Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"The human" (Genesis 2:7). [He was created] by the merit of Abraham, as it is written, "the greatest human among the giants" (Joshua 14:15) - this refers to Abraham. And why is he called "the great human"? Because he ought to have been created before Adam, the first human. But the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Perhaps he will ruin things and there will be no one to come and repair after him. Where does a person place a beam that overhangs? Not in the middle of the palace, but [at the edge], so that it can bear the beams before it and after it. So too Abraham was created in the middle of the generations, so that he might bear the generations before him and after him. One brings the well-ordered woman into the house of the disordered one, and one does not bring a disordered woman into the house of the well-ordered. "Dust" (afar) - this hints at "a fawn (ofer) of the world." Just as the world was created in its full ripeness, so Eve was created in her full ripeness. Adam and Eve were created like persons of twenty years of age. "Dust" indicates the male; "from the ground" indicates the female. The Maker brings dust for the male and earth for the female, so that His vessels should be sound. "From the ground" (Genesis 2:7) - he was created from the place of his atonement, as you say, "An altar of earth you shall make for Me" (Exodus 20:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I am making him from the place of his atonement; would that he may stand firm.

"And He breathed into his nostrils" (Genesis 2:7) - this teaches that He set him up as a lifeless form reaching from the earth to the firmament, and then cast a soul into him. For in this world life comes by breathing, but in the time to come it will come by giving, as it says, "And I will put My spirit within you and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:14). Five names are given to it [the soul]: nefesh - this is the blood, as it says, "for the blood is the life (nefesh)" (Deuteronomy 12:23). Ruach - because it rises and descends, as it says, "Who knows the spirit (ruach) of the children of man, whether it goes upward" (Ecclesiastes 3:21). Neshamah - this is the disposition [text uncertain]; the creatures say, this is a good disposition. Chayah (living one) - because all the limbs die but it lives on in the body. Yechidah (unique one) - because all the limbs come in pairs but it alone is single in the body. This soul fills the whole body, and when a person sleeps it ascends and draws life for him from above. And for every breath that a person breathes he must praise the Holy One, blessed be He. What is the reason? "Let every breath praise the LORD" (Psalms 150:6) - upon every breath. "And the human became a living being" (Genesis 2:7) - this teaches that He made for him a tail like an animal and then removed it from him for the sake of his dignity. He made him a laborer who must toil, for if he does not labor he does not eat, as it is written, "The LORD has given me [into the hands of those I cannot withstand]" (Lamentations 1:14): he toils in Torah by night and by day and does not reach its end. Here Scripture calls the soul nefesh and elsewhere it calls the soul ruach; from where do we know to apply what is said there here and what is said here there? Scripture teaches by saying "life, life" - as a verbal analogy [gezeira shava].

Rabbi Yose says: A person is not permitted to afflict himself with fasts, lest he become dependent on his fellow creatures and the creatures show him no mercy. What is Rabbi Yose's reasoning? As it is written, "And the human became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). The Torah said: the soul that I have given you - keep it alive.

"And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east" (Genesis 2:8). Why is the full Name mentioned with this planting? Because from the beginning of its creation it required intention. Before a child is formed in its mother's womb, the person must set right its winds [its disposition; text uncertain]. They were like the horns of locusts, and the Holy One, blessed be He, uprooted them and replanted them within the Garden of Eden. "A garden in Eden": Rabbi Yehuda says, the garden is larger than Eden. Rabbi Yose says, Eden is larger than the garden, as it says, "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden" (Genesis 2:10). On Rabbi Yose's view the runoff of a large field waters only a small measure; on Rabbi Yehuda's view it is like a spring set in a garden that waters the whole garden. The Holy One, blessed be He, enlightened the eyes of Rabbi Yose and he found a deciding verse, "And He made her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD" (Isaiah 51:3). "In the east" (mikedem): you might think before the creation of the world, but it is not so; rather, before the first human. The human was created on the sixth day and the Garden of Eden was created on the third. "And the LORD God caused to grow out of the ground" (Genesis 2:9). It was taught: the Tree of Life spreads over all living things; the Tree of Life is a journey of five hundred years, and all the waters of creation branch out beneath it. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: there are two gates of carbuncle in the Garden of Eden, and over them six hundred thousand ministering angels, the radiance of each one's face shining like the brightness of the firmament. When a righteous one comes to them, they strip from him the garments in which he stood in the grave and clothe him in eight garments of the clouds of glory. They set two crowns upon his head, one of precious stones and pearls and one of fine gold, and place eight myrtles in his hand, and they praise him and say to him, "Go, eat your bread with joy" (Ecclesiastes 9:7). They bring him into a place of flowing streams surrounded by eight hundred kinds of roses and myrtles, and each one has a canopy of its own according to his honor, as it says, "for over all the glory shall be a canopy" (Isaiah 4:5). Four rivers flow from it, one of milk, one of wine, one of honey [and one of balsam]. Above every canopy is a vine of gold with thirty pearls set in it, and each one shines like the brightness of dawn. In every canopy is a table of precious stones and pearls, and sixty angels stand at the head of each righteous one and say to him: Go, eat honey with joy, for you occupied yourself with Torah, which is likened to honey, as it says, "sweeter than honey" (Psalms 19:11); and drink wine preserved in its grapes from the six days of creation, for you occupied yourself with Torah, which is likened to wine. The plainest among them is like the likeness of Joseph and like the likeness of Rabbi Yochanan. There is no night among them, as it says, "the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn" (Proverbs 4:18). They are renewed three times in the day. In the first watch he becomes a child and enters the company of children and rejoices the joy of children; in the second watch he becomes a youth and enters the company of youths and rejoices the joy of youths; in the third watch he becomes an elder and enters the company of elders and rejoices the joy of elders. There are eighty myriads of kinds of trees in the Garden of Eden in each of its corners; the least of them is finer than all spice trees. In each corner are six hundred thousand ministering angels singing in a sweet voice. The Tree of Life is in the center, its boughs covering all of the Garden of Eden, and it has five hundred thousand flavors, no one like another and no scent like another, and clouds of glory above it. From the four winds they strike it and its scent travels from one end of the world to the other. Beneath it sit the scholars of Torah who expound the Torah, each with two canopies, one of stars and one of sun and moon, and between each canopy a curtain of the clouds of glory; and within it [the garden] are three hundred and ten worlds, as it says, "to cause those who love Me to inherit substance (yesh)" (Proverbs 8:21) - "yesh" in gematria is three hundred and ten. Within it are seven companies of the righteous. The first are those slain by the kingdom, such as Rabbi Akiva and his companions; the second, those drowned in the sea; the third, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and his disciples - what was his power? That he used to say: if all the heavens were parchment and all human beings were scribes and all the forests pens, they could not write down what I learned from my teachers, and I diminished from them only as much as a dog laps from the sea. The fourth company, those upon whom the cloud descended and covered them. The fifth, the penitents, for in the place where penitents stand the wholly righteous cannot stand. The sixth, the unmarried who never tasted the taste of sin in their days. The seventh, the poor who have Scripture, Mishnah, and decent conduct; of them Scripture says, "let all who take refuge in You rejoice, forever let them sing for joy" (Psalms 5:12). And the Holy One, blessed be He, sits among them and expounds the Torah to them, as it says, "My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me" (Psalms 101:6). And the Holy One, blessed be He, did not publicize the honor prepared for them in still fuller measure, as it says, "No eye has seen, O God, besides You, what He will do for the one who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:3).

Seven things were created before the world was created: the Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehinnom, the Throne of Glory and the Temple, and the name of the Messiah. The Torah, from where? As it says, "The LORD acquired me as the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8:22). Repentance, from where? As it says, "Before the mountains were brought forth... and You said, Return, O children of man" (Psalms 90:2-3). The Garden of Eden, from where? As it says, "And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east" (Genesis 2:8). Gehinnom, from where? As it says, "For Tophet is ordained from of old" (Isaiah 30:33). The Throne of Glory and the Temple, from where? As it says, "A throne of glory on high from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary" (Jeremiah 17:12). The name of the Messiah, from where? As it says, "Before the sun, his name shall be continued" (Psalms 72:17).

