if we do not take our own tzelem Elokim seriously. Being born a Jew does little for us if we squander that gift. Who has greater value in the eyes of God, the Jew Binyamin “Bugsy” Siegel or the non-Jew Raoul Wallenberg? The Jew Meyer Lansky or the non-Jew Oskar Schindler? The Jew Louis “Lepke” Buchalter or the non-Jew Chiune Sugihara?
It is not who we are when we are born, but what it is we do afterward.
This divine spark is part and parcel of all of mankind – of each and every person, Jew or non-Jew. It behooves us to recognize this simple truth and treat all our fellow human beings with the respect that a creation in the image of God deserves.