Bereishit Torah Reading - Parshah

13/11/2017 Bereishit Torah Reading - Parshah
Torah Reading for Bereishit

SELECT A PORTION:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th Haftarah Complete

Parshat Bereishit
Shabbat, 24 Tishrei, 5778
14 October, 2017 Complete: (Genesis 1:1 - 6:8; Isaiah 42:5-21)
SHOW CONTENT IN:
Both English Hebrew HIDE RASHI'S COMMENTARY
First Portion
Genesis Chapter 1
1. In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and

the earth. :
In the beginning: Said Rabbi Isaac: It was not necessary to begin :

the Torah except from This month is to you, (Exod. 12:2) which is ][ ) (
the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded, (for
[ ],
the main purpose of the Torah is its commandments, and although
, ,
several commandments are found in Genesis, e.g., circumcision
and the prohibition of eating the thigh sinew, they could have been ) (
included together with the other commandments). Now for what ,
reason did He commence with In the beginning? Because of [the , ,
verse] The strength of His works He related to His people, to give , "
them the inheritance of the nations (Ps. 111:6). For if the nations of
,
the world should say to Israel, You are robbers, for you conquered
:
by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan], they will reply,
"The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He
created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it
to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to
them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it
to us.
In the beginning of Gods creation of: Heb. . This :

verse calls for a midrashic interpretation [because according to its " ,
simple interpretation, the vowelization of the word , should be
, ) (
different, as Rashi explains further]. It teaches us that the
) (
sequence of the Creation as written is impossible, as is written
immediately below] as our Rabbis stated (Letters of R. Akiva , letter .
beth ; Gen. Rabbah 1:6; Lev. Rabbah 36:4): [God created the
world] for the sake of the Torah, which is called (Prov. 8:22): the . -
beginning of His way, and for the sake of Israel, who are called
(Jer. 2:3) the first of His grain. But if you wish to explain it
, ,
according to its simple meaning, explain it thus: At the beginning
,'
of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was astonishing with
emptiness, and darknessand God said, Let there be light. But ,
Scripture did not come to teach the sequence of the Creation, to , ) (
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=7781&jewish=Bereishit.htm&p=complete#showrashi=true 1/41
say that these came first, for if it came to teach this, it should have ( ) ,) (
written:At first ( ) He created the heavens and the earth, ,
for there is no in Scripture that is not connected to the
. ,' -
following word, [i.e., in the construct state] like (ibid. 27:1):In the
,) ( '
beginning of ( ) the reign of Jehoiakim ; (below 10:10)the
beginning of ()
his reign ; (Deut. 18:4)the first ()
of ' , "
your corn. Here too, you say , like , in .'
the beginning of creating. And similar to this is,At the beginning of , ,
the Lords speaking ( ) to Hosea, (Hos. 1:2), i.e., at the
beginning of the speaking ( ) of the Holy One, Blessed be He,
, ) ( ,
to Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, etc. Now if you say that it came
) ( ,
to teach that these (i.e., heaven and earth) were created first, and
that its meaning is: In the beginning of all, He created these-and ) , ,
that there are elliptical verses that omit one word, like (Job 3:10): ,(
For [He] did not shut the doors of my [mothers] womb, and it ) ( ,
does not explain who it was who shut [the womb]; and like (Isa. ,
8:4): he will carry off the wealth of Damascus, and it does not
, , .
explain who will carry it off; and like (Amos 6:12): or will one plow
, -
with cattle, and it does not explain: if a man will plow with cattle ;
and like (Isa. 46: 10): telling the end from the beginning, and it ,
does not explain that [it means] telling the end of a matter from the .
beginning of a matter-if so, [if you say that Scripture indicates the ,
order of creation] be astounded at yourself, for the water preceded, :
as it is written: and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the
water, and Scripture did not yet disclose when the creation of
water took place! From this you learn that the water preceded the
earth. Moreover, the heavens were created from fire and water.
Perforce, you must admit that Scripture did not teach us anything
about the sequence of the earlier and the later [acts of creation].
Gods creation of the heavens and the earth: But it does not say ,' :-
of the Lords creation of (i.e., it should say of the Lord Gods ,
creation of as below 2:4 on the day that the Lord God made earth
,
and heaven) for in the beginning it was His intention to create it
) ( ,
with the Divine Standard of Justice, but he perceived that the world
would not endure; so He preceded it with the Divine Standard of : -'
Mercy, allying it with the Divine Standard of Justice, and that is the
reason it is written:on the day the Lord God made earth and
heaven.
2. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness

was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was :

hovering over the face of the water.
astonishingly empty: Heb. . The word is an :

expression of astonishment and desolation, that a person wonders :
and is astonished at the emptiness therein.
astonishingly empty: Astordison in Old French; [tourdissement :[ " " ]:

in modern French], astonishment. an expression of emptiness
and desolation. (This does not appear in all editions.)
: an expression of emptiness and desolation. (This does not : :

appear in all editions.)
on the face of the deep: on the face of the waters which were on : :
the earth.
and the spirit of God was hovering: The Throne of Glory was : -
suspended in the air and hovered over the face of the water with "
the breath of the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He and with
",
His word, like a dove, which hovers over the nest, acoveter in Old
:[" ]
French, to cover, hover over.
3. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. :

4. And God saw the light that it was good, and God

separated between the light and between the darkness. :

And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated: : -
Here too, we need the words of the Aggadah: He saw it that it was
not proper for the wicked to use it; so He separated it for the

righteous in the future. According to its simple meaning, explain it
.
as follows: He saw it that it was good, and it was unseemly that it
[light] and darkness should serve in confusion; so He established ,
for this one its boundary by day, and for that one its boundary by :
night.
5. And God called the light day, and the darkness He

|
called night, and it was evening and it was morning, one :

day.
one day: According to the sequence of the language of the ][ :

chapter, it should have been written, the first day, as it is written ,
regarding the other days, second, third, fourth. Why did Scripture
, . , ,
writeone ? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, was the only
"
one in His world, for the angels were not created until the second
day. [i.e., is understood as the day of the only One] So is it :( ) ,
explained in Genesis Rabbah (3:8).
6. And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of

the water, and let it be a separation between water and :
water."
Let there be an expanse: Let the expanse be strengthened, for, . :

although the heavens were created on the first day, they were still , ,
moist, and they solidified on the second [day] from the rebuke of
, "
the Holy One, blessed be He, when He said, Let there be an
.) (
expanse. This is what Scripture says (Job 26:11): The pillars of
the heavens trembled the entire first day, and on the second day: ,
They were astonished by His rebuke, like a person who stands in :
astonishment because of the rebuke of the one who frightens him.
[Genesis Rabbah 12:10]
in the midst of the water: In the middle of the water (Targum), for , :
there is a separation between the upper waters and the expanse,
as there is between the expanse and the waters that are on the
,
earth. Behold you have learned that they are suspended by the
:
word of the King. [Gen. Rabbah 4:3]
7. And God made the expanse and it separated between

the water that was below the expanse and the water that
was above the expanse, and it was so.
And God made the expanse: He fixed it upon its base, which is : -
[what is meant by] making it; as [in the verse] (Deut. 21:12):and ) ( ,
she shall do her nails, .
:
above the expanse: It does not say, on the expanse, but above :
the expanse, because they [the waters] are suspended in the air . ,
(Mid. Ps. 19:4). Now why does it not say, that it was good on the
,
second day? Because the work involving the water was not
, ,
completed until the third day, although He commenced it on the
second day, and an unfinished thing is not in its fullness and its ,
goodness; and on the third day, when He completed the work
involving the water and He commenced and completed another , ,
work, He repeated thereinthat it was good twice (sic): once for the :
completion of the work of the second day and once for the
completion of the work of that [third] day. [Gen. Rabbah 4:6]
8. And God called the expanse Heaven, and it was

evening, and it was morning, a second day. :
And God called the expanse heaven: Heb. [ This is a , , : -

combination of the words , bear water (Gen. Rabbah 4:7); : ,
, there is water; , fire and water. He mingled them
with one another and made the heavens from them (Chag. 12a).
9. And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the

heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," :

and it was so.
Let the watergather: They were spread out over the surface of ][ :
the entire earth, and He gathered them in the ocean, [the : ,
Mediterranean], which is the largest of all the seas. [from Pirkei
dRabbi Eliezer, ch. 5; Gen. Rabbah 5:2]
10. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of
|
the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good. :

He called seas: But is it not one sea? However, the flavor of a fish , :
that comes up from the sea in Acre differs from the flavor of a fish ] [
that comes up from the sea in Spain. [from Ekev 39]
:] [
11. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed

yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its
kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so. :

Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs: does :

not have the same meaning as , and does not have the ,
same meaning as . And it would have been inappropriate for
, ,
( let the earth
the Scriptural text to use the expression,
,
bring forth herbs), for there are various species of , each one
by itself which is called a particular . And it would not be the ,
correct term for the speaker to say, such-and-such a , :
because the term applies to the earths covering, when it is

filled with vegetation.
Let the earth sprout: Let it be filled and covered with a mantle of . :
herbs. In Old French, is called erbediz, herbage, all in a " ]
mixture, whereas each root individually is called .
,[
:
seed-yielding: That its seeds should grow in it from which to sow :

elsewhere. :
fruit trees: That the taste of the tree should be like the taste of the , :
fruit. It [the earth] did not do so, however, butthe earth gave forth, ) ( ,
etc., trees producing fruit, but the trees themselves were not fruit.
, ,
Therefore, when man was cursed because of his iniquity, it [the
:
earth] too was punished for its iniquity (and was cursed-not in all
editions). - [from Gen. Rabbah 5:9]
in which its seed is found: These are the kernels of every fruit, , :
from which the tree grows when it is planted. :
12. And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding

herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit, in

which its seed is found, according to its kind, and God saw :

that it was good.
And the earth gave forth, etc.: Even though .according to :'
its kind, was not said regarding the herbs when they were , ,
commanded [to grow], they heard that the trees were commanded
,
thus, and they applied an a fortiori argument to themselves, [a
:( )
-from the minor to the major], as is explained in the Aggadah
of Tractate Chullin (60a).
13. And it was evening, and it was morning, a third day. :