And some say: the Torah and the Throne of Glory were [actually] created, while the others arose in thought to be created [but were not yet made]. And the Torah preceded the Throne of Glory, as it is written, "The LORD acquired me as the beginning of His way, before His works of old" (Proverbs 8:22) - earlier than the Throne of Glory, of which it is written, "Your throne is established from of old" (Psalms 93:2).

Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: by thirty-two rules the aggadah is expounded, and this is one of them: a matter that is not explained in its own place but is explained in another place. How so? "And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden" and "the LORD caused to grow every tree" (Genesis 2:8-9). I might understand that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in the Garden of Eden every tree of food and every kind of delicacy, but we have not heard that He created for it canopies of gold and precious stones and pearls. And where have we heard this? In another place, as it says, "You were in Eden, the garden of God... every precious stone was your covering" (Ezekiel 28:13).

This belongs to the category in which an action is recorded afterward, and that later account is nothing other than the detailing of the first, general statement. How so? Scripture says, "And God created the human in His image" (Genesis 1:27). This is a general statement. After it, Scripture details the doing of it: "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall, and He built up the rib" (as in Genesis 2:21-22), as explained above in section sixteen.

"And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." What was that tree from which the first man ate? Rabbi Meir says: it was wheat. For when a person has no understanding, people say, "That man has not eaten a piece of wheat bread in his days." Is it possible it was wheat, when Scripture writes "tree"? They were tall as the cedar of Lebanon.

(They exchanged their words.) Rabbi Yehudah says: they were grapes, as it is said, "Their grapes are grapes of gall" (Deuteronomy 32:32) and so on; those clusters brought bitterness into the world. Rabbi Abba of Akko said: it was a citron (etrog), as it is written, "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food" (Genesis 3:6) and so on. You may ask: which is the tree whose wood is eaten like its fruit? You find none but the citron. Rabbi Yose says: they were figs. He learns it from its own matter, by way of a parable of a prince who corrupted himself with one of his father's maidservants. When the king heard, he banished him and put him outside the palace. The prince went around to the doors of the maidservants, and they would not receive him; but the one with whom he had sinned opened her door and took him in. So when the first man ate from that tree, the Holy One, blessed be He, banished him and put him outside the Garden of Eden, and he went around to all the trees and they would not receive him. What did they say to him? "Here is the thief who stole the mind of his Creator." This is what is written, "Let not the foot of pride come against me" (Psalms 36:12), the foot that grew proud against its Creator, "and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away," do not strip leaves from me. But the fig tree, because he had eaten of its fruit, opened its door and received him, as it is written, "And they sewed fig leaves" (Genesis 3:7). What kind of fig was it? The variety called "daughter of seven," for it brought seven days of mourning into the world. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: God forbid, He did not reveal that tree and is not destined to reveal it. See what is written, "And a woman who draws near to any beast to mate with it" (Leviticus 20:16) and so on. If the human sinned, what did the beast sin? Only that the beast should not pass through the marketplace and people say, "This is the beast on whose account so-and-so was stoned." And if the Holy One, blessed be He, spared the honor of His creatures, how much more does He spare His own honor.

"And a river went out from Eden" (Genesis 2:10). When the world was made whole for its Creator, it would pour out four rivers from a single channel. "The name of the first is Pishon" (Genesis 2:11): it grows flax (pishtan), and its waters flow gently. "It is the one that surrounds the whole land of Havilah" (Genesis 2:11): there was as yet no Havilah, but "He declares the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). "Where there is gold" (Genesis 2:11), gold for certain. "And the gold of that land is good" (Genesis 2:12): good for one at home, good for one on a journey. A great good did the Holy One, blessed be He, allot to His world. A person breaks a single gold coin and meets many expenses with it. The world was not worthy to make use of gold; and why was it created? For the sake of the Temple, as it says, "And the gold of that land is good," like that which you say, "this good mountain and Lebanon" (Deuteronomy 3:25). "There is the bdellium and the onyx stone" (Genesis 2:12). Do you suppose it is like the bdellium of the perfumers? Its companion declares concerning it: just as that is a precious stone, so is this a precious stone. "It is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush" (Genesis 2:13): Cush did not yet stand, but "He declares the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). "Perat" (Genesis 2:14): the source-channel of the four rivers, as it is written, "to the great river, the river Perat" (Genesis 15:18). But is it not written, "I was beside the great river, which is the Tigris" (Daniel 10:4)? Because Daniel saw two dreams, one at the Tigris [and one at the Ulai], and the Tigris appeared greater than the Ulai, therefore he calls it great.

Another interpretation: because the Perat rose up and encircled the whole land of Israel, of which it is written, "For what great nation is there" (Deuteronomy 4:7), it is called great. As the common proverb says: the servant of a king is a king; cleave to the official and they will bow to you.

It is the Perat, and it is the river Kevar. "Perat," because it is fruitful and multiplies (pareh ve-raveh) until they cross it by boat. "Perat," because it separates and goes on (mafrid) until it runs out and they open it with a hoe. "Kevar," because its waters are light, so much so that its fruits are coarse and do not pass down through a sieve (kevarah).

The Perat is the masculine principle of waters. For Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: one who vows away water that comes from the Perat is forbidden all the water in the world, for Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: all rivers are beneath three rivers, and the three rivers are beneath the Perat. But are there not springs that rise up? Those are the ladders of the Perat. Rabbi Meir says: its name is Yuval, as it says, "and by a stream (yuval) it sends out its roots" (Jeremiah 17:8). And the Sages say: its name is Perat, because its waters are fruitful and multiply. Shmuel supports this, who said: a river is blessed from its banks. And this differs with Rav, who said: rain in the west is a great witness for the Perat. Rav Huna said: "Perat" stands on its own, "Kevar" stands on its own. They say to the Perat: why is your sound not heard? It answers them: my deeds make me known. A man plants a planting in me and it rises in thirty days; they sow a sowing in me and it rises in three days. They say to the Tigris: why is your sound heard? It says: would that I might make my sound heard and be seen. They say to the fruit trees: why is your sound not heard? They say: we have no need, our fruits make us known. They say to the barren trees: why is your sound heard? They say: would that our sound were heard and we were seen. Rav Huna said: that is not the reason; rather, fruit trees, because they are heavy with fruit, their sound does not travel; barren trees, because they are light of fruit, therefore their sound travels, as it is written, "and his heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble" (Isaiah 7:2). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to make the nations drink a cup of poison from the place where judgment goes out. What is the reason? "And a river goes out from Eden" (Genesis 2:10): these are the four kingdoms corresponding to the four heads. "The name of the first is Pishon": this is Babylon, by reason of "and their horsemen spread (pashu) themselves" (Habakkuk 1:8); "it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Havilah," it rose up and encircled the whole land of Israel, of which is written, "Hope (hochili) in God" and "for I shall yet praise Him" (Psalms 42:6). "Where there is gold": these are the words of Torah, which are more desirable than gold; "and the gold of that land is good," teaching that there is no Torah like the Torah of the land of Israel, and no wisdom like the wisdom of the land of Israel. "There is the bdellium and the onyx stone": Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, Tosefta, and Aggadah. "And the name of the second river is Gihon": this is Media, where Haman glided like a serpent, by reason of "upon your belly (gehoncha) you shall go" (Genesis 3:14); "it is the one that surrounds the whole land of Cush," by reason of "who reigned from India to Cush" (Esther 1:1). "And the name of the third river is Tigris (Hiddekel)": this is Greece, which was sharp and swift (hadah ve-kalah) in decree, for it would say to Israel, "Write on the horn of the ox that you have no portion in the God of Israel." "It is the one that goes east of Asshur": all the kings are called by the name Asshur because they enrich themselves (mit'ashrot) from Israel; all the kingdoms are called by the name Nineveh because they beautify themselves (mitna'ot) from Israel; all the kingdoms are called by the name Egypt because they oppress (metzerot) Israel. "And the fourth river is the Perat": this is the fourth kingdom, which crushed and oppressed (hefirah ve-hetzerah) His children, which crushed and oppressed the world. "Perat," because it was fruitful and multiplied from the blessing of the old man. "Perat," because I am destined to exact payment from it in the end. "Perat," by reason of its end, "a winepress (purah) I have trodden alone" (Isaiah 63:3).

