“Craft for you an ark of cypress wood; you shall craft the ark with compartments, and you shall coat it within and without with pitch” (Genesis 6:14). “Craft for you an ark of cypress wood” – Rabbi Isi said: In four places, this expression, “craft,” is stated; in three it [the material] is specified, and in one it is not specified. “Craft for you an ark of [cypress [gofer] wood]…” – Rabbi Natan said: An ark of the wood of kardinon.16Rabbi Natan translates the Hebrew gofer into a more commonly known word, kardinon.
“Craft for you flint knives” (Joshua 5:2) – it was specified, knives of flint. “Craft for you silver trumpets” (Numbers 10:2), it was specified. “Craft for you a serpent” (Numbers 21:8) – it [its material] was not specified. Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Aivu: “Let the wise man hear and gain a lesson” (Proverbs 1:5) – this is Moses, as the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Craft for you a serpent” (Numbers 21:8), but did not specify [the material].
He said: ‘If I craft it of gold, this word is not related to that word; if of silver, this word is not related to that word.17Serpent [naḥash] does not correspond to gold [zahav] or silver [kesef]. But rather, I will craft it of bronze [neḥoshet], as the words are related,’ as it is stated: “Moses crafted a bronze serpent [neḥash] (Numbers 21:9). From here we learn the Torah was given in the sacred tongue [Hebrew].18The similarity between the words for “serpent” and “bronze” occurs only in Hebrew.
Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥizkiya in the name of Rabbi Simon: Just as the Torah was given in the sacred tongue, so, the world was created in the sacred tongue. Have you ever heard anyone saying: Gyne,19“Woman” in Greek. gynea;20This would be the masculine form of gyne, but it is not the Greek word for “man,” which is anthropos. anthropos,21Man in Greek. anthropa;22This would be the feminine form of anthropos, but it is not the Greek word for “woman,” which is gyne. gavra,23Man in Aramaic. gavreta?24This would be the feminine form of gavra, but it is not the Aramaic word for “woman,” which is itta.
There are completely different, unrelated words for man and woman in Greek and Aramaic. But ish and isha [makes sense]. Why, because one form corresponds to the other.25Hebrew is the only language in which it makes sense to say, “This one shall be called Woman [isha], because this was taken from Man [ish]” (Genesis 2:23), as isha is the feminine form of ish.