From Ki Teitzei (Deut. 21:23):

…[Y]ou must not let his corpse remain on the stake overnight, but must bury him the same day. For an impaled body is an affront to God.

The context here is the death penalty of sekilah (death by stoning). Rashi explains that “all who are put to death by stoning are hanged [afterwards]”. The Torah teaches that we are not to let the hanging body remain overnight, but the reason given (”for an impaled body is an affront to God”) requires explanation. Commenting on this verse, Rashi cites a fascinating drashah from Sanhedrin 46a:

“For an impaled body is an affront to God.” It is a degradation of the King, for man is made in the likeness of His image… This can be compared to identical twin brothers. One became a king while one became ensnared in banditry and was hanged. All who saw him would say “The king is hanging.”

So similar is the human body to God Himself that we’re worried somebody will mistake the former for the latter! The implications of this aggadah seem endless. Every year when I come across this Rashi I’m struck by how lofty a role the Torah accords to humanity. Even the most mundane aspects of life take on additional meaning when we appreciate that we are reflections of God.