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: the whole world drinks from the runoff of the Garden of Eden, as it is said, "And a river goes out from Eden" (Genesis 2:10) and so on. It was taught: from the runoff (of the Garden of Eden, which is sixty times more than the whole world, for one kor is thirty se'ah, and a se'ah is four kav), a field of a kor's size drinks a half-se'ah measure.

"And the gold of that land is good" (Genesis 2:12). The verse stating that this gold is good implies that there is also gold that is not good. Rav Chisda said: There are seven kinds of gold: gold, good gold, gold of Ophir, gold of mufaz, beaten gold, closed gold, and gold of parim [bullocks]. Plain gold and good gold, as it is written, "And the gold of that land is good." Gold of Ophir, which comes from Ophir. Gold of mufaz, which resembles pure topaz. Beaten gold, which is spun out fine like a thread. Closed gold [sagur], for when its shop opens, all the other shops close [its value is so great that no one buys ordinary gold]. Gold of bullocks [parim], which resembles the blood of bullocks. Rav said: There were five kinds, and each and every one of them contains both gold and good gold.

"And the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden" (Genesis 2:15). Rabbi Yehudah says: He elevated him, as in the verse, "And the peoples shall take them and bring them to their place" (Isaiah 14:2). Rabbi Nechemiah says: He persuaded him, as in the verse, "Take words with you" (Hosea 14:3). Rabbi Yudan says: He gave him rest, and shielded him, and made him delicate and pampered with all the trees of the Garden of Eden. "And He placed him [vayanichehu]" means that He gave him the commandment of the Shabbat, as in the verse, "And He rested [vayanach] on the seventh day" (Exodus 20:11). "To work it [le'ovdah]" corresponds to "Six days you shall labor" (Exodus 20:9). "And to keep it [uleshomrah]" corresponds to "Keep [shamor] the day of the Shabbat" (Deuteronomy 5:12).

Another interpretation of "to work it and to keep it": these refer to the sacrificial offerings, as it is said, "You shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12), and "You shall keep to offer to Me in its appointed time" (Numbers 28:2). "And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it." Lest you say there is labor in the Garden of Eden, such as breaking up and hoeing the soil, but do not all the trees grow on their own? Or lest you say there is labor in the Garden of Eden, such as watering the garden, but is it not written, "A river goes out from Eden to water the garden" (Genesis 2:10)? Rather, "to work it and to keep it" means to engage in the words of Torah and to keep its commandments, as it is said, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), and as the verse says, "It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it" (Proverbs 3:18).

"And the LORD God commanded the man" (Genesis 2:16). Our Rabbis taught: The children of Noah were commanded seven commandments: laws of justice, blessing [i.e. cursing] the Name, idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, bloodshed, and robbery, and a limb torn from a living animal. Rabbi Chanina ben Gamliel says: Also concerning blood taken from a living animal. Rabbi Chidka says: Also concerning castration. Rabbi Shimon says: Also concerning sorcery. Rabbi Yose says: Concerning everything stated in the passage about sorcery a son of Noah is warned, "There shall not be found among you one who passes his son through fire... and because of these abominations the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12); He punished only because He had first warned. Rabbi Elazar says: Also concerning forbidden mixtures [kilayim]. The children of Noah are permitted to wear mixed fabrics and to sow mixed seeds; they are forbidden only the crossbreeding of animals and the grafting of trees. From where are these derived? Rabbi Yochanan said: For the verse states "and He commanded [vayetzav]" - these are the laws of justice, and so it says, "For I have known him, that he will command" (Genesis 18:19). "The LORD" - this is cursing the Name, and so it says, "And one who blasphemes the name of the LORD" (Leviticus 24:16). "God" - this is idolatry, and so it says, "You shall not have other gods" (Exodus 20:3). "Concerning the man" - this is bloodshed, and so it says, "One who sheds the blood of man" (Genesis 9:6). "Saying" - this is forbidden sexual relations, and so it says, "Saying, if a man sends away his wife" (Jeremiah 3:1). "From every tree of the garden" - and not robbery. "You may surely eat" - and not a limb torn from a living animal. When Rabbi Yitzchak came, he taught the opposite assignments. "And He commanded" - this is idolatry. What is the implication? Rav Chisda and Rav Yitzchak bar Avdimi differed: one said from "They have turned aside quickly from the way" (Exodus 32:8); the other said from "Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he willingly went after the command" (Hosea 5:11). The difference between them concerns a gentile who made an idol but did not bow to it: the one who derives it from "they made" holds him liable from the moment of making; the one who derives it from "he willingly went after the command" holds him liable only once he goes after it and worships it. Our Rabbis taught: "But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat" (Genesis 9:4) - this is a limb torn from a living animal. Rabbi Chanina ben Gamliel says: It refers to blood taken from a living animal; he reads it, "its blood with its life you shall not eat." And the Rabbis hold that verse comes to permit creeping creatures [otherwise]. Rabbi Shimon says: Also concerning sorcery, for it is written, "You shall not let a sorceress live" (Exodus 22:17), and it is written, "Whoever lies with a beast" (Exodus 22:18); whoever is included in "whoever lies" is included in "you shall not let a sorceress live." Rabbi Elazar says: Also concerning forbidden mixtures, for the verse states, "You shall keep My statutes" (Leviticus 19:19) - statutes that I already enacted for you long ago: "You shall not crossbreed your animal with mixed kinds; you shall not sow your field with mixed kinds." And were the children of Noah commanded concerning laws of justice? Has it not been taught: Israel was given ten commandments at Marah - the seven that the children of Noah had accepted, and they added to them laws of justice, as it is written, "There He set for them a statute and an ordinance" (Exodus 15:25), and Shabbat and honoring father and mother, as it is written, "as the LORD your God commanded you" (Deuteronomy 5:16), and Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: "as He commanded you" means at Marah? Rav Pappa said: This Tanna is of the school of Menasheh, who removes "justice and cursing" and inserts "castration and forbidden mixtures." For the school of Menasheh taught: The children of Noah were commanded seven commandments: idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, bloodshed, robbery, a limb from a living animal, castration, and forbidden mixtures. Rabbi Yehudah says: Also concerning cursing the Name. And some say: Also concerning laws of justice. According to whom is the teaching of Rav Yehudah: "And the LORD God commanded the man" - I am God, do not curse Me; I am God, do not exchange Me [for idols]; I am God, let My fear be upon you? According to the view of "some say." And the school of Menasheh, if it does not expound "and He commanded," from where does it derive these laws? In truth it does not expound it, and each of these is written on its own. Idolatry and forbidden relations, as it is written, "And the earth was corrupt" (Genesis 6:11), and the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Wherever "corruption" is stated it refers only to idolatry and forbidden relations - idolatry, as it is written, "lest you act corruptly" (Deuteronomy 4:16); forbidden relations, as it is written, "for all flesh had corrupted" (Genesis 6:12). Bloodshed, as it is written, "one who sheds the blood of man" (Genesis 9:6). Robbery, as it is written, "like the green herb I have given you all" (Genesis 9:3); and Rav Levi said, like the green herb of the field and not like the green herb of a garden [i.e. not what belongs to another]. A limb from a living animal, as it is written, "But flesh with its life, its blood" (Genesis 9:4). Castration, as it is written, "Swarm in the earth and multiply in it" (Genesis 9:7). Forbidden mixtures, as it is written, "of the birds after their kind" (Genesis 6:20).

"For on the day you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). [The doubled wording "die you shall die" teaches:] death for Adam, death for Eve, death for him [in this generation], and death for his descendants.

