Our story begins with the verse, "This is the book of the descendants of Adam" (Genesis 5:1). But what does that really mean? Bereshit Rabbah 24 digs into this, offering some truly remarkable interpretations.
The text opens with a discussion of how God communicated with Moses. It cites Job 28:27: "Then He saw and assessed it…". The Rabbis suggest that every instruction God gave to Moses, He considered it not once, but twice, before speaking. "Then He saw and assessed it" counts as one consideration, and "prepared it, and also investigated it" as another. Only then, after all that deliberation, did God actually speak "to the man"—that is, to Moses.
But Rabbi Aha takes it even further. He suggests God considered each instruction four times before speaking to Moses! “Then He saw”—one; “and assessed it”—another one; “prepared it”—another one; “and also investigated it”—another one.
Why this meticulous process? Because God doesn't just speak—God considers. Every word, every commandment is weighed with infinite care.
Now, Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon brings us to the real heart of the matter. He says that Adam himself was originally worthy to receive the Torah. The entire Torah, given to the first human. What's the source for this claim? Again, that verse: “This is the book of the descendants of Adam.” Here, the word "book" is understood to refer to the Torah itself.
Why Adam? Because, as Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon puts it, Adam was God’s own handiwork! Shouldn't God give His Torah to His greatest creation?
But then, God reconsidered. According to Bereshit Rabbah, God thought, "If I gave him only six mitzvot (commandments) and he couldn’t even fulfill those, how could he possibly manage 613 – the 248 positive commandments and the 365 prohibitions?" So, instead of giving it to Adam, God chose to give the Torah to his descendants.
It’s a powerful idea: God recognizing human limitation, even in Adam, and tailoring the Divine gift accordingly.
And the story doesn't end there. Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Hanin adds another layer. He suggests that Adam was also worthy of having the twelve tribes of Israel descend from him. The proof? Again, "This [zeh] is the book of the descendants of Adam.”
But God reasoned, "I gave him two sons, and one killed the other. How can I give him twelve?" So, "He said to man [laAdam]" (Job 28:28)—and here's the clever part—"not to Adam [lo Adam] will I give it, but rather to his descendants." It's a play on words, using laAdam as an acronym for lo Adam, meaning "not Adam." (Note that laAdam is written לְאָדָם, "to Adam," while lo Adam is written לאדם, "not Adam").
Rabbi Yaakov then adds a numerical twist. The Hebrew word zeh (this) has a numerical value of 12 (zayin = 7, heh = 5). See? Twelve tribes!
What does it all mean? These interpretations offer a profound meditation on human potential and limitation. Adam, in these readings, represents the potential for perfect adherence to God's will. But God, in His wisdom, understands human frailty. The Torah, and the twelve tribes, are therefore given to Adam's descendants, to us, with all our imperfections and struggles. It's an invitation to strive, to learn, and to grow, knowing that perfection isn't the starting point, but the destination.