14. And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse

of the heavens, to separate between the day and between

the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed :

seasons and for days and years.
Let there be luminaries, etc.: They were created on the first day, , :'
and on the fourth day, He commanded them to be suspended in ,
the sky, and likewise, all the creations of heaven and earth were
,
created on the first day, and each one was fixed in its proper place
) ( ,
on the day that was decreed upon it. That is why it is written:with
the heavens ( ) to include their products,and with the , , ,
) ," to include its products. [Gen. Rabbah 1:14]
earth ( :
Let there be luminaries: Heb., It [the word, is , " :

written without avav, [thus, the word can be meaning ,
curses] because it [the fourth day] is a cursed day when children
:
become ill with croup. This is what we learned (Taanith 27b): on
the fourth day [of the week], they [the men of the maamad] would
fast so that children should not become ill with croup.
to separate between the day and between the night: (This :

happened) after the first light was hidden away, but during the ,
seven (another reading: during the three) days of Creation, the

primordial light and darkness served together, both by day and by
:
night. [Medrah Yelammedenu , as quoted in Yalkut Shimoni]
According to the Ramban and early editions of Rashi , it appears
that the reading, during the seven days of Creation, is the
authentic reading. Ramban , however quotes the Genesis Rabbah
, which states that the original primordial light served only during
the first three days, until the sun and the moon were suspended in
the sky. After that, the primordial light was hidden away, as in Rashi
to verse 4. Note also that several early manuscripts and printed
editions of Rashi read: but in the seven days of Creation, the
primordial light and darkness served, this one by day and this one
by night. This is also the reading of Mizrachi , and it appears more
accurate than our reading, because, in fact, the light and the
darkness did not serve together, as Rashi explains in verse 4.]
and they shall be for signs: When the luminaries are eclipsed, it :
is an unfavorable omen for the world, as it is said (Jer. 10:2): and ) ( ,
from the signs of the heaven be not dismayed, etc. When you
" ,
perform the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, you need not fear
:
retribution. [from Succah 29a]
and for appointed seasons: This refers to the future, when the , :
Israelites are destined to be commanded concerning the festivals
and they [the festivals] are reckoned from the first phase of the
:
moon. [from Gen. Rabbah 6:1].
and for days: The sun serves for half a day, and the moon for half :
of it, so that you have a full day. : ,
and years: At the end of 365 days (other editions: and a 1/4 of a :
day) they complete their revolution through the twelve
constellations of the zodiac, which serve them, and that constitutes
) .
a year. (Other editions read: and that is 365 and 1/4 days), and
:(
they return and start a second time to revolve on the sphere like
their first revolution.
15. And they shall be for luminaries in the expanse of the

heavens to shed light upon the earth." And it was so. :

And they shall be for luminaries: In addition, they will serve in : :

this function, viz. to shed light upon the world.
16. And God made the two great luminaries: the great

luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the

night, and the stars. :

the two great luminaries: They were created equal, but the moon , :'
was made smaller because it brought charges and said, It is
impossible for two kings to use the same crown. - [from Chullin
:
60b] Rashi (ad loc.) explains that this derash is based on the
discrepancy of the two expressions, the two great luminaries,
which intimates that the moon was a great luminary, andthe lesser
luminary, which intimates that the moon was smaller than the sun.
To reconcile this difference, the Rabbis asserted that the moon was
originally created equal to the sun, but, because of its complaint
that the sun wielded the same power that it wielded, it was forced
to relinquish that power.
and the stars: Because He diminished the moon, He increased its , :

hosts, to appease it. - [from Gen. Rabbah 46:4 and Chullin 60b] :
i.e., The stars serve as the entourage of the moon. When it comes
out, they accompany it, and when it sets, they too set. [Gen.
Rabbah ad loc.]
17. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to

shed light upon the earth. :

18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to

separate between the light and between the darkness, and :

God saw that it was good.
19. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fourth day. :

20. And God said, "Let the waters swarm a swarming of

living creatures, and let fowl fly over the earth, across the :

expanse of the heavens."
living creatures: That there should be life in them. : :
a swarming: Heb. . Every living thing that is not much higher :

than the earth is ; among the winged creatures, such as flies; , ,
among the insects, such as ants, beetles, and worms; and among
,
the [larger] creatures, such as the weasel, the mouse, the lizard,
: ,
and their like, and so [among] the fishes. [Note that in most early
editions and mss., the reading is , and all the fishes (and
not ) .]
21. And God created the great sea monsters, and every

living creature that crawls, with which the waters swarmed, |

according to their kind, and every winged fowl, according to

its kind, and God saw that it was good.
:

thesea monsters: The great fish in the sea, and in the words of . :
the Aggadah (B.B. 74b), this refers to the Leviathan and its mate,
for He created them male and female, and He slew the female and
,
salted her away for the righteous in the future, for if they would
:
propagate, the world could not exist because of them. is
written. [I.e., the final yud, which denotes the plural, is missing,
hence the implication that the Leviathan did not remain two, but
that its number was reduced to one.]- [from Gen. Rabbah 7:4,
Midrash Chaseroth VYetheroth, Batei Midrashoth, vol 2, p. 225].
living creature: a creature in which there is life. : :
22. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and

multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the fowl :

multiply upon the earth."
Andblessed them: Because [people] decimate them and hunt :

them and eat them, they required a blessing; and the beasts also .
required a blessing, but because the serpent was destined to be
,
cursed, He did not bless them, lest he [the serpent] be included.
: , ,
[from Gen. Rabbah 11:3, Midrash Tadshe 1]
Be fruitful: [The word is derived from , fruit, meaning : , :

produce fruits.
and multiply: If He had said only, Be fruitful, one would beget :

one and no more.And multiply was therefore said so that one : ,
could beget many.
23. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fifth day. :

24. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures

according to their kind, cattle and creeping things and the :

beasts of the earth according to their kind," and it was so.
Let the earth bring forth: That is what I explained [verse 14] that ) ( :
everything was created on the first [day], and they required only to :
be brought forth. [from Tanchuma Buber, Bereishith 1]
living creatures: which have life. (See above, verse 20.) : :
and creeping things: These are the creeping things, which are :
low and crawl upon the earth and appear as if they are dragging . , ,
along, because their movement is not discernible. Every
" "
expression of or [ is translated] in our language [Old
:[]
French] as conmovres , crawling creatures.
25. And God made the beasts of the earth according to

their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and all the

creeping things of the ground according to their kind, and :

God saw that it was good.
And made: He fixed them in their complete form, and in their full : :
stature. [from Rosh Hashanah 11a, Chullin 60a]
26. And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after

our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and

over the fowl of the heaven and over the animals and over :

all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep
upon the earth."
Let us make man: From here we learn the humility of the Holy , " :
One, blessed be He. Since man was created in the likeness of the
angels, and they would envy him, He consulted them. And when
,
He judges kings, He consults with His Heavenly household, for so
,
we find regarding Ahab, that Micah said to him, (I Kings 22:19): I
saw the Lord seated on His throne, and all the host of heaven were ) ' ( '
standing by Him, on His right and on His left. Now do left or
right apply to Him ?! But rather, [the passage means that] these , ,
[angels] were standing on the right to defend, and these [angels] .

were standing on the left to prosecute. Likewise, (Dan. 4:14): By ) (
the decree of the destructive angels is the matter, and by the word
,
of the holy ones is the edict. Here too, He took counsel with His
, ,
heavenly household. He said to them, Among the heavenly
beings, there are some in My likeness. If there are none in My ,
likeness among the earthly beings, there will be envy among the :
creatures of the Creation. - [from Tanchuma, Shemoth 18; Gen.
Rabbah 8:11, 14:13]
Let us make man: Even though they [the angels] did not assist :
Him in His creation, and there is an opportunity for the heretics to ,
rebel (to misconstrue the plural as a basis for their heresies),

Scripture did not hesitate to teach proper conduct and the trait of
.
humility, that a great person should consult with and receive
permission from a smaller one. Had it been written: I shall make ,
man, we would not have learned that He was speaking with His -
tribunal, but to Himself. And the refutation to the heretics is written : ,
alongside it [i. e., in the following verse:]And God created ( ) ,
and it does not say,and they created . - [from Gen. Rabbah
8:9]
in our image: in our form. : :
after our likeness: to understand and to discern. : :
and they shall rule over the fish: Heb. This expression :
contains both the meaning of ruling and the meaning of , ,
subservience. If he merits, he rules over the beasts and over the
:
cattle. If he does not merit, he becomes subservient to them, and
the beast rules over him. [from Gen. Rabbah 8:12]
27. And God created man in His image; in the image of

|
God He created him; male and female He created them. :
And God created man in His image: In the form that was made : -
for him, for everything [else] was created with a command, , ,
whereas he [man] was created with the hands (of God), as it is
, ) (
written (Ps. 139:5): and You placed Your hand upon me. Man was

made with a die, like a coin, which is made by means of a die,
which is called coin in Old French. And so Scripture states (Job " " ][
38:14): The die changes like clay. - [from Letters of Rabbi Akiva , :) (
second version; Mid. Ps. 139:5; Sanh. 38a]
in the image of God He created him: It explains to you that the : -

image that was prepared for him was the image of the likeness of :
his Creator. [from B.B. 58a]
male and female He created them: Yet further (2:21) Scripture :

states: And He took one of his ribs, etc. The Midrash Aggadah ,') (
(Gen. Rabbah 8:1, Ber. 61a, Eruvin 18a) explains that He originally

created him with two faces, and afterwards, He divided him. The
, .
simple meaning of the verse is that here Scripture informs you that
they were both created on the sixth [day], but it does not explain to
you how they were created, and it explains [that] to you elsewhere. :
[from Baraitha of the Thirty Two Methods , Method 13]
28. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be

fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule

over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and

over all the beasts that tread upon the earth. "
:

and subdue it: Thevav [in is missing, [allowing the word to , ":
be read , the masculine singular imperative] to teach you that ,
the male subdues the female that she should not be a gadabout