"And the LORD said, it is not good" (Genesis 2:18). This is one of the ten utterances [ma'amarot] by which the world was created. And there are some who say [the tenth utterance is] "And the spirit of God hovered" (Genesis 1:2). Rabbi Yaakov ben Kurshai says: A separate utterance was given to the spirit on its own.

Rav Nachman said in the name of Shmuel: Even though a man has several children, it is forbidden for him to remain without a wife, for it is said, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

Rabbi Tanchum bar Chanilai said: Any man who has no wife dwells without good, as it is written, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18); without joy, as it is written, "And you shall rejoice, you and your household" (Deuteronomy 14:26); without blessing, as it is written, "to cause a blessing to rest upon your house" (Ezekiel 44:30); without Torah, as it is written, "Is my help not within me?" (Job 6:13); without a protecting wall, as it is written, "A woman shall encompass a man" (Jeremiah 31:21); without peace, as it is written, "And you shall know that your tent is at peace" (Job 5:24). Rabbi Elazar said: Any man who has no wife is not a [complete] man, as it is said, "Male and female He created them... and He called their name Adam [man]" (Genesis 5:2). Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of the verse, "I will make him a helper corresponding to him [kenegdo]" (Genesis 2:18)? If he merits, she is a helper [ezer]; if he does not merit, she is against him [kenegdo]. Some say: if he merits, she is corresponding to him; if he does not merit, she strikes him [menagadto]. Rabbi Yose said to Elijah: In what way is a woman a help to a man? He said to him: A man brings home wheat - does he chew wheat raw? He brings home flax - does he wear flax unspun? Is she not therefore the one who brightens his eyes and sets him upon his feet?

It was taught: Whoever has no wife dwells without help, as it is said, "I will make a helper corresponding to him"; without atonement, as it is said, "and he shall make atonement for himself and for his household" (Leviticus 16:6); without life, as it is said, "See life with a wife" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). "I will make him a helper" (ezer kenegdo): if he merits, she is a help (ezer); if not, she is against him (kenegdo). If he merits, she is like the wife of Hananiah ben Hakhinai; if not, like the wife of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Rabbi Yose the Galilean had married his sister's daughter, and she despised him. His students said to him, "Divorce her." He said, "I have nothing from which to pay her marriage settlement." They said, "We will pay the settlement." He divorced her, and she went and married the town watchman. In the end he went blind, and she would lead him by the hand begging through the streets of the town. Whenever they reached the street of Rabbi Yose the Galilean, she would stop and turn back. Since her husband knew that street well, on the first and second day he began to beat her. Rabbi Yose the Galilean went down to them at the sound of their quarrel and said, "Why are you beating her?" The man said, "Every day she deprives me of the income of this street." When Rabbi Yose the Galilean heard this, he took the two of them and settled them in one of his houses and provided for them from his own funds all the days of their lives, on account of "and do not hide yourself from your own flesh" (Isaiah 58:7). "And the LORD God formed from the ground" (Genesis 2:19). But it is already written, "And God said, let the earth bring forth a living creature"? There it speaks of creation, and here of subduing, as in "when you besiege (tatzur) a city" (Deuteronomy 20:19) [reading va-yitzer as related to laying siege, that is, mastery]. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said He would create the human being, He took counsel with the ministering angels. He said to them, "Let us make a human." They said, "This human, what is his nature?" He said, "His wisdom is greater than yours." He brought before them beast, animal, and bird and said, "What is this one's name?" and they did not know. He passed them before Adam and said, "What is its name?" He answered, "This one's name is ox, this is donkey, this is horse, this is camel." He asked, "And you, what is your name?" He said, "It is fitting that I be called Adam, for I was created from the earth (adamah)." "And what is My name?" He said, "It is fitting that You be called the LORD, for You are Lord over all." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am the LORD, that is My name, which the first man called Me." He passed them before him again in pairs. Adam said, "Each has a mate, but I have no mate": "and for Adam no helper corresponding to him was found." And why did He not create her for him at the start? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that he would in the end bring a complaint against her, so He did not create her for him until he asked for her with his own mouth. "And the LORD God cast a deep sleep" (Genesis 2:21). When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the first man, the ministering angels erred and sought to say "Holy" before him. A parable: a king and a governor were riding in a chariot, and the townspeople wished to hail the king but did not know which one he was. What did the king do? He pushed the governor out of the chariot, and all knew that this was the governor. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, cast sleep upon Adam, and all knew that he was only a man, as it is said, "Cease from the man in whose nostrils is breath" (Isaiah 2:22). "And the LORD God cast a deep sleep." The beginning of a fall is sleep: if a man sleeps, he does not labor in Torah; if he sleeps, he does no work. There are three deep sleeps: the sleep of slumber, "and the LORD cast a deep sleep"; the sleep of prophecy, "a deep sleep fell upon Abram" (Genesis 15:12); and the sleep of stupor, "none seeing, none knowing, none awaking, for they were all asleep, for a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them." And some say also the deep sleep of folly, "for the LORD has poured upon you a spirit of deep sleep and has closed your eyes" (Isaiah 29:10). There are three faint shadows: sleep is a faint shadow of death, a dream a faint shadow of prophecy, the Sabbath a faint shadow of the world to come. And some say: the sphere of the sun is a faint shadow of the light above, the Torah a faint shadow of the wisdom above. "And He took one of his ribs." From between his two ribs. It does not say "beneath it" here but "beneath her." From the beginning of the book until here the letter samekh is not written; once Eve was created, the Adversary (Satan) was created. If a man says to you, "It is the one that surrounds the whole land of Havilah," say to him, "Scripture speaks of rivers." "Beneath her": He made beauty for his lower part so that he would not be disgraced like a beast; He made him a lock and a covering pressed upon it so that he would not be pained when he sat; He made him cushions; He made him a grave; He made him shrouds. A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yose, "Why by theft [was Eve taken in his sleep]?" He said to her, "A parable: if a man deposited with you an ounce of silver in secret and you returned to him a pound of gold in public, is that theft?" She said, "Then why secretly?" He said, "At first He created her for him, and he saw her and was repelled, so He removed her and created her for him a second time." She said, "I add to your words. I had been betrothed to my mother's brother, but because I grew up with him in the house I became unattractive in his eyes, and he went and married another woman not as beautiful as I." It once happened that a certain pious man was married to a pious woman, and they had no children. They said, "We are of no use to the Holy One, blessed be He," and he divorced her. He went and married a wicked woman, and she made him wicked; and she went and married a wicked man, and she made him righteous. Thus all depends on the woman. They asked Rabbi Yehoshua: Why does a man go out [of the womb] face downward and a woman face upward? He said, "The man looks toward the place of his creation [the earth], and the woman toward the place of her creation [the man's rib]." Why must a woman perfume herself and a man need not? He said, "Adam was created from the earth, and earth does not rot; Eve was created from bone, and if you leave flesh three days without salt it at once rots." Why does a woman's voice carry and a man's does not? He said, "If you fill a pot with meat its voice does not carry, but when you put a bone into it its voice at once carries." Why is a man easily enticed and a woman not easily enticed? He said, "Adam was created from earth; once you put a single drop of water on it, it dissolves at once; Eve was created from bone, and even if you soak it many times it does not dissolve." Why does a man court a woman and a woman not court a man? He said, "A parable: one who has lost something seeks his lost object, and his lost object does not seek him" [the man lost his rib]. Why does a man deposit seed in a woman and not a woman in a man? He said, "One who holds a deposit seeks a trustworthy person with whom to leave it." Why does a man go out bareheaded and a woman with covered head? He said, "Like one who has committed a transgression and is ashamed before people; therefore she goes out with covered head." Why do women walk first before a corpse? Because they brought death into the world. Why was the commandment of menstrual separation given to her? Because she shed the blood of the first man. Why the commandment of dough offering (challah)? Because she ruined the first man, who was the completed dough offering of the world. Why the commandment of the Sabbath lamp? Because she extinguished the soul of Adam, who is called "the lamp of the LORD is the soul of man" (Proverbs 20:27). Caesar said to Rabban Gamliel, "Your God is a thief, for it is written, 'and the LORD cast a deep sleep upon the man' [and then stole his rib]." His daughter said to him, "Leave him to me, and I will answer him." She said, "Give me one officer." He said, "Why do you need him?" She said, "Robbers came upon us in the night and took from us a silver flask and left us a flask of gold." He said, "Would that they came upon us every day!" She said, "And was it not good for the first man, that one rib was taken from him and a maidservant like me was given to serve him?" He said, "This is my point: let Him have taken it openly." She said, "Bring me a piece of raw meat." He brought it. She put it under her armpit, then drew it out and said, "Eat." He said, "It disgusts me." "So too the man," she said, "had he taken it openly it would have disgusted him."

