Father Liem Tran in his homily yesterday, talked about the rib from Adam side to explain that woman was created equal to man. She was not created from his foot so that he might step on her, not from his head so that she might be his boss, but under his arm so that he could protect her, and close to his heart so that he might love her.
Here is an account from two Jewish rabbis I found on the Internet:
Rabbi Sa’adiah Gaon explains that the creation of Eva from Adam’s rib was done with wisdom: Because she was created from his rib, Adam will have mercy on Eva as one of his limbs, and she will regard him as the source of her life; he will look after her like one guards a piece of himself, and she will follow him the way a limb follows the body.
Indeed, it is a mistake to read the second creation story solely as a literal “surgery.” On a deeper level, it depicts the relationship between man and woman. In describing the account, Rabbi Abarbanel states that Eva was not created from Adam’s foot so that he would not consider her a lowly maidservant, nor from his head so that she would lord over him. Rather, she was created from his side so that she would be equal to him.
