Have you ever read a passage in the Torah and thought, "Wait, what exactly is going on here?" I know I have! Today, we're diving deep into one of those passages: Genesis 6:2, which speaks of the “children of the great men” – benei haelohim – and their interactions with the daughters of man. What does it all mean?
The verse says, "The children of the great men [benei haelohim] saw the daughters of man, that they were fair, and they took for themselves wives, from whomever they chose." Simple enough on the surface, right? But dig a little deeper, and you'll find layers of interpretation and moral lessons that are still relevant today. We're going to explore what Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient and influential collection of Rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, has to say about it.
Now, the very term benei haelohim is itself a point of contention. Who were these “children of the great men"? Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, a towering figure in Jewish tradition, had a very specific take. He translated the term not as "children of God," but as "children of judges." Why? Because, as Bereshit Rabbah points out, Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai used to curse anyone who literally translated it as "children of God!" In Hebrew, Elohim can mean either "God" or "judge" (Exodus 22:8). But in Aramaic, Elohaya only means "God." So a literal translation could be seen as blasphemous.
But there’s more to it than just avoiding blasphemy. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai emphasized that moral failings often start at the top. "Any breach in morals that is not begun by prominent men is not a breach," he taught. The idea is that people follow the example of their leaders. As the saying goes, "If the priests steal the idols, who will ever take an oath in their names, or who will ever sacrifice to them?"
So, if these benei haelohim weren't divine beings, why were they called that? Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish offer an explanation: it was because they lived such extraordinarily long lives, "without pain and without suffering," almost as if they were divine. Rabbi Ḥana, citing Rabbi Yosei, suggests they were granted these long lives "in order to track astronomical phenomena and [make the relevant] calculations." Think about it: the cycles of some heavenly bodies are incredibly long. You'd need a long life to observe and understand them.
But the Rabbis offer another, more sobering perspective. These long lives allowed them to accumulate a massive amount of sin, so much so that God ultimately had to bring the Flood. Future generations, witnessing the devastation, would hopefully learn from their mistakes.
The text then turns to the phrase “that they were fair [tovot].” Rabbi Yudan points out that the word is written without the usual vavs, spelling it tvt instead of tvvt. This, he says, hints at "beautification." He interprets this to mean that when a woman was adorned for her wedding, these prominent men would take advantage of her before her husband. "That they were fair [tovot]" refers to unmarried girls who were violated just before their weddings. A truly horrifying image.
And it doesn't stop there. The verse continues, "They took for themselves wives from whomever they chose.” The Rabbis see this as an indication of even further depravity. "From whomever they chose" – this refers to married women! And even more shockingly, "From whomever they chose" – this refers to males and animals! Bereshit Rabbah