"And the LORD God built the rib" (Genesis 2:22). Applying eye-paint is forbidden on the Sabbath because it is a form of writing; braiding and parting the hair is forbidden because it is a form of building, as it is written, "and He built the rib," which teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, braided Eve's hair. And one may not pass rouge over her face, because that is dyeing. There we learned: a girl of eleven years and one day, her vows are examined; a girl of twelve years and one day, her vows stand; and they examine throughout the twelfth year. A boy of twelve years and one day, his vows are examined; a boy of thirteen years and one day, his vows stand; and they examine throughout the thirteenth year. Before this age, even if they said, "We know in whose name we vowed and in whose name we consecrated," their vows are not vows and their consecrations are not consecrations. After this age, even if they said, "We do not know in whose name we vowed," their vows are vows and their consecrations are consecrations. These are the words of Rabbi. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon says: the things said of a girl apply to a boy, and the things said of a boy apply to a girl. Rav Hisda said: what is Rabbi's reason? As it is written, "and the LORD God built the rib," which teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave more understanding (binah) to the woman than to the man. And the other view holds that this verse is needed for the teaching of Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya: "and the LORD God built the rib" teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, braided Eve's hair. And Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, what is his reason? Because a boy is found in his teacher's house, cunning enters him first.

"And He built." He adorned her like a bride and brought her to him. Do you suppose He brought her to him from beneath a single carob or a single sycamore tree? Rather, after He adorned her with twenty-four kinds of ornaments, He then brought her to him. This is what is written, "In Eden, the garden of God, you were, every precious stone" and so on. And He made for them walls of gold and chairs of precious stones and pearls. "And He built." He considered from where to create her. He did not create her from the head, lest she be frivolous; nor from the eye, lest she be a starer; nor from the ear, lest she be an eavesdropper; nor from the mouth, lest she be a chatterer; nor from the heart, lest she be jealous; nor from the hand, lest she be light-fingered; nor from the foot, lest she be a gadabout; but from a modest place on the man, for even when he is naked that place is covered. And over each and every limb that He created He said to her, "Be a modest woman." Yet even so, "you spurned all my counsel" (Proverbs 1:25). I did not create her from the head, yet she carries her head high, "and they walk with outstretched necks"; nor from the eye, yet she is a starer, as it is said, "with wanton eyes"; nor from the ear, yet she is an eavesdropper, as it is said, "and Sarah was listening" (Genesis 18:10); nor from the heart, yet she is jealous, as it is said, "and Rachel envied her sister"; nor from the hand, yet she is light-fingered, as it is said, "and Rachel stole" (Genesis 31:19); nor from the foot, yet she is a gadabout, as it is said, "and Dinah daughter of Leah went out" (Genesis 34:1); nor from the mouth, yet she is a chatterer, as it is said, "and Miriam spoke" (Numbers 12:1). "And He brought her to the man." Happy is the citizen whose groomsman is the King. "And the man said, this time" (Genesis 2:23). At first He created her for him, and he saw her full of fluids and blood, and removed her; then He created her for him a second time. This is why he said, "This time."

Another interpretation: she is destined to clash against me like a bell (zog), as you say "a golden bell (paamon)"; she is the one who strikes me (mefaamatni) all night. Why do not all dreams weary a person, yet this one wearies a person? Because from the beginning of her creation she exists only in a dream [as a rib taken in sleep]. "Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh": if a man married one of his relatives, of her he says, "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Rabbi Elazar said: what is the meaning of "this time"? It teaches that Adam came upon every beast and animal and his mind was not settled until Eve was joined to him. "For this one shall be called woman (ishah), for from man (ish) she was taken." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korhah says: he was called adam after flesh and blood (dam); once a helper was built for him, he was called ish and she ishah. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He placed His name between them [the yod in ish and the heh in ishah]: if they walk in His ways, behold, My name is set among them and saves them from every trouble; but if not, I will take away My name, and they become fire (esh) and fire, and fire consumes fire, "for it is a fire that consumes unto destruction" (Job 31:12). "For this one shall be called woman, for from man." From here we learn that the Torah was given in the holy tongue, and just as it was given in the holy tongue, so the world was created in the holy tongue. Have you ever heard anyone say gini, ginia; antropi, antropia; gever, gevarta [matched male and female forms in other languages]? Rather, ish and ishah, why? Because this word falls upon that word [they share a root in Hebrew alone]. "Therefore a man shall leave" (Genesis 2:24). Rabbi Akiva expounded: a man and a woman who merit, the Divine Presence dwells between them; if they do not merit, fire consumes them. Rava said: the woman's [fire] is mightier than the man's, for hers [the heh] joins [to form the divine name] and his [the yod] does not join alone. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother." Rabbi Eliezer says: "his father" means his father's sister, "his mother" his mother's sister. Rabbi Akiva says: "his father" means his father's wife, "his mother" his mother herself. "And he shall cleave" but not to a male; "to his wife" but not to his fellow's wife. "And they shall be one flesh" only those who can become one flesh, excluding beast and animal, which cannot become one flesh with a human. [There follows the Talmudic give-and-take examining each clause: whether "his father" can mean his father literally, his father's wife, or after death, and likewise for "his mother," until the dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva is resolved on which forbidden unions each verse covers.]

They raised an objection: "And Amram took Yocheved his aunt" (his father's sister)? And "she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother" (Genesis 20:12) implies that the daughter of the mother is forbidden? But consider: was she his sister? She was his brother's daughter; and since this is so, it makes no difference whether from the mother or from the father, she is permitted [to a Noahide]. Rather, this is what Abraham said: I have the kinship of her father's brother with her, from the father and not from the mother. Rav said: a gentile who came upon his fellow's wife in an unnatural manner is exempt. What is the reason? "To his wife" and not to his fellow's wife; "and he shall cleave" and not in an unnatural manner. It was taught: a convert who converted while married to his sister, whether from the father or the mother, whether before the giving of the Torah or after, must divorce her, the words of Rabbi Meir. And the Sages say: from the mother he must divorce, from the father he may keep her, for a gentile has no recognized father. They objected to him: is it not written, "she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father"? He answered them according to their own view. Rabbi Meir objected to them: "therefore a man shall leave his father," meaning one near to his father; "his mother," one near to his mother. But is it not written, "and Amram took Yocheved his aunt"? Israel did not even observe the standard of the children of Noah before the giving of the Torah. And they resolved it for him: "therefore a man shall leave" means one near to him through his father and through his mother. The children of Noah are liable for married women but exempt for betrothed women. A harlot standing in the marketplace whom two men came upon: the first is exempt and the second is liable. But did the first intend to acquire her by intercourse? This tells you that intercourse among the children of Noah acquires [a wife] not according to the rite, and they have no formal divorce, or else both may divorce one another. Rabbi Yohanan said: the wife divorces him and gives him a bill. Rabbi Hiyya taught: one who divorced his wife, and she went and married another, and both went and converted, I do not apply to him "her first husband who sent her away may not [take her again]" (Deuteronomy 24:4). A child of Noah who came upon his wife in an unnatural manner is liable to death; every prohibition among the children of Noah is neither a positive nor a negative commandment but carries death. And how is it derived? "And he shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh," in the place where the two become one flesh. "And the two of them were naked" (Genesis 2:25). Three did not wait in their tranquility six hours: the first man, as it is written "and they were not ashamed," before six hours came he was in his tranquility [and sinned]; Israel, "and the people saw that Moses delayed (boshesh)" (Exodus 32:1), when six hours came and Moses had not; Sisera, "why is his chariot so long in coming (boshesh)?" (Judges 5:28), he was accustomed to come at the third and fourth hour, and now six came and he did not. "And they were not ashamed, and the serpent was cunning." It need only have said, "and the LORD God made for the man and his wife garments of skin and clothed them." Why this juxtaposition? To make known from what sin that wicked one leapt upon him: because he saw them engaged in intimacy, he desired her. Rabbi Yaakov said: so as not to interrupt the section of the serpent.