(Gen. Rabbah 8:12), and it is also meant to teach you that the
:
man, whose way it is to subdue, is commanded to propagate, but
not the woman (Yev. Yev. 65b).
29. And God said, "Behold, I have given you every seed

bearing herb, which is upon the surface of the entire earth,

|

and every tree that has seed bearing fruit; it will be yours for

food.
:
30. And to all the beasts of the earth and to all the fowl of |

the heavens, and to everything that moves upon the earth,

in which there is a living spirit, every green herb to eat," and :

it was so.
it will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth: He : .
equated cattle and the beasts to them [to man] regarding the food ,
[that they were permitted to eat]. He did not permit Adam and his
,
wife to kill a creature and to eat its flesh; only every green herb
,
they were all permitted to eat equally. When the sons of Noah
came, He permitted them to eat flesh, as it is said (below 9:3): ) ( ,
Every creeping thing that is alive, etc. Like the green herbs, which ,'
I permitted to the first man, I have given you everything. [from :
Sanh. 59b]
31. And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was

very good, and it was evening and it was morning, the sixth :

day.
the sixth day: Scripture added a hey on the sixth [day], at the ' :
completion of the Creation, to tell us that He stipulated with them, ,
[you were created] on the condition that Israel accept the Five
.
Books of the Torah. [The numerical value of the hey is five.]
,
(Tanchuma Bereishith 1). Another explanation for the sixth day :
They [the works of creation] were all suspended until the sixth :
day, referring to the sixth day of Sivan, which was prepared for the
giving of the Torah (Shab. 88a). [Thehey is the definite article,
alluding to the well-known sixth day, the sixth day of Sivan, when
the Torah was given (ad loc.).]
Genesis Chapter 2
1. Now the heavens and the earth were completed and all :

their host.
2. And God completed on the seventh day His work that

He did, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His

work that He did. :
And God completed on the seventh day: Rabbi Shimon said: [A : -

human being of] flesh and blood, who cannot [exactly] know his
times and his moments, must add from the profane to the holy [i.e.,
" ,
he must add some time to the Sabbath.] The Holy One, blessed be

He, Who knows His times and His moments [exactly], entered it
[the Sabbath] within a hairbreadth, and it therefore appeared as if , , .
He completed it [His work] on that day. Another explanation: What ,
was the world lacking? Rest. The Sabbath came, and so came :
rest. The work was completed and finished. [from Gen. Rabbah
10:9]
3. And God blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it,

for thereon He abstained from all His work that God created

to do. :
Andblessedand hallowed: He blessed it with manna, for on :

all the days of the week, it descended for them [in the amount of] ,
an omer per person, whereas on the sixth day,[each one received]

a double portion. And He hallowed it with manna, that it did not
:
descend at all on the Sabbath. This verse is written with reference
to the future. [from Gen. Rabbah 11:2]
that God created to do: The work that was fit to be done on the : -
Sabbath, He doubled up and did it on the sixth [day], as is ,
explained in Genesis Rabbah (11:9).
:( )
Second Portion
Genesis Chapter 2
4. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth

when they were created, on the day that the Lord God :

made earth and heaven.
These: mentioned above. : :
when they were created, on the day that the Lordmade: This :'
teaches you that they were all created on the first day (Gen. .
Rabbah 12:4). Another explanation of the word He created
' ) ( ,
them with the letter hey, as it is written (Isa. 26:4): for in Yah () ,
'
the Lord, is the Rock of eternity. With these two letters [yud and
hey] of the Name, He fashioned two worlds, and it teaches you ,
here that this world was created with a hey (Men. 29b). (Other ," ) "
editions: It intimates that just as the hey is open at the bottom, so .
is the world open for the repentant. The World to Come was "
created with a yud, to tell you that the righteous at that [future]
.( '
time, will be few as a yud, which is the smallest of the letters.)
"
This intimates that the wicked will descend below to see the
netherworld, like the [letter] hey, which is closed on all sides and
:
open at the bottom, for them [the wicked] to descend through there.
[from Gen. Rabbah 12:10]
5. Now no tree of the field was yet on the earth, neither did |
any herb of the field yet grow, because the Lord God had

not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to

work the soil.
:

was yet on the earth: Every in Scripture has the meaning of :

not yet, and it does not meanbefore, and it cannot be made into , ,
a verb form, to say , as one says This verse proves
, ,
this, as well as another verse (Exod. 9:30): , You will
, ) (
not yet fear. This verse too should be explained to mean that [no
tree] was yet on the earth (Targum Onkelos) when the creation of .
the world was completed on the sixth day, before man was created.
:
neither did any herb of the field yet grow: [I.e.,] had not yet , :
grown. And on the third [day], where it is written: Let the earth ,
bring forth, they [the plants] had not yet emerged, but they stood
:
at the entrance of the ground until the sixth day. And why?
Because not caused it to rain: Because there was no man to , :

work the soil, and no one recognized the benefit of rain, but when
man came and understood that they were essential to the world, he
,
prayed for them, and they fell, and the trees and the herbs
: ,
sprouted. [from Chul. 60b]
the Lord God: is His name. [ means] that He is the Ruler - , ' :-'
and Judge over the entire world, and so is this defined everywhere ,
according to its simple meaning: the Lord () , Who is Ruler and
:- ' ,
Judge () .
6. And a mist ascended from the earth and watered the

entire surface of the ground. :
And a mist ascended: Concerning the creation of man, He , :

brought up the [waters of the] deep and watered the clouds to soak
the earth, and man was created; like the baker, who puts water
,
[into the flour] and afterwards kneads the dough. Here too, He
: ,
watered, and afterwards, He formed [man]. [from Exod.
Rabbah 30:113; Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer, ch. 5]
7. And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground,

and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man

became a living soul. :
formed: [, with two yuds, hints at] two creations, a creation , :

for this world and a creation for the [time of the] resurrection of the ,
dead, but in connection with the animals, which do not stand in
: "
judgment, twoyuds are not written in [the word describing
their creation. [from Tan. Tazria 1]
dust from the ground: He gathered dust from the entire earth, :
from the four directions, so that wherever he [man] would die, it
[the earth] would accept him for burial (Tan. Pekudei 3). Another ,
explanation: He took his dust from the place of which it is said .
(Exod. 20:21): You shall make Me an altar of earth. If only it would
) (
be an atonement for him, so that he might endure! (Gen. Rabbah
: ,
14:8)
and He breathed into his nostrils: He made him of earthly matter , :

and of heavenly matter: the body of earthly matter the soul of ,
heavenly matter. Because on the first day, heaven and earth were
.
created. On the second day, He created the firmament for the
.
heavenly beings; on the third day [He commanded], and let the dry
land appear, for the earthly beings; on the fourth day, He created . .
luminaries for the heavenly beings; on the fifth day, [He ,
commanded],Let the waters swarm, for the earthly beings; on the ,
sixth day, it became necessary to create for both the heavenly and ,
the earthly beings, for if not, there would be jealousy in the
:
Creation, for these would exceed those by the creation of one day.
a living soul: Cattle and beasts were also called living souls, but , :
this one of man is the most alive of them all, because he was ,
additionally given intelligence and speech.
:
8. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the

east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed. :

from the east: Heb. . In the east of Eden, He planted the . :

garden (Midrash Konen). Now if you ask: It has already been ) (
stated (above 1:27): And He created man, etc.! I saw in the
' .' -
Baraitha of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean
'
concerning the thirty-two principles by which the Torah is
expounded, and this is one of them [method 13]: A general ,
statement followed by a specific act, the latter constitutes a specific .
[clarification] of the first [general statement]. And He created man. ,
This is a general statement. It left obscure whence he was created, ,' - ' ,
and it left His deeds obscure [i.e., how God created man]. The text
, , ,
repeats and explains: And the Lord God formed, etc., and He
,
made the Garden of Eden grow for him, and He placed him in the
Garden of Eden, and He caused a deep sleep to fall upon him. The .
listener may think that this is another story, but it is only the )- '
detailed account of the former. Likewise, in the case of the animal, , ,(
Scripture repeats and writes (below verse 19): And the Lord God :
formed from the ground all the beasts of the field, in order to
explain, and He brought [them] to man to name them, and to
teach about the fowl, that they were created from the mud.
9. And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground

every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of
Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge :
of good and evil.
Andcaused to sprout: Scripture speaks about the Garden. : :

in the midst of the garden: i.e., in the middle of the Garden. : :

[from Targumim]
10. And a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and

from there it separated and became four heads. :

11. The name of one is Pishon; that is the one that

encompasses all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. :

Pishon: This is the Nile, the river of Egypt, and because its waters :
are blessed, and they rise and water the land, it is called Pishon, ,
like (Hab. 1:8):and their riders shall increase ( ) . (Unknown
.
midrash, quoted by Zeror Hamor, below 41:1, Letters of Rabbi
) (
Akiva). Another explanation: [It is called] Pishon because it causes
flax ( ) to grow, as is stated in reference to Egypt (Isa. :
19:9):And those who work at flax () shall be ashamed
(Gen. Rabbah 16:2).
12. And the gold of that land is good; there is the crystal
and the onyx stone. :
13. And the name of the second river is Gihon; that is the

one that encompasses all the land of Cush. :

Gihon: [It is named thus because] it flowed and roared, and its , :
roaring was very great, like (Exod. 21: 28):If an [ox] gore (), for , ) (
he gores and goes along and roars.
:
14. And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one

that flows to the east of Assyria, and the fourth river that is :

the Euphrates.
Tigris: Heb. , [thus called] because its waters are sharp () : :

and light () . - [from Ber. 59b.]
Euphrates: Heb. [ thus called] because its waters are fruitful : :

( ) and increase abundantly, and make people healthy (Bech.
55b, Keth. 77b).
Cush and Assyria: These did not exist as yet, and Scripture wrote , :
[their names] based on [the fact that they will exist in] the future. :
[from Keth. 10b]
to the east of Assyria: Heb. To the east of Assyria. [from : :

Targum Onkelos]
that is the Euphrates: The most important of all [the rivers] (Gen. , :
Rabbah 16:3), [because it is] mentioned in conjunction with the :
Land of Israel (Shev. 47b).
15. Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in

the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it. :

took: He took him with pleasant words and enticed him to enter. : :
[Gen. Rabbah 16:5]
16. And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every

tree of the garden you may freely eat. :

17. But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall

not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall :
surely die."
18. And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man is

alone; I shall make him a helpmate opposite him." :

It is not good, etc.: [Gen. Rabbah] Lest they [people] say, There :'
are two dominions: the Holy One, blessed be He, is alone among ,"
the heavenly beings, and He has no mate, and this one [man]
:
among the earthly creatures, has no mate.
a helpmate opposite him: If he is worthy, she will be a helpmate. : , :

