Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Elazar, and Rabbi Menaḥem in the name of Rav said: Adam the first man learned all the crafts [in the world]. What is the source? “And craftsmen, they are me’adam” (Isaiah 44:11) – from Adam the first man. He learned even how to score a parchment,19Even though this is not a skill that is crucial for survival. as it is stated: “This is the book” – it and its scoring. “[This is the book of the descendants of Adam,] on the day that God created man” – this supports what Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: Three miracles occurred on that day: On that day they [Adam and Eve] were created, on that day they cohabited, and on that day they produced offspring.
Ben Azzai says: “This is the book of the descendants of Adam” – this verse represents the central tenet of the Torah.20As it teaches that all men are created in the likeness of God, and therefore they should treat each other with respect and consideration. This is the basic tenet upon which the rest of the Torah is based. Rabbi Akiva says: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) – that verse represents the central tenet of the Torah, [as it teaches] that you should not say: Since I have been disparaged, let someone else be disparaged along with me; since I was cursed, let someone else be cursed along with me.
Rabbi Tanḥuma said: If you do act like that, know who it is that you are disgracing: “in the likeness of God He made him” (Genesis 5:1).