"And the serpent was cunning." This is what is written, "for in much wisdom is much vexation" (Ecclesiastes 1:18); according to the greatness of the serpent was his downfall. More cunning than all, more cursed than all. He stood upright and had legs. He was a heretic. He was like a camel. He withheld a great good from the world, for had it been otherwise a man could have sent his merchandise by its hand and it would go and return. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "What is man that You should know him? Man is like a breath." He said to them, "That which you now praise Me with above, he proclaims My oneness below; and not only that, but he assigns names." When they saw this they said, "Unless we take counsel that he sin before his Creator, we cannot prevail against him." Now Samael was a great prince in heaven; the living creatures had four wings and the seraphim six, but Samael had twelve. What did Samael do? He took his band and went down and looked at all the creatures, and found none more cunning to do evil than the serpent, as it is said, "and the serpent was cunning." Its form was like a camel, and he mounted and rode upon it. And the Torah cried out, "when she lifts herself on high" (Job 39:18); Master of the worlds, "she scorns the horse and its rider" (Job 39). A parable: a man who has an evil spirit, all that he does and all that he speaks is not from his own mind but from the mind of the evil spirit within him; so the serpent, all that he did he spoke only from the mind of Samael. A parable: a king married a woman and gave her authority over all that was his, except one barrel full of scorpions. An old man came to her asking vinegar and said, "How does the king treat you?" She said, "Well; he gave me authority over all except this barrel full of scorpions." He said, "But the king's finest treasures are in this barrel; he only wishes to marry another woman and give them to her." What did she do? She reached out her hand, and they began to bite her. When her husband came he heard her crying out and said, "Have you perhaps touched that barrel?" So the king is Adam, the woman is Eve, the one asking vinegar is the serpent. The serpent reasoned with himself: if I go and speak to Adam, I know he will not heed me, for a man is always firm. Rather, I will go and speak to Eve, for I know she will heed me, since women heed every creature. The serpent went and touched the tree. The tree began to cry out, "Wicked one, do not touch me, let not the foot of pride come upon me." The serpent went and said to the woman, "Behold, I touched the tree and did not die; you too touch it and you will not die." At once she touched it and saw the Angel of Death coming toward her. She said, "Woe is me, now I shall die, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will make another woman and give her to Adam." Immediately "she took of its fruit and ate and gave also to her husband." Elijah, of blessed memory, asked Rabbi Nehorai: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, create creeping things and reptiles? He said to him: they were created for a purpose. When the creatures sin, the Holy One, blessed be He, looks at them and says, "If these, which were not created for any need, I sustain, how much more those created for a need." He further said: they also have a use. The fly is a remedy against the hornet's sting, the bedbug against the leech, the serpent against a sore, the snail against a scab, the spider against a scorpion's sting. Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: of all that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created nothing in vain: the gnat as a remedy for the serpent, the fly for the hornet, and so on.

"And the serpent was" and so on, prepared for punishment. "Behold, the man was" (Genesis 3:22), prepared for death. "And Cain was" (Genesis 4:2), prepared to go into exile. "Abraham was one" (Ezekiel 33:24), prepared to lead the whole world in repentance. "And Moses was," prepared to be a redeemer. "Indeed (aph), has God said?" Four opened with aph (which also means anger) and perished through aph: the serpent, "indeed, has God said?"; the chief baker, "I too (aph) in my dream" (Genesis 40:16); the company of Korah, "moreover (aph) you have not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey"; Haman, "moreover (aph), Esther brought no one" (Esther 5:12).

"And the woman said to the serpent, of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat" (Genesis 3:2). And where was the first man at that hour? He had engaged in intimacy and fallen asleep. Rav said: the Holy One, blessed be He, took him and led him about the whole world, saying to him, "Here is a place fit for planting, here a place fit for sowing." This is what is written, "a land through which no man passed and where no human dwelt" (Jeremiah 2:6) the first man did not dwell there. "And you shall not touch it" (Genesis 3:3). This is what is written, "do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you" (Proverbs 30:6) do not make the fence greater than the essential thing, lest it fall and you cut down the saplings. Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "on the day you eat of it [you shall die]," but she stood and gave false testimony, "you shall not touch it, lest you die." When the serpent saw that she had lied, he pushed her against it and said to her, "As you did not die by drawing near it, so you will not die by eating it." Hizkiyah said: from where do we learn that whoever adds, subtracts? As it is said, "and you shall not touch it." Rav Mesharshya said: from here, "two and a half cubits its length" (Exodus 25:10) [where the unusual spelling teaches the same]. Rav Ashi said: "eleven curtains" (Exodus 26:7).

"For God knows" (Genesis 3:5). It does not say here "For gods know," but the serpent began to speak slander against his Creator. He said to her: From this tree the Holy One, blessed be He, ate, and created the world; and He told you, "Do not eat from it," so that you should not create other worlds. For every craftsman hates his fellow in the same trade. Everything created after its fellow rules over it. Heaven was on the first day, the firmament on the second, and the firmament cannot bear it. The grasses on the third do not supply its waters; the luminaries on the fourth, and so on; the birds on the fifth, like the Ziz of the field, which is a pure bird, and when it flies it darkens the disk of the sun. And you were created after everything, to rule over everything. Hurry and eat before He creates other worlds that will rule over you. This is what is written (verse 6): "And the woman saw that it was good" - she saw the words of the serpent. "For the tree was good for food" (Genesis 3:6). Three things were said about the Tree of Knowledge: good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and it adds wisdom. "The tree was desirable to make one wise," as you say, "A maskil [contemplation] of Ethan the Ezrahite." "And she took of its fruit and ate." She pressed grapes and gave to him. She said to him: What do you think, that I will die and another Eve will be created for you? "There is nothing new" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). What do you think, that I will die and you will sit idle? "He did not create it as chaos" (Isaiah 45:18). She began to wail at him with her voice. "Also" - this is an amplification: she fed the animals, the beasts, and the birds; all heeded her except for one bird whose name is Chol. This is what is written, "And like the Chol" (Job 28:18). It lives a thousand years, and at the end fire comes out from its nest and burns it, and an amount like an egg remains of it, and it grows limbs again and lives. Rabbi Yudan says: At the end of a thousand years its body wastes away and its wings molt, and an amount like an egg remains of it, and it grows limbs again.

"And the eyes of both of them were opened" (Genesis 3:7). Were they then blind? It is like a townsman who passed before the shop of a glazier, who had before him a basket full of cups and fine vessels; the townsman swung his staff and broke them. The glazier rose and seized him and said: I know I will gain nothing from you, but come and see how many good things you have destroyed. So He showed them how many generations they had destroyed. "That they were naked" - even the one commandment that was in their hand, they were stripped of it. "And they sewed a fig leaf" - the leaf that brought a pretext [to'anah] into the world. Rabbi Yitzchak said: You ruined your deeds; take thread and sew. "And they made themselves girdles" - it does not say "girdle" but "girdles": belts, sashes, sheets, and for the woman, ornaments and head-coverings. Ten descents did the Holy One, blessed be He, descend upon the earth: one in the Garden of Eden, one in the generation of the Dispersion, one in Sodom, one at the bush, one in Egypt, one at Sinai, one in the cleft of the rock, two in the Tent of Meeting, and one in the time to come. One in the Garden of Eden, as it is written, "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden," and it is written, "My beloved went down to his garden" (Song of Songs 6:2). He sat in judgment and said to him: Why did you flee from before Me? He said before Him: "For I am naked" - of deeds, of action, and of command. What was the garment of the first man? A skin of nail [a luminous covering] and a cloud of glory covering him. And when he ate the fruit, the nail-skin was stripped away and the cloud of glory departed from him, and he saw himself naked. He brought the three of them and laid upon them a decree of judgment of nine curses and death. He cast down Samael and his company from the place of their holiness in heaven, and cut off the legs of the serpent, and cursed it more than all the beasts, decreeing that it shed its skin and suffer once every seven years in great pain, and that it crawl on its belly upon the ground, its food turning to dust in its innards, the venom of vipers in its mouth, and He set enmity between her offspring and the woman, that they should crush its head; and after every curse, death. And He gave the woman nine curses and death: the affliction of menstrual blood and the affliction of the blood of virginity, the affliction of pregnancy in the womb, the affliction of childbirth, the affliction of raising children; she covers her head like a mourner, grows her hair like Lilith, uncovers her head only at night, has her ear bored like a perpetual servant, serves her husband like a maidservant, and is not trusted in testimony; and after all these, death. And He brought forth judgments upon Adam, nine curses and death: He shortened his strength, shortened his stature, the impurity of a flux, the impurity of an emission, the impurity of marital relations; he sows wheat and reaps thorns, his food is the grass of the field like an animal, his bread comes in worry and his nourishment in sweat; and after all these, death. If Adam sinned, how did the earth sin? In that it did not tell of the deed. And when a person sins, it withholds its fruits, as it is said, "Cursed is the ground because of you."

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden" (Genesis 3:8). We have heard that there is a walking for a voice; that there is a walking for fire we have not heard. Where have we heard it? Further on: "And fire walked along the ground" (Exodus 9:23). It does not say here "walking" but "walking itself about" - leaping up and ascending. The essence of the Divine Presence was in the lower realms. When the first man sinned, it withdrew to the first heaven. Cain arose and sinned, and it withdrew to the second heaven. The generation of Enosh arose, and it withdrew to the third heaven. The generation of the Flood, and it withdrew to the fourth. The generation of the Dispersion, and it withdrew to the fifth. The men of Sodom, and it withdrew to the sixth. Egypt, and it withdrew to the seventh. And seven righteous men arose and brought it back down to the earth: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses, as it is written, "The righteous shall inherit the land" (Psalms 37:29). And what do the wicked do? They drive away the Divine Presence; but the righteous cause the Divine Presence to dwell on the earth. "And they heard" - the voice of the trees saying, "Here is the thief who stole the mind of his Creator." He heard the voice of the ministering angels saying, "He who walked is dead; the one in the garden has gone." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the wind of the day: Make the day spacious for him. Thus I told him, "For on the day you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17); you do not know whether one day of Mine or one day of yours. Behold, I give him one day of Mine, which is a thousand years, and he lives nine hundred and thirty years, and leaves seventy for his descendants. This is what is written, "The days of our years are seventy years" (Psalms 90:10). "To the wind of the day" - He judged him from the eastern direction, the direction that rises with the day. Zavdi ben Levi said: He judged him from the western direction, the direction that sets with the day. According to Rav's view it presses hard upon him: all the while the day rises he is hot with anger. According to Zavdi's view it cools upon him: all the while the day sets, he cools. "And the man hid himself" - his stature was diminished, and he became a hundred cubits. "Among the trees of the garden" - a hint to his descendants, that they would be placed in coffins of wood. (Genesis 3:9-11) A person should not enter his fellow's house suddenly, and let everyone learn proper conduct from the Omnipresent, who stood at the entrance of the garden and called to Adam, as it is said, "And the LORD God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?" When Rabbi Yochanan went up to inquire after the welfare of Rabbi Chanina, he would make a sound, on account of "And its sound shall be heard" (Exodus 28:35). Rabbi Shimon said: Four things the Holy One, blessed be He, hates, and I too do not love them: one who holds his organ and urinates, one who has marital relations naked, one who speaks of matters between himself and his wife in public, and one who enters his house suddenly, and all the more so the house of his fellow. Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Chanina: "But they like Adam transgressed the covenant." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Adam I brought into the Garden of Eden and commanded him, and he transgressed My command, and I judged him with banishment and expulsion, and I lamented over him "Alas." I brought him into the Garden of Eden, "And the LORD God took the man" (Genesis 2:15); and I commanded him, "And the LORD God commanded concerning the man" (2:16); and he transgressed My command, "Have you eaten from the tree about which I commanded you?"; and I judged him with expulsion, "And the LORD God sent him out"; and with banishment, "And He drove out the man" (verse 24); and I lamented over him "Alas" - for "And He said to him, Where are you" is written ayekah [which can be read eikhah, Alas]. So too His children: I brought them into the Land of Israel, as it is written, "And I brought you into a fruitful land" (Jeremiah 2:7); and I commanded them, "Command the children of Israel" (Leviticus 24:2); and they transgressed My command, "And all Israel transgressed Your Torah"; and I judged them with banishment, "From My house I will drive them out" (Hosea 9:15); and with expulsion, "Send them away from My presence"; and they went out, and I lamented over them, "Alas, she sits alone" (Lamentations 1:1).

"And the LORD God called to the man, Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). How was it for you yesterday, that you followed My counsel, and now you follow the counsel of the serpent? Yesterday you reached from one end of the world to the other, and now you are within the trees of the garden. Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The first man was a heretic, as it is said, "And He said to him, Where are you" - meaning, toward what does your heart incline? Rabbi Yitzchak said: He drew his foreskin forward [concealing his circumcision], as it is said, "But they like Adam transgressed the covenant" (Hosea 6:7), and it is written, "He has broken My covenant." Rav Nachman said: He denied the fundamental principle, for it is written here "like Adam they transgressed the covenant," and it is written there "because they forsook the covenant" (Deuteronomy 29:24).

"Who told you?" It is like a woman who came to borrow vinegar and entered the house of a scholar's wife. He said to her: What does your husband do with you? She said to him: He does all good with me, except for this one barrel, which is full of snakes and scorpions, that he does not let me have authority over. He said to her: All his finery is inside it, and he wishes to marry another woman and give it to her. She reached her hand inside, and the snakes began to bite her. When her husband came, he heard her voice crying out. He said to her: Perhaps you touched that barrel? "Have you eaten from the tree about which I commanded you?" "And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me" (Genesis 3:12). Four there are upon whose jug the Holy One, blessed be He, knocked, and found it a vessel full of urine: Adam, as it is said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me"; Cain, as it is said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9); Balaam, "Who are these men with you?" "And Balak son of Tzippor said" (Numbers 22:9); Hezekiah, "From where did these men come to you? And he said, From a far country they came." But Ezekiel was found more learned than all of them, as it is said, "Can these bones live? And he said, O Lord GOD, You know" (Ezekiel 37:3). It is like a bird that was placed in a hunter's hand. He met a man and said to him: This one in my hand, what is it, alive or dead? He said to him: If you wish, alive; if you wish, dead. "She gave me from the tree and I ate." It does not say here "and I ate" [past] but "and I eat" - I ate and I will eat. The first man was not banished from the Garden of Eden until he blasphemed and reviled, as it is said, "He hoped for grapes and it yielded" and so on. "The serpent enticed me" (Genesis 3:13) - he made me liable and deceived me and incited me, as in the manner of one who says, "No enemy shall exact upon him" (Psalms 89:23); "he made me liable," as in the manner of one who says, "When you lend to your fellow" (Deuteronomy 24:10); "he deceived me," as in the manner of one who says, "Let not Hezekiah deceive you." Our Rabbis taught: One may not place an animal in the inns of the Samaritans, because they are suspected of bestiality, and even females beside females, because the Samaritans are found beside the wives of their fellows. For Rabbi Yochanan said: When the serpent came upon Eve, it cast filth into her. Israel, who stood at Mount Sinai, their filth ceased; the Samaritans, who did not stand at Mount Sinai, their filth did not cease.