If he is not worthy, she will be against him, to fight him. [from
Gen. Rabbah 17:3, Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer , ch. 12. See also Yev.
63a]
19. And the Lord God formed from the earth every beast of

the field and every fowl of the heavens, and He brought [it]

to man to see what he would call it, and whatever the man

called each living thing, that was its name.
:
And God formed from the earth: This forming is identical with : '
the making mentioned above (1:25): And God made the beasts - ) (
of the earth, etc. But it comes here to explain that the fowl were
,'
created from the mud, because it stated above that they were
,
created from the water, and here it states that they were created
from the earth (Chul. 27b). It also teaches you here that at the time .
of their forming, immediately on that day, He brought them to man
to name them (Avoth dRabbi Nathan, ch. 1). And in the words of .
the Aggadah [Gen. Rabbah 17:4], this has the meaning of ) ( ,
domination and conquest, like (Deut. 20:19):When you besiege
: ,
( ) a city, meaning that He subjugated them under mans
dominion.
and whatever the man called each living thing.: Transpose it :'
and explain it: Every living creature to which man would give a
name-that was to be its name forever.
:
Third Portion
Genesis Chapter 2
20. And man named all the cattle and the fowl of the

heavens and all the beasts of the field, but for man, he did

not find a helpmate opposite him. :
21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon
|
man, and he slept, and He took one of his sides, and He :

closed the flesh in its place.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall: [Gen. Rabbah : - ' .
17:4] When He brought them [the animals], He brought before him ,
of every species, male and female. He (Adam) said, Everyone has
: ,
a mate, but I have no mate. Immediately,And God caused to fall.
of his sides: Heb. , of his sides, like (Exod. 26:20):And for ) ( , :

the side ( ) of the Tabernacle. This coincides with what they : ,
[the Rabbis] said: They were created with two faces. [from Gen.
Rabbah 8:1] See also Eruvin 18a, Ber. 61a.
and He closed: the place of the incision. [from Ber. 61a, Eruv. : :
18a]
and he slept, and He took: So that he should not see the piece of :
flesh from which she was created, lest she be repulsive to him. :
[from Sanh. 39a]
22. And the Lord God built the side that He had taken from

|
man into a woman, and He brought her to man. :

[And He] built: [He made her] like a building, broad at the bottom , :
and narrow at the top, so that she can carry a fetus, like a ,
storehouse of wheat, which is broad at the bottom and narrow on
,
top, so that its burden should not weigh on its walls. [from Ber.
:
61a, Eruv. 18a]
[And He] built the sideinto a woman: lit. to a woman, to , : ' '
become a woman, like (Jud. 8:27):and Gideon made it into an ,) (
ephod, to be an ephod.
:
23. And man said, "This time, it is bone of my bones and

flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called ishah (woman)

because this one was taken from ish (man)." :

This time: This teaches us that Adam came to all the animals and :
the beasts [in search of a mate], but he was not satisfied until he :
found Eve. [from Yev. 63a]
This one shall be called ishah because, from ish: One :'
expression coincides with the other [i. e., the words and words : ,
have the same root]. From here is derived that the world was
created with the Holy Tongue. [from Gen. Rabbah 18:4]
24. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother,

and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. :
Therefore, a man shall leave: The Divine Spirit says this, to , :

prohibit forbidden unions to the Noahides. [from Sanh. 58a] :
one flesh: The fetus is formed by them both, and there [in the , :
child] their flesh becomes one. [from Sanh. 58a] :
25. Now they were both naked, the man and his wife, but

they were not ashamed. :

but they were not ashamed: for they did not know the way of :
modesty, to distinguish between good and evil (Gen. Rabbah) ,
(Targum Yerushalmi), and even though knowledge was granted
,
him to call [all the creatures] names, he was not imbued with the
:
evil inclination until he ate of the tree, and the evil inclination
entered into him, and he knew the difference between good and
evil (Gen. Rabbah) (Zohar, vol. 1, 36b; Mid. Tadshei 7).
Genesis Chapter 3
1. Now the serpent was cunning, more than all the beasts
of the field that the Lord God had made, and it said to the

woman, "Did God indeed say, 'You shall not eat of any of :

the trees of the garden?'"
Now the serpent was cunning: What is the connection of this :

matter here? Scripture should have juxtaposed (below verse 21): ) (
And He made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He
.
dressed them. But it teaches you as a result of what plan the
,
serpent thrust himself upon them. He saw them naked and
engaging in intercourse before everyones eyes, and he desired :
her. [from Gen. Rabbah 18:6]
cunning, more than all: Commensurate with its cunning and its , :
greatness, was its downfall- [it was] cunning, more than all, [and it : ,
was] cursed, more than all. [from Gen. Rabbah 19:1]
Didindeed say, etc.: Did He say to you, You shall not eat of :'
any, etc.? Even though he saw them eating of the other fruits, he - '
spoke to her at length in order that she answer him and come to
,
speak of that tree. [from Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer , ed. Horowitz,
:
ch. 13; Avoth dRabbi Nathan , ch. 1]
2. And the woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the

trees of the garden we may eat. :

3. But of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the

garden, God said, "You shall not eat of it, and you shall not :

touch it, lest you die.'"
and you shall not touch it: She added to the command; , :
therefore, she came to diminish it. That is what is stated (Prov. ) ( ,
30:6): Do not add to His words. - [from Sanh. 29a]
:
4. And the serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not :

die.
You will surely not die: He pushed her until she touched it. He , :
said to her, Just as there is no death in touching, so is there no :
death in eating (Gen. Rabbah 19:3).
5. For God knows that on the day that you eat thereof, your

eyes will be opened, and you will be like angels, knowing
good and evil." :

For God knows: Every craftsman hates his fellow craftsmen. He , :

[God] ate of the tree and created the world (Gen. Rabbah 19:4). :
and you will be like angels: Creators of worlds. [from Pirkei : :-

dRabbi Eliezer , ch. 13]
6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and
that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable

to make one wise; so she took of its fruit, and she ate, and :

she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
And the woman saw: She understood the words of the serpent :
and they appealed to her; so she believed him (Gen. Rabbah :
19:4).
that the tree was good: to [cause them to] be like angels. :- :
and that it was a delight to the eyes: As he had said to her, and :
your eyes will be opened. :
and that the tree was desirable to make one wise: As he said to : :
her, knowing good and evil.
and she gave also to her husband: lest she die and he live and :
marry someone else. [from Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer , ch. 13] : ,
also: to include the cattle and beasts - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:5]. : :
7. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they

knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and :

made themselves girdles.
Andwere opened: Scripture is referring to wisdom, and not to :

actual vision, and the end of the verse proves this. [from Gen. ,
Rabbah 19:7]
:
and they knew that they were naked: Even a blind man knows :
when he is naked! What then is the meaning of and they knew that , ,
they were naked ? They had one commandment in their
:
possession, and they became denuded of it.
fig leaves: That is the tree of which they had eaten. With that , :
which they had sinned, they were rectified, but the other trees ,
prevented them from taking their leaves. [from Ber. 40a, Sanh.
, .
70b] Now why was the tree not identified? Because the Holy One,
, "
blessed be He, does not wish to grieve any creature, so that
[others] should not put it to shame and say, This is [the tree] .
because of which the world suffered. (Midrash of Rabbi :( )
Tanchuma, Vayera 14, Buber 32).
8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God going in the

garden to the direction of the sun, and the man and his wife

hid from before the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the :
garden.
And they heard: There are many Aggadic midrashim, and our :
Sages already arranged them in their proper order in Genesis ( )
Rabbah and in other midrashim, but I have come only [to teach] the

simple meaning of the Scripture and such Aggadah that clarifies

the words of the verses, each word in its proper way.
:
And they heard: What did they hear? They heard the voice of the ", :
Holy One, blessed be He, which was going in the garden. [from :
Gen. Rabbah 19:7]
to the direction of the sun: To that direction in which the sun sets, :
and this is the west, for toward evening, the sun is in the west, and , ,
they sinned in the tenth [hour]. [from Gen. Rabbah 19:8, Sanh.
:
38b]
9. And the Lord God called to man, and He said to him,

"Where are you?" :
Where are you: He knew where he was, but [He asked him this] in , :
order to enter into conversation with him, lest he be frightened to ,
answer if He should punish him suddenly (Tanchuma Tazria 9). So
) ( .
with Cain, He said to him (below 4:9): Where is your brother
) ( ,
Abel? And so with Balaam (Num. 22:9): Who are these men with
you? for the purpose of entering a conversation with them, and so , ,
with Hezekiah, in regard to the emissaries of Merodach Baladan )( )
(Isa. 39:3) (Gen. Rabbah 19:11). :(
10. And he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I

was afraid because I am naked; so I hid." :
11. And He said, "Who told you that you are naked? Have

you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to :

eat?"
Who told you: From where do you know what shame there is in :
standing naked? :
from the tree?: Heb. . This is in the interrogative sense. : :
12. And the man said, "The woman whom You gave [to be]

with me she gave me of the tree; so I ate." :

whom You gave [to be] with me: Here he [Adam] showed his : :
ingratitude. [from Avodah Zarah 5b]
13. And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that

you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent enticed :

me, and I ate."
enticed me: Heb. , deceived me, like (II Chron. 32:15): Let )" ' ( :
Hezekiah not deceive ( ) you. - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:2] :
14. And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you

|

have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and

more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your :

belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
Because you have done this: From here [we learn] that we may :
not intercede in favor of one who entices people [to idolatry], for , ,
had He asked him, Why did you do this? he could have

answered, The words of the master and the words of the pupil-
:
whose words do we obey? [i.e., Adam and Eve should have
obeyed God rather than the serpent!]- [from Sanh. 29a]
more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the :
field: If he was cursed more than the cattle [whose gestation ,
period is long], he was surely cursed more than the beasts [whose
) (
gestation period is comparatively shorter]. Our Rabbis established
:
this midrash in Tractate Bechoroth (8a) to teach that the gestation
period of a serpent is seven years.
you shall walk on your belly: It had legs, but they were cut off. : :
15. And I shall place hatred between you and between the
|

woman, and between your seed and between her seed. He

will crush your head, and you will bite his heel." :
And I shall place hatred: You intended that the man should die :
when he would eat first, and you would marry Eve, and you came ,
to Eve first only because women are easily enticed, and they know

how to entice their husbands. Therefore, I shall place hatred.
,
:
He will crush your head: , lit. he will crush you the , ) ( , :

head. He will crush you, like (Deut. 9:21): And I crushed it, which :
is translated by the Targum as
and you will bite his heel: Heb. . You will not stand upright :
and you will bite him on the heel, and even from there you will kill . ,
him. The expression is like (Isa. 40:24): He blew ( ) on
,) (
them. When a snake comes to bite, it blows with a sort of hiss,
,
and since the two expressions coincide [i.e., they sound alike],
Scripture used the expression of in both cases. :
16. To the woman He said, "I shall surely increase your

sorrow and your pregnancy; in pain you shall bear children.

