Garments of Light and the Splendid Clothing of the First Adam

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 34:1

In the Torah scroll of Rabbi Meir they found written "garments of light" [katenot or, read with an aleph for the word meaning 'light' rather than 'skin']. These were the garments of the first Adam, which resembled a lantern, wide below and narrow above, smooth as a fingernail and fair as a pearl, like the fine linen vessels that come from Beit She'an. "Garments of skin" - because they clung to the skin, and in them the firstborn performed the service. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: they were of camel's wool and rabbit's wool. "Garments of skin" - because they came from skin. Rabbi Levi said: The Torah taught you proper conduct - eat according to your means. "From every tree of the garden you may eat" (Genesis 2:16), but dress less than what you eat, "And He made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin"; and spend on others more than you wear, for behold, two of them dwelt in the whole world entire.

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