(Genesis 3:14-15) Our Rabbis taught: A wayward woman set her eyes on one who was not fit for her; what she sought was not given to her, and what was in her hand was taken from her. And so we find with the primeval serpent, who set his eye on what was not fit for him, and what was in his hand was taken from him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I said that he should be king over every beast and animal; now "cursed are you more than all the beasts." I said that he should walk upright; now "upon your belly you shall go." I said that his food should be the food of man; now "dust you shall eat." He said, I will kill the man and take Eve; now "I will set enmity between you and the woman." And so we find with Cain and Korah and Balaam, Doeg and Ahitophel and Gehazi, Absalom and Adonijah and Uzziah and Haman, who set their eyes on what was not fit for them: what they sought was not given to them, and what was in their hand was taken from them.

"And the LORD God said to the serpent" (Genesis 3:14). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: From where do we know that one does not plead on behalf of an inciter? From the primeval serpent. For Rabbi Simlai said: The serpent had many arguments to make, and he did not make them, and why did the Holy One, blessed be He, not make them for him? Because one does not plead on behalf of an inciter. What was there for him to say? "The words of the master and the words of the disciple - whose words does one heed?" [If God said do not eat and the serpent said eat, you should have heeded God.] It was taught: Rabbi says: In matters of honor one begins with the greater, as it is written, "And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar"; and in matters of disgrace one begins with the lesser, for first the serpent was cursed, and afterward Eve, and finally Adam was cursed. All who are addressed turn their face toward the back of the one speaking, except for three, because the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with them directly. And these are: Adam, the serpent, and the fish. Adam, as it is said, "And to Adam He said" (verse 17); the serpent, "And the LORD God said to the serpent"; the fish, "And the LORD spoke to the fish" (Jonah 2:11). "Because you have done this." All that you did was for this; your every act was not for this. From the beginning of the book until here there are seventy-one mentions of the divine Name, telling that he was judged by a full Sanhedrin.

He cursed it with leprosy - these scales upon it, they are its leprosy. "Cursed are you more than all the beasts." Have you ever seen, when a man strikes his fellow with a staff, that he then strikes him again with a strap? So "cursed are you more than the domestic animals" - how much more so "than all the beasts of the field." It was taught: A large pure animal gives birth at nine months; a large impure animal gives birth at twelve months; a small pure animal gives birth at five months; the dog at fifty days; the cat at fifty-two; the pig at sixty days; the marten at seventy days; the fox at six months; and the rest of the creeping things at six months; the lion and the bear and the leopard and the elephant and the ape and the porcupine at three years; and the serpent at seven years; and the viper at seventy years. A certain philosopher wished to know how long the serpent takes to give birth. When he saw a pair mating, he took them and placed them in a barrel and supplied them with food until they gave birth. When the elders went up to Rome, he saw Rabban Gamliel and said to him: How long does the serpent take to give birth? And he could not answer him, and his face turned pale. Rabbi Yehoshua met him and said: Why is your face ill? He said to him: A question was asked of me and I could not answer it. He said to him: What is it? He said to him: How long does the serpent take to give birth? He said to him: Seven years. He said: How do you know? He said: The dog, an impure beast, gives birth at fifty days, and an impure animal gives birth at twelve months, and it is written, "Cursed are you more than all the beasts and more than every beast of the field." Just as the domestic beast is cursed sevenfold more than the wild beast, so the serpent is cursed sevenfold more than the domestic beast. As evening came on, he went up and told them. The philosopher began to beat his head against the wall, saying: All that I labored and toiled over for seven years, this one came and handed it to me on a single reed.

Our Rabbis taught: an unclean fish spawns living young, a clean fish lays eggs. Every creature that bears live young nurses, and every one that lays eggs gathers food for its young, except the bat, which though it lays eggs also nurses. Dolphins reproduce and multiply like human beings. What are dolphins? Rav Yehudah said: children of the sea. Any creature whose sexual organ is external bears live young; whose is internal lays eggs. Any creature that mates by day bears young by day. What practical difference does this make? It bears on the ruling of Rav Mari son of Rav Kahana, who said: if one examined a hen's nest on the eve of a Festival and found no egg, and the next morning rose early and found an egg, it is permitted to eat it on the Festival. But did he not examine it? Say that most of it had already emerged the day before and gone back in. For Rabbi Yochanan said: an egg, most of which emerged on the eve of a Festival and then went back in, is permitted to eat on the Festival. Any creature that mates by day gives birth by day, the hen; whose mating is by night gives birth by night, the bat; whose mating is both by day and by night gives birth both by day and by night, the human being and all like it. Any creatures whose mating and gestation periods are alike can bear and rear offspring from one another; those whose mating and gestation are not alike cannot. The hen [hatches] in twenty-one days, and corresponding to it among the trees is the almond. The dog in fifty, corresponding to the fig. The cat in fifty-two, corresponding to the mulberry. The pig in sixty, corresponding to the apple. The fox and all sorts of creeping things in six months, corresponding to grain. A clean small animal in five months, corresponding to the vine. A clean large animal in nine, corresponding to the olive. An unclean large animal in twelve months, corresponding to the date palm. The wolf, the bear, the lion, the leopard, the panther, the elephant, the ape, and the porcupine in three years, corresponding to the wild fig. The viper in seventy years, corresponding to the carob; the carob from the time of planting to the year its fruit fully ripens is seventy years, and its period of gestation is three years. The serpent in seven years, and for that wicked one [the serpent] we have found no companion of equal term. And some say the muksasin too. From where do we derive these matters? Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav, and they attributed it in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: "Cursed are you above all cattle" (Genesis 3:14). If it was cursed more than cattle, then surely more than wild beasts. Rather, it tells you: just as cattle are cursed more than wild beasts by a ratio of one to seven, and what is this? the donkey compared to the cat, so was the serpent cursed more than cattle by one to seven, which gives it seven years. Say rather: just as the wild beast was cursed more than cattle by one to three, and what is this? the lion compared to the donkey, so was the serpent cursed more than the wild beast by one to three, which would give it nine years. But is it written "above all wild beasts and above all cattle"? It is written "above all cattle and above all wild beasts" (Genesis 3:14), meaning it is cursed by being measured from cattle, which were themselves cursed more than the wild beast. And say rather: just as cattle were cursed more than wild beasts by one to three, what is this? the goat compared to the cat, so was the serpent cursed more than cattle by one to three, which would give it fifteen months. They raised the objection: it is written "above all cattle." And they raised a further objection: it is a curse; cast the curse upon the curse [compound the two]. The Caesar said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananyah: in how long does the serpent conceive and bear? He said to him: in seven years. But the elders of the academy of Athens mated them and they bore in three. Those had been pregnant already from before for four years. But they were observed copulating. They too copulate as humans do, without conceiving. But the elders of Athens are wise. We are wiser than they. If you are so wise, go, defeat them, and bring them to me. He said to him: how many are they? He said: sixty mighty scholars. He said: make me a ship that has sixty cabins, and in each cabin place sixty cushions. He made it for him, and so on, until when he arrived they said to him: who has made you [come]? He said to them: I am one of the wise men of the Jews, and I have come to learn wisdom from you. They said to him: if so, let us ask you a matter. He said: very well; if you defeat me, do to me whatever you wish, and if I defeat you, come eat bread with me on the ship, and so on, until he defeated them. He brought them, and each one, when he saw the sixty cushions, thought all his colleagues had come there. He said to the sailor: cast off your ship. As they came aboard, the dust of their own land came with them. When he reached the place of the swallowing sea he drew a jug of water from there. When he came he set them before Caesar, who saw that they were emaciated. He said to him: these are not the ones. He took some of their own dust and threw it upon them, and they hardened their faces against the king. He said to him: they have been delivered to you; do with them whatever you wish. He brought that water that came from the swallowing place and poured it into a vessel; he said to them: fill it and go your way. They poured it in before him, and it kept swallowing them down. They filled it until their shoulders were torn from them, and they were consumed and perished.