And to your husband will be your desire, and he will rule :

over you."
your sorrow: This refers to the pain of child rearing. [from Eruv. : :
100b]
and your pregnancy: This refers to the pain of pregnancy. : :
[from above source]
in pain you shall bear children: This refers to the pain of : :

childbirth. [from Gen. Rabbah 20:6]
And to your husband will be your desire: for intimacy, but, :

nevertheless, you will not have the audacity to demand it of him ,
with your mouth, but he will rule over you. Everything is from him
:
and not from you. [from Eruv. ad loc.]
your desire: Heb. , your desire, like: (Isa. 29:8): a ) ( , :

yearning ( ) soul. - [after Targum Onkelos] :
17. And to man He said, "Because you listened to your

wife, and you ate from the tree from which I commanded

you saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed be the ground for

your sake; with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life.
:

cursed be the ground for your sake: It will bring up cursed things :
for you, such as flies, fleas, and ants. This can be compared to one ,
who falls into evil ways, and people curse the breasts from which

he suckled. [from Gen. Rabbah 20: 8]
:
18. And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you,

and you shall eat the herbs of the field. :
And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you: The :
earth-when you sow it with various species of seeds-will sprout ,
thorns and thistles, artichokes and cardoons, which are edible only
:
after preparation. [from Gen. Rabbah 20:10. See also Beizah
34a]
and you shall eat the herbs of the field: Now what [kind of] , :
curse is this? Was it not said to him in the blessing (above 1:29): ) (
Behold I have given you every seed-bearing herb, etc? But what is
.'
stated here [refers to] the beginning of the section: Cursed be the
) (
ground for your sake; with toil shall you eat of it, and after the toil,
And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you." When you ,
sow it with legumes or garden vegetables, it will cause thorns and ,
thistles and other grasses of the field, to grow for you, and you
shall have no choice but to eat them. : ,
19. With the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until

you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for

dust you are, and to dust you will return." :

With the sweat of your face: After you toil with it very much. : :
[Mid. Tadshei, Otzar Midrashim]
20. And the man named his wife Eve, because she was
the mother of all life. :

And the man named: Scripture returns to its previous topic (2:20): :
And the man named, and it interrupted only to teach you that ,
through the giving of names, Eve was mated to him, as it is written ,
(above 2:20): but for man, he did not find a helpmate opposite
,) (
him. Therefore, (ibid. 21): And He caused a deep sleep to fall,
( ) ,
and since Scripture wrote, (ibid. 25):And they were naked, it
juxtaposed the section of the serpent, to let you know that because , ,
he saw her naked and saw them engaging in intercourse, he
desired her and came upon them with a design and with guile.
:
Eve: Heb. . This coincides with the expression of , living, , , :

because she gives life to her offspring, as you say, (Ecc. 2:22):For , ) (
what does a man have ( ? ) with the expressionbeing ( ) .
:
[i.e., The vav and the yud are interchangeable.]
21. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife

shirts of skin, and He dressed them. :
shirts of skin: Some Aggadic works say that they were as smooth :
as fingernails, fastened over their skin (Gen. Rabbah 20:12), and .
others say that they were a material that comes from the skin, like
,
the wool of rabbits, which is soft and warm, and He made them
:
shirts from it (Gen. Rabbah ad loc., Sotah 14a).
Fourth Portion
Genesis Chapter 3
22. Now the Lord God said, "Behold man has become like
|

one of us, having the ability of knowing good and evil, and |
now, lest he stretch forth his hand and take also from the :
Tree of Life and eat and live forever."
has become like one of us, having the ability: He is unique :

among the earthly beings, just as I am unique among the heavenly , ,
beings, and what is his uniqueness? To know good and evil, unlike
:
the cattle and the beasts. [from Targum Jonathan, Gen. Rabbah
21:5]
and now, lest he stretch forth his hand, etc.: And if he were to :
live forever, he would be likely to mislead people to follow him and
to say that he too is a deity (Gen. Rabbah 9:5). There are also
, .
Aggadic midrashim, but they cannot be reconciled with the simple
:
meaning.
23. And the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden,

to till the soil, whence he had been taken. :

24. And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the

east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of

the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. :

east of the Garden of Eden: in the east of the Garden of Eden, : , :

outside the garden. [from Gen. Rabbah 21:9]
the cherubim: Angels of destruction. [from Exod. Rabbah 9:11] : :
the revolving sword: It had a blade to frighten him from re- :

entering the garden. The Targum of is , like,He drew the , .
blade ( ) in Sanhedrin (82a), and in Old French it is lame.
.[ " " ],
There are Aggadic midrashim, but I have come only to interpret its
: ,
simple meaning.
Genesis Chapter 4
1. Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and

bore Cain, and she said, "I have acquired a man with the :

Lord."
Now the man knew: [This took place], prior to the above episode, , :
before he sinned and was banished from the Garden of Eden. Also , ,
the conception and the birth [took place before], for if it were

written: it would mean that after he had been banished, he
:
had sons. [from Sanh. 38b]
Cain: Heb. , based on , I acquired. : :
with the Lord: Heb. , like , with the Lord. When He ,' :'
created me and my husband, He alone created us, but with this : ,
one, we are partners with Him. [from Gen. Rabbah 22:2, Mid.
Tadshei, Niddah 31a]
Cain his brother Abel: Heb. . The word : ,

is repeated three times to suggest additional things. This teaches , ,
that a twin sister was born with Cain, and with Abel were born two.
: ,
Therefore, it is said: , and she continued, or added. [from
Gen. Rabbah 22:2, 3]
2. And she continued to bear his brother Abel, and Abel

was a shepherd of flocks, and Cain was a tiller of the soil. :
a shepherd of flocks: Since the ground was cursed, he refrained , :

from working it. :
3. Now it came to pass at the end of days, that Cain

brought of the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord. :

of the fruit of the soil: of the most inferior (Gen. Rabbah 22:5), , :
and there is an Aggadah that states that it was flaxseed (Mid. Tan. , , ) .
Bereishith 9, Targum Jonathan). (Another explanation: of the fruit
:( ,
From whatever came to his hand, not the best and not the
choicest.)
4. And Abel he too brought of the firstborn of his flocks and

of their fattest, and the Lord turned to Abel and to his :

offering.
turned: Heb. , and he turned. Likewise, (verse 5): , ) ( , :

means: [And to his offering] He did not turn. Similarly, (Exod. . , ) ( ,
5:9): means: and let them not turn. Similarly, (Job 14:6):
: , ) (
means: turn away from him.
andturned: Fire descended and consumed his offering. [from : :

Song Zuta 6:2, Sefer Hayashar]
5. But to Cain and to his offering He did not turn, and it

annoyed Cain exceedingly, and his countenance fell. :

6. And the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you annoyed, and

why has your countenance fallen? :
7. Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? If

you do not improve, however, at the entrance, sin is lying, :

and to you is its longing, but you can rule over it."
Is it not so that if you improve: Its explanation is as the Targum : :

renders it [i.e., if you improve your deeds.]
at the entrance sin is lying: At the entrance of your grave, your : :

sin is preserved.
and to you is its longing: [The longing] of sin- i.e., the evil , , :
inclination-which constantly longs and lusts to cause you to :
stumble.
but you can rule over it: If you wish, you will overpower it. : :
[from Sifrei Ekev 45, Kidd. 30b]
8. And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass

when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel :

his brother and slew him.
And Cain spoke: He entered with him into words of quarrel and :
contention, to find a pretext to kill him. There are Aggadic ,
interpretations on this matter, but this is the plain meaning of the
:
verse.
9. And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"

And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" :
Where is Abel your brother: To enter with him into mild words, , :
perhaps he would repent and say, I killed him, and I sinned against :
You. See above 3:9.
I do not know: He acted as if he could deceive the Most High. : :

[from Tanchuma Buber, Bereishith 25, Gen. Rabbah 22:9]
Am I my brothers keeper: Heb. . This is a question asked in ", :

astonishment, as is every hey prefix vowelized with a chataf :
pattach.
10. And He said, "What have you done? Hark! Your

brother's blood cries out to Me from the earth. :

Your brothers blood: Heb. , the plural form. His blood and the . :
blood of his descendants. Another explanation: He inflicted many
wounds upon him because he did not know from where his soul
would depart. [from Sanh. 37] :
11. And now, you are cursed even more than the ground,

which opened its mouth to take your brother's blood from :

your hand.
even more than the ground: Even more than it [the earth] was :
already cursed for its iniquity, and also with this it continued to sin. : ,
[from Gen. Rabbah 5:9; Mechilta Beshallach, Massechta
dShirah , ch. 9] As stated above (1:11), the iniquity was its failure
to produce trees with the taste of the fruit.
which opened its mouth to take your brothers blood, etc: And :'
behold, I am adding to it a curse concerning you, that it will not :
continue to give [you] its strength. [In some editions, this is all one
paragraph from more than the ground.]
12. When you till the soil, it will not continue to give its

strength to you; you shall be a wanderer and an exile in the :
land."
a wanderer and an exile: You have no permission to dwell in one : :

place.
13. And Cain said to the Lord, "Is my iniquity too great to :

bear?
Is my iniquity too great to bear: This is a question. You bear the , :

upper worlds and the lower worlds, and my iniquity is impossible : ,
for You to bear?- [from Tanchuma Buber, Bereishith 25; Gen.
Rabbah 22:11; Targum Jonathan and Yerusahlmi]
14. Behold You have driven me today off the face of the
earth, and I shall be hidden from before You, and I will be a

wanderer and an exile in the land, and it will be that :

whoever finds me will kill me."
15. And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills

Cain, vengeance will be wrought upon him sevenfold," and

the Lord placed a mark on Cain that no one who find him :

slay him.
Therefore, whoever kills Cain!: This is one of the verses that :

speak briefly and hint but do not [fully] explain.Therefore, whoever , .
kills Cain is a threat. So shall be done to him, or such-and-such
, , ,
shall be his punishment, but it does not delineate his punishment.
:
vengeance will be wrought upon him sevenfold: I do not wish to , :

wreak vengeance upon Cain now. At the end of seven generations,
I will wreak My vengeance upon him, for Lemech, one of his
.
grandchildren, will rise up and slay him. And the words
, ,
at the end of the verse, (after seven generations, vengeance will be
wrought upon him)-refers to the avenging of Abel from Cain (Tan. ,

Bereishith 11). This teaches that the beginning of the verse is an ( ) ' .
expression of a threat, that no creature should harm him. Similarly,

(II Sam. 5:8): And David said: Whoever smites the Jebusites and
,
reaches the tower, but it does not explain what would be done for
him, but the verse spoke by hinting: [meaning] Whoever smites , ,
the Jebusites and reaches the tower, and reaches the gate and ,'
conquers it, and the blind, etc., [meaning] and he will smite them ,
too [i.e., the blind and the lame], because the blind and the lame ,
said, David shall not come into the midst of the house. He who
: ) (
smites these, I will make into a chief and an officer. Here (II Sam.)
he spoke briefly, but in I Chronicles (11:6), he explained [at length]:
He will become a chief and an officer.
and the Lord placed a mark on Cain: He engraved a letter of His : : '
Name on his forehead. [Other editions (of Rashi)]: Another
explanation:
whoever finds me will kill me: This refers to the cattle and the , :
beasts, but there were yet no humans in existence whom he ,
should fear, only his father and mother, and he did not fear that
.
they would kill him. But he said, Until now, my fear was upon all

the beasts, as it is written (Gen. 9:2): And your fear, etc., but now,
because of this iniquity, the beasts will not fear me, and they will kill ,'
me. Immediately,and the Lord gave Cain a sign. He restored his , ' ,
fear upon everyone- [as in ed. Guadalajara, 1476]. :
16. And Cain went forth from before the Lord, and he dwelt

in the land of the wanderers, to the east of Eden. :

And Cain went forth: He went out with humility, as if to deceive : :

the Most High. [from Gen. Rabbah 22:13]
in the land of the wanderers: Heb. , in the land where all : :

the exiles wander.
to the east of Eden: There his father was exiled when he was , :
driven out of the Garden of Eden, as it is said (3:24) and He , ) (
stationed at the east of the Garden of Eden, etc., to guard the way
,
of approach to the Garden, from which we can learn that Adam
.
was there. And we find that the easterly direction always offers
asylum for murderers, as it is said (Deut. 4:41): Then Moses ) ( ,
separated, etc. [three cities of refuge] in the direction of the , . '
sunrise - [Mid. Devarim Rabbah, Lieberman, p.60; Tan. Buber ad ] [
loc.]. Another explanation: means that wherever he went, ,
the earth would quake beneath him, and the people would say, Go
:
away from him; this is the one who killed his brother [Mid. Tan.,
Bereishith 9].
17. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore

Enoch, and he was building a city, and he called the city :

after the name of his son, Enoch.
and he was: [i.e.,] Cain built a city, and he named the city in :
memory of his son Enoch. :
18. And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad begot Mehujael,

and Mehijael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot

Lemech. :

and Irad begot: Heb. In some places, it says regarding the :

male , and in some places it says , because the verb ,
can be used to express two meanings: the giving birth by the
" ",
woman, nestre in Old French (natre in modern French), and the
",[]
mans begetting, anjandrer in Old French (engendrer in modern
French). When it says in the conjugation (causative), it " ][
speaks of the womans giving birth, i.e., so-and-so caused his wife ,
to bear a son or a daughter. When it says , it speaks of the ,
mans begetting, and that is anjandrer in Old French. : " ",
Fifth Portion
Genesis Chapter 4
19. And Lemech took himself two wives; one was named

Adah, and the other was named Zillah. :
And Lemech took himself two wives: It was not necessary to , :

elaborate on all this, but it did so to teach us from the end of the "
section that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept His promise when
,
He said, vengeance will be wrought upon Cain sevenfold, and
,
Lemech arose after he had begotten sons and raised the seventh
generation, and he slew Cain. This is what is meant by [Lemechs :' ) (
statement] for have I slain a man by my wounding, etc. - [from
sources quoted on verse 23]
two wives: So was the custom of the generation of the Flood, one , :
[wife] for propagation and one for marital relations. The one who ,
was for marital relations would be given a potion of roots to drink,

so that she should become sterile (in some editions, the following
,
does not appear), and he would adorn her like a bride and feed her
delicacies, but her companion was neglected and was mourning ),
like a widow. This is what Job explained (24:21): He feeds the , (
barren woman who will not bear, but he does not adorn the widow. :
[This is] as explained in the Aggadah of Chelek (Sanh. ch. 10) (not
found in our edition, but in Gen. Rabbah 23:2).
Adah: She was the one for propagation, called so because she , :
was despicable to him and removed from him. is the Aramaic : .

translation of , turn away.
Zillah: She was the one for marital relations.[so named]because :

she would always sit in his shadow () . These are the words of :( ) ,
Aggadah in Genesis Rabbah .
20. Now Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who

dwell in tents and have cattle. :

the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle: He was :
the first to pasture animals in uncultivated places and dwell in ,
tents, one month here and one month here for the sake of his
,
flocks. When the pasture in this place was depleted, he went and .
pitched his tent elsewhere (Targumim). According to the Midrash ,
Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 23:3), he would build houses for idol
, ) (
worship, as it is said (Ezek. 8:3), "The image of jealousy that
) (
provokes (God to) jealousy () . And so did his brother
grasp the lyre and the flute to sing to pagan deities. (Bereishith :
Rabbathi, p. 49)
21. And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of

all who grasp a lyre and a flute. :

22. And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all

tools that cut copper and iron, and Tubal-cain's sister was :

Na'amah.
Tubal-cain: He refined the craft of Cain. Tubal is related to the . :

word ( spices). He spiced and refined Cains craft to make ,
weapons for murderers- [from Gen. Rabbah 23:3].
:
who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron: Heb. . He :
sharpened the tools [for working with] copper and iron, like (Job . ) ( ,
16:9): sharpens ( )his eyes upon me. is not an

expression of ( a noun) but an expression of ( a verb),
, .
because it is vowelized with a small kamatz (i.e., a tzeireh) and
the final syllable is accented, i.e., he sharpens and burnishes all :
implements of the craft of copper and iron.
Naamah: She was Noahs wife. (Genesis Rabbah 23:3) : :
Sixth Portion
Genesis Chapter 4
23. Now Lemech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah,

hearken to my voice; wives of Lemech, incline your ears to

my words, for I have slain a man by wounding (him) and a :
child by bruising (him).
hearken to my voice: For his wives separated from being intimate :

with him because he had slain Cain and Tubal-cain, his (Lemechs) ,
son. [The story was] that Lemech was blind, and Tubal-cain was
,
leading him. He spotted Cain, who appeared to him as an animal,
. ,
and he told his father to draw the bow, and he killed him. As soon
as he learned that it was his grandfather Cain, he clapped his ,
hands together [in anguish] and clapped his son between them and ,
killed him. So his wives separated from him, and he attempted to :
appease them.
hearken to my voice: to hearken to me to agree to live with me, ,( ):

for was the man I killed, killed because of my wounding? Did I ,
wound him intentionally, that the wound should be attributed to my
,
name? And the child I killed, was he killed by my bruising, i.e., on
, ,
account of my [intentional] bruising? This is a question. Did I not do
it inadvertently and not intentionally? This is not my wound, and , ,
this is not my bruise. is a wound inflicted by a sword or an , .

arrow, machadure in Old French. :[" " ]
24. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then for Lemech it :

shall be seventy seven fold."
If Cain be avenged sevenfold: Cain, who killed intentionally, was :

given an extension until seven generations. How much more ,
should I, who have killed unintentionally, be given many times
:
seven.
seventy-seven fold: Heb. An expression meaning . :

many sevens is used here. So did Rabbi Tanchuma explain it. [This .( )
does not appear in extant editions of Tanchuma, but in Yalkut
) (
Shimoni it is quoted from Tanchuma]. In Midrash Genesis Rabbah
,
(23:4): Lemech did not kill anyone, but his wives separated from
him after they had fulfilled [the commandment of] propagation, ,
because a decree had been issued to destroy Cains seed after ,
seven generations. They said, Why should we give birth in vain? , .
Tomorrow, the Flood will come and inundate everything! He
answered them, Have I slain a man for whom I should be
, ,
wounded? Did I slay Abel, who was a man in stature and a child in
,
years, that my seed should be annihilated for that iniquity? If Cain,
who killed, was given an extension of seven generations, I, who did .
not slay- how much more so should I be given an extension of " ,
many sevens! Now this is an absurd deduction from a minor to a :
major case, [because] if so, the Holy One, blessed be He, could
not exact His debt nor fulfill His word.
25. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son,

and she named him Seth, for God has given me other seed,

instead of Abel, for Cain slew him. :
And Adam knew, etc.: Lemech came to the first man (Adam) and :'
complained about his wives. He (Adam) said to them, Is it for you ,
to be so strict concerning the decree of the Omnipresent? You
,
perform your commandments, and He will do His. They [the wives]
, .
said to him, Correct yourself first. Havent you separated from your
wife already 130 years since death was decreed because of you?
Immediately,And Adam knew, etc. What is the meaning of .' ,
[again]? This is to say that his desire [for Eve] was increased : ,
above his previous desire [Genesis Rabbah 23:4: 5]. See also
Eruvin 18b.
26. And to Seth also to him a son was born, and he named

him Enosh; then it became common to call by the name of :

the Lord.
then it became common: Heb. , is an expression of ) ( :

profaneness: to name people and idols with the name of the Holy "
One, blessed be He, to make them idols and to call them deities.
:
[from Gen. Rabbah 23:7; Baraitha of 49 Methods, quoted in
Yalkut Shimoni]
Genesis Chapter 5
1. This is the narrative of the generations of man; on the

day that God created man, in the likeness of God He :
created him.
This is the narrative of the generations of man: Heb. . This :

is the narrative of the generations of man, and there are many : ,
Aggadic midrashim.
on the day that God created, etc.: This tells us that on the day : :'
that he was created, he begot children. [from Gen. Rabbah 24:7]
2. Male and female He created them, and He blessed

them, and He named them man (Adam) on the day they :

were created.
3. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he

begot in his likeness after his image, and he named him :

Seth.
one hundred and thirty years: Until then, he had separated from :
his wife. [Tanchuma Buber, Bereishith 26]. :
4. And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight

hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. :

5. And all the days of Adam that he lived were nine

hundred and thirty years, and he died. :

6. And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he

begot Enosh. :

7. And Seth lived after he had begotten Enosh eight

hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and :

daughters.
8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve

years, and he died. :

9. And Enosh lived ninety years, and he begot Kenan. :

10. And Enosh lived after he had begotten Kenan eight

hundred and fifteen years, and he begot sons and

daughters. :

11. And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five


12. And Kenan lived seventy years, and he begot :

Mahalalel.
13. And Kenan lived after he had begotten Mahalalel eight

hundred and forty years, and he begot sons and daughters.

:

14. And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten


15. And Mahalalel lived sixty five years, and he begot

Jared. :

16. And Mahalalel lived after he had begotten Jared eight

hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters.

:

17. And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and

ninety five years, and he died. :

18. And Jared lived a hundred and sixty two years, and he

begot Enoch. :

19. And Jared lived after he had begotten Enoch eight

hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. :

20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty

two years, and he died. :

21. And Enoch lived sixty five years, and he begot

Methuselah. :

22. And Enoch walked with God after he had begotten

Methuselah, three hundred years, and he begot sons and

daughters. :

23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty

five years. :
24. And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for

God had taken him. :
And Enoch walked: He was a righteous man, but he could easily :

be swayed to return to do evil. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be " ,
He, hastened and took him away and caused him to die before his
]
time. For this reason, Scripture changed [the wording] in [the
:
account of] his demise and wrote, and he was no longer in the
world to complete his years. [from Gen. Rabbah 25:1]
for God had taken him: Before his time, like (Ezek. 24:16):behold ( [ ) :
I am taking from you the desire of your eyes. - [from Gen. Rabbah :
25:1]
Seventh Portion
Genesis Chapter 5
25. And Methuselah lived a hundred and eighty seven

years, and he begot Lamech. :

26. And Methuselah lived after he had begotten Lamech,

seven hundred and eighty two years, and he begot sons

and daughters. :

27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and

sixty nine years, and he died. :

28. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty two years, and

he begot a son. :

and he begot a son: Heb. , from whom the world was built : :
() . - [from Tanchuma Bereishith 11]
29. And he named him Noah, saying, "This one will give us

rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the

ground, which the Lord has cursed." :

This one will give us rest: Heb. . He will give us rest ( , :

) from the toil of our hands. Before Noah came, they did not
have plowshares, and he prepared [these tools] for them. And the
,
land was producing thorns and thistles when they sowed wheat,
, ,
because of the curse of the first man (Adam), but in Noahs time, it
[the curse] subsided. This is the meaning of . If you do not . , ,
explain it that way, however (but from the root (), the sense of , ,
the word does not fit the name, [ ] , and you would have to name :
him Menachem. [See Gen. Rabbah 25:2] [i.e., If we explain the
word according to its apparent meaning, this one will console us,
the child should have been called Menachem, the consoler.]
30. And Lamech lived after he had begotten Noah, five

hundred and ninety five years, and he begot sons and

daughters. :

31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and

seventy seven years, and he died. :

32. And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot

Shem, Ham, and Japheth. :

five hundred years old: Said Rabbi Judan: What is the reason :
that all the generations begot children at [the age of approximately] ,
one hundred years and this one [Noah, had children] at [the age of]
"
five hundred years? Said the Holy One, blessed be He, If they [his ,
children] are wicked, they will perish in the [flood] water, and it will ,
be bad for this righteous man, and if they are righteous, I will have
,
to burden him with making many arks. He closed his fountain, and

he did not beget [children] until the age of five hundred years, so
that Japheth, his eldest son, should not be liable for punishment ,) (
before the Flood, as it is written (Isa. 65:20):For the youth who is : ,
one hundred years old shall die. [This means: at the age when he]
will be liable for punishment in the future, and so it was before the
giving of the Torah. [from Gen. Rabbah 26:2]
Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Now was not Japheth the eldest? [i.e., :
Why is he mentioned last?] But first you talk about the one who ,
was righteous, born circumcised, and from whom Abraham was
, ,
descended, etc. [from Gen. Rabbah 26:3]
:'
Genesis Chapter 6
1. And it came to pass when man commenced to multiply

upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to :

them.
2. That the sons of the nobles saw the daughters of man

when they were beautifying themselves, and they took for :
themselves wives from whomever they chose.
the sons of the nobles: Heb. , the sons of the princes ). :-

(Targumim) and the judges (Gen. Rabbah 26:5). Another -
explanation: are the princes who go as messengers of
,
the Omnipresent. They too mingled with them (Pirkei dRabbi
, - .(
Eliezer, ch. 22). Every in Scripture is an expression of
authority, and the following proves it (Exod. 4:16): And you shall ,- ) (
be to him as a lord (( ;) ibid. 7:1): See, I have made you a :-) (
lord () .
when they were beautifying themselves: Heb., . Said Rabbi , :

Judan: It is written [ i.e., instead of . Thus it can be read ,
, meaning to beautify.] When they would beautify her, adorned
:
to enter the nuptial canopy, a noble would enter and have relations
with her first (Gen. Rabbah 26:5).
from whomever they chose: Even a married woman, even males , :

and animals (Gen. Rabbah ad loc.). :
3. And the Lord said, "Let My spirit not quarrel forever

concerning man, because he is also flesh, and his days :

shall be a hundred and twenty years."
Let My spirit not quarrel forever: Let My spirit not complain and :
quarrel because of man. :
forever: for a long time. Behold My spirit is quarreling within Me , :

whether to destroy or to have mercy. Let this quarrel in My spirit not ,
endure forever, i.e., for a long time.
: ,
because he is also flesh: Heb. , like , i.e., because this , :

is also in him that he is [only] flesh, and nevertheless, he does not ,
subordinate himself before Me. What if he were fire or a hard
, ,
substance? [i.e., How much greater would his insubordination be!]
, ) (
Similar to this, (Jud. 5:7): Until I Deborah arose () , as if it
were written , and similarly, (ibid. 6:17): that You ( ) are , ) ( .
speaking with me, as if it were written . So too, is like : ,
.
and his days shall be: Until a hundred and twenty years I will :'
delay My wrath towards them, but if they do not repent, I will bring .
a flood upon them. Now if you ask: from the time that Japheth was

born until the Flood are only a hundred years, [I will answer that]
, ,
there is no [sequence of] earlier and later events in the Torah. This
decree had already been issued twenty years before Noah begot
children, and so we find in Seder Olam (ch. 28). There are many .( ) ,
Aggadic midrashim on the words , but this is its clear, simple ,
explanation. :
4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also

afterward, when the sons of the nobles would come to the

daughters of man, and they would bear for them; they are :

the mighty men, who were of old, the men of renown.
The Nephilim: [They were called because they fell ( ) and , :

caused the world to fall (( ) Gen. Rabbah 26:7), and in the :
Hebrew language it means giants (Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer, ch. 22
and Targum Jonathan).
in those days: in the days of the generation of Enosh and the : :

children of Cain.
and also afterward: Although they had seen the destruction of the :
generation of Enosh, when the ocean rose up and inundated a ,
third of the world, the generation of the Flood did not humble
:
themselves to learn from them. [from Mechilta Yithro, Massechta
Bachodesh 6; Sifrei Ekev 743]
whenwould come: They [the mothers] would bear giants like : :

them [the fathers]. [from Gen. Rabbah 26:7]
mighty men: to rebel against the Omnipresent. [Yelammednu, : :

Batei Midrashoth, p. 148]
the men of renown: Heb. Those who were called by , , :

name: Irad, Mechujael, Methushael, who were so named because ,
of their destruction, for they were wiped out ( from )and
, .
uprooted; ( from ) . Another explanation: men of
:
desolation () , who made the world desolate. [from Gen.
Rabbah 26:7]
5. And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the
earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all :

the time.
6. And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the

earth, and He became grieved in His heart. :

And the Lord regretted that He had made: Heb. . It was a : '
consolation to Him that He had created him [man] of the earthly : ,
beings, for had he been one of the heavenly beings, he would have
caused them to rebel. [This appears in Genesis Rabbah (27:40).
and He became grieved: [I.e.,] man [became grieved], : :
in His heart: [the heart] of the Omnipresent. It entered the thought , :

of God to cause him [man] grief. This is the translation of Onkelos , . ,
[i.e., Onkelos supports the view that refers to man]. Another

explanation of : The thought of the Omnipresent turned from
,
the standard of clemency to the standard of justice. It entered His
thoughts to reconsider what to do with man, whom He had made ,
upon the earth. And similarly, every expression of in Scripture ) (
is an expression of reconsidering what to do. [For example] (Num. , ) ( ,
23:19): Nor the son of man that He should change His mind ' ) ,) ( '
(( ;) Deut. 32:36): And concerning His servants He will
, (
change His mind (( ;) Exod. 32:14): And the Lord changed
:
His intent concerning the evil (( ;) I Sam. 15:11): I regret
( ) that I made [Saul] king. These are all an expression of
having second thoughts.
and He became grieved: Heb. , He mourned over the , :

destruction of His handiwork [i.e., according to this second view, . )" (
refers to God], like (II Sam. 19:3): The king is saddened
,
( ) over his son. This I wrote to refute the heretics: A gentile
",
asked Rabbi Joshua ben Korchah, Do you not admit that the Holy
One, blessed be He, foresees the future? He [Rabbi Joshua] . ,
replied to him, Yes. He retorted, But it is written: and He became , ,
grieved in His heart! He [Rabbi Joshua] replied, Was a son ever , .
born to you? Yes, he [the gentile] replied. And what did you do? .
he [Rabbi Joshua] asked. He replied, I rejoiced and made
, ,
everyone rejoice. But did you not know that he was destined to
.
die? he asked. He [the gentile] replied, At the time of joy, joy; at
the time of mourning, mourning. He [Rabbi Joshua] said to him, ,"
So is it with the work of the Holy One, blessed be He; even though
it was revealed before Him that they would ultimately sin, and He :
would destroy them, He did not refrain from creating them, for the
sake of the righteous men who were destined to arise from them. -
7. And the Lord said, "I will blot out man, whom I created,

from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to

creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I :

made them."
And the Lord said,"I will blot out man: He is dust, and I will bring : '
water upon him, and I will blot him out. Therefore, the expression : ,
is used. [from Tan. Buber, Noah 4]
from man to cattle: They too corrupted their way (Gen. Rabbah . :
28:8). Another explanation: Everything was created for mans sake, ,
and since he will be annihilated, what need is there for these [the
:
animals]? (Sanh. 108a).
for I regret that I made them: I am thinking what to do about :

having made them. :
8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. :

Maftir Portion
Genesis Chapter 6
5. And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the
earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all :

the time.
6. And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the

earth, and He became grieved in His heart. :

And the Lord regretted that He had made: Heb. . It was a : '
consolation to Him that He had created him [man] of the earthly : ,
beings, for had he been one of the heavenly beings, he would have
caused them to rebel. [This appears in Genesis Rabbah (27:40).
and He became grieved: [I.e.,] man [became grieved], : :
in His heart: [the heart] of the Omnipresent. It entered the thought , :

of God to cause him [man] grief. This is the translation of Onkelos , . ,
[i.e., Onkelos supports the view that refers to man]. Another

explanation of : The thought of the Omnipresent turned from
,
the standard of clemency to the standard of justice. It entered His
thoughts to reconsider what to do with man, whom He had made ,
upon the earth. And similarly, every expression of in Scripture ) (
is an expression of reconsidering what to do. [For example] (Num. , ) ( ,
23:19): Nor the son of man that He should change His mind ' ) ,) ( '
(( ;) Deut. 32:36): And concerning His servants He will
, (
change His mind (( ;) Exod. 32:14): And the Lord changed
:
His intent concerning the evil (( ;) I Sam. 15:11): I regret
( ) that I made [Saul] king. These are all an expression of
having second thoughts.
and He became grieved: Heb. , He mourned over the , :

destruction of His handiwork [i.e., according to this second view, . )" (
refers to God], like (II Sam. 19:3): The king is saddened
,
( ) over his son. This I wrote to refute the heretics: A gentile
",
asked Rabbi Joshua ben Korchah, Do you not admit that the Holy
One, blessed be He, foresees the future? He [Rabbi Joshua] . ,
replied to him, Yes. He retorted, But it is written: and He became , ,
grieved in His heart! He [Rabbi Joshua] replied, Was a son ever , .
born to you? Yes, he [the gentile] replied. And what did you do? .
he [Rabbi Joshua] asked. He replied, I rejoiced and made
, ,
everyone rejoice. But did you not know that he was destined to
.
die? he asked. He [the gentile] replied, At the time of joy, joy; at
the time of mourning, mourning. He [Rabbi Joshua] said to him, ,"
So is it with the work of the Holy One, blessed be He; even though
it was revealed before Him that they would ultimately sin, and He :
would destroy them, He did not refrain from creating them, for the
sake of the righteous men who were destined to arise from them. -
7. And the Lord said, "I will blot out man, whom I created,

from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to

creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I :

made them."
And the Lord said,"I will blot out man: He is dust, and I will bring : '
water upon him, and I will blot him out. Therefore, the expression : ,
is used. [from Tan. Buber, Noah 4]
from man to cattle: They too corrupted their way (Gen. Rabbah . :
28:8). Another explanation: Everything was created for mans sake, ,
and since he will be annihilated, what need is there for these [the
:
animals]? (Sanh. 108a).
for I regret that I made them: I am thinking what to do about :

having made them. :
8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. :

Haftarah
Isaiah Chapter 42
5. So said God the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and

|

the One Who stretched them out, Who spread out the earth

and what springs forth from it, Who gave a soul to the :
people upon it and a spirit to those who walk thereon.
God the Lord: The Master of justice and the Master of clemency.
the Creator of the heavens: First like a sort of ball of warp thread,
and afterward He stretched it out as it is stated in Tractate Hagigah
(12a).
and what springs forth from it: And He creates what springs
forth from it.
Who gave a soul: A soul of life.
to the people upon it: To all of them equally.
and a spirit: of sanctity.
to those who walk thereon: To those who walk before Him.
6. I am the Lord; I called you with righteousness and I will

strengthen your hand; and I formed you, and I made you for :
a people's covenant, for a light to nations.
I called you: To Isaiah He says.
and I formed you: Heb. . When I formed you ( ) ,

this was My thought, that you return My people to My covenant and
to enlighten them.
for a light to nations: Every tribe is called a nation by itself, as the

matter is stated (Gen. 35:11): A nation and a congregation of

nations.
7. To open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of a dungeon,

those who sit in darkness out of a prison. :
To open blind eyes: who do not see My might, to take heart to

return to Me.
to bring prisoners out of a dungeon: And because their eyes will

be opened, the prisoners will come out of the dungeon. Another
explanation: To inform them of the exile destined to befall them, out
of which they will eventually come.
8. I am the Lord, that is My Name; and My glory I will not

give to another, nor My praise to the graven images. :

that is My Name: This is explained as an expression of Lordship

and power. I must show that I am the Master. Therefore, My glory I
will not give to another, that the heathens shall rule over My people
forever and say that the hand of their God is powerful.
9. The former things, behold they have come to pass, and

the new things I tell; before they sprout I will let you hear. :
The former things: that I promised Abraham concerning the exile

of Egypt (Gen. 15:14), And also the nation etc.
behold they have come to pass: I kept My promise, and now new
things I tell My people, to promise them concerning a second exile.
10. Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of
the earth, those who go down to the sea and those therein, :

the islands and their inhabitants.
His praise from the end of the earth: Perforce, when they see
My mighty deeds for Israel, all the heathens (nations
[Parshandatha, Kli Paz]) will admit that I am God.
those who go down to the sea: Those who embark in ships.
and those therein: Those whose permanent residence is in the

sea and not in the islands, but in the midst of the water, they spill
earth, each one of them, enough for a house, and go from house to
house by boat, like the city of Venice. [As in Warsaw ed. and
Parshandatha.]
11. The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice]; Kedar

shall be inhabited with villages; the rock dwellers shall exult, :
from the mountain peaks they shall shout.
The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice]: their voice in
song.
Kedar shall be inhabited with villages: (Connected to The
desert shall raise. The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell in
tents, shall raise their voice and sing. It is like: And the villages with
which Kedar is settled.) The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell
in tents, will be permanent cities and villages.
rock dwellers: The dead who will be resurrected. So did Jonathan

render this.
from the mountain peaks they shall shout: From the mountain
peaks they shall raise their voices [from Jonathan].
12. They shall give glory to the Lord, and they shall recite :

His praise on the islands.
13. The Lord shall go out like a hero; like a warrior shall He
arouse zeal; He shall shout, He shall even cry, He shall :

overpower His foes.
14. I was silent from time immemorial; I am still, I restrain

Myself. Like a travailing woman will I cry; I will be terrified :
and destroy them together.
I was silent from time immemorial: Already for a long time I have
been silent about the destruction of My Temple, and always
I am still; I restrain Myself: This is present tense. Until now My

spirit has constrained Me, and from now, like a travailing woman
will I cry.
I will be terrified: Heb. , I will be terrified.
and destroy [them] together: And I will long to destroy everyone

together, all My adversaries.
15. I will destroy mountains and hills, and all their grass I

will dry out, and I will make rivers into islands and I will dry :

up the pools.
I will destroy mountains and hills: I will slay kings and rulers.
and all their grass: All their followers.
I will dry out: Heb. . This is an expression of drying, used in

reference to wet things, e.g., grass and rivers.
16. And I will lead the blind on a road they did not know; in

paths they did not know I will lead them; I will make

darkness into light before them, and crooked paths into

straight ones. These things, I will do them and I will not
:
forsake them.
And I will lead the blind: Israel, who were heretofore blind from
looking to Me, I will lead in the good way, upon which they did not
know to walk.
I will do them: Heb. [ lit. I did them], I will do. So is the

language of prophecy, to speak of the future as if it was already
done.
17. They shall turn back greatly ashamed, those who trust

in the graven image, who say to the molten idols, "You are :

our gods."
18. You deaf ones, listen, and you blind ones, look to see. :
You deaf ones and you blind ones: He is referring to Israel.
19. Who is blind but My servant, and deaf as My

messenger whom I will send? He who was blind is as the :

one who received his payment, and he who was blind is as
the servant of the Lord.
Who is blind: among you? There is no one but My servant; he is

the most blind of all of you. And the most deaf among you is like
My messenger whom I send to prophesy prophecies.
He who was blind is as the one who received his payment: He

who was blind among you has already received his chastisements,
and he is as one who was paid all payments due him and has
emerged cleansed.
20. There is much to see but you do not observe, to open

(
)
the ears but no one listens. :
There is much to see: There are many sights before you, and you
do not observe to look at My deeds and to return to Me.
to open the ears: I am busy opening your ears through My

prophets, but none of you listens to My words. This is a present
tense.
21. The Lord desires [this] for His righteousness' sake; He :

magnifies the Torah and strengthens it.
The Lord desires: to show you and to open your ears for His
righteousness sake; therefore, he magnifies and strengthens the
Torah for you.
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
SELECT A PORTION:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th Haftarah Complete

Bereishit Torah Reading - Parshah

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Bereishit Torah Reading - Parshah

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

13/11/2017 Bereishit Torah Reading - Parshah

Torah Reading for Bereishit

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th Haftarah Complete

SHOW CONTENT IN:

Both English Hebrew HIDE RASHI'S COMMENTARY

In the beginning: Said Rabbi Isaac: It was not necessary to begin :

In the beginning of Gods creation of: Heb. . This :

2. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness

astonishingly empty: Heb. . The word is an :

astonishingly empty: Astordison in Old French; [tourdissement :[ " " ]:

: an expression of emptiness and desolation. (This does not : :

5. And God called the light day, and the darkness He

one day: According to the sequence of the language of the ][ :

6. And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of

Let there be an expanse: Let the expanse be strengthened, for, . :

7. And God made the expanse and it separated between

8. And God called the expanse Heaven, and it was

And God called the expanse heaven: Heb. [ This is a , , : -

9. And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the

Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs: does :

because the term applies to the earths covering, when it is

seed-yielding: That its seeds should grow in it from which to sow :

12. And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding

13. And it was evening, and it was morning, a third day. :

14. And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse

Let there be luminaries: Heb., It [the word, is , " :

to separate between the day and between the night: (This :

15. And they shall be for luminaries in the expanse of the

And they shall be for luminaries: In addition, they will serve in : :

and the stars: Because He diminished the moon, He increased its , :

17. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to

19. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fourth day. :

20. And God said, "Let the waters swarm a swarming of

living creatures: That there should be life in them. : :

a swarming: Heb. . Every living thing that is not much higher :

living creature: a creature in which there is life. : :

22. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and

multiply upon the earth."

Andblessed them: Because [people] decimate them and hunt :

Be fruitful: [The word is derived from , fruit, meaning : , :

and multiply: If He had said only, Be fruitful, one would beget :

23. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fifth day. :

living creatures: which have life. (See above, verse 20.) : :

25. And God made the beasts of the earth according to

[angels] were standing on the right to defend, and these [angels] .

in our image: in our form. : :

after our likeness: to understand and to discern. : :

27. And God created man in His image; in the image of

in the image of God He created him: It explains to you that the : -

male and female He created them: Yet further (2:21) Scripture :

2. And God completed on the seventh day His work that

And God completed on the seventh day: Rabbi Shimon said: [A : -

3. And God blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it,

Andblessedand hallowed: He blessed it with manna, for on :

These: mentioned above. : :

was yet on the earth: Every in Scripture has the meaning of :

Because not caused it to rain: Because there was no man to , :

6. And a mist ascended from the earth and watered the

And a mist ascended: Concerning the creation of man, He , :

formed: [, with two yuds, hints at] two creations, a creation , :

and He breathed into his nostrils: He made him of earthly matter , :

8. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the

from the east: Heb. . In the east of Eden, He planted the . :