“God said: Let the earth produce the spirit of living beings by their species, animals, and crawling creatures, and beasts of the earth by their species, and it was so” (Genesis 1:24). “God said: Let the earth produce…” – Rabbi Elazar said: “The spirit of living beings” – this is the life spirit of Adam the first man.23Adam’s life spirit was created at this point, even before his physical body was formed.
“God made the beasts of the earth by their species, and the animals by their species, and every creature that crawls upon the ground by its species, and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25). “God made the beasts of the earth by their species” – Rabbi Hoshaya Rabba said: This is the serpent. Rabbi Ḥama bar Hoshaya said: Regarding souls, it says four items,24“Let the earth produce the spirit of: (1) living beings by their species, (2) animals, and (3) crawling creatures, and (4) beasts of the earth by their species” – four spirits in all. but when they were actually created it says [only three items]: “The beasts of the earth by its species, and the animals by its species, and every creature that crawls upon the ground.”
This is bewildering. Rabbi said: [The extra spirit] refers to the demons, as the Holy One blessed be He created their souls, but when He was about to create their bodies, Shabbat [arrived and] became sanctified and He did not [have time to] create them. This is to teach you proper conduct from the demons: If a person has in his possession a precious object or a gem on the day before Shabbat just before dusk,25It is forbidden to carry anything outdoors on Shabbat. one says to him: ‘Cast it away from you,’26Rather than desecrate Shabbat by carrying it home. as [even] the One who spoke and brought the world into being was engaged in the creation of the world and created their souls [of the demons], but when He was about to create their bodies, Shabbat [arrived and] became sanctified, and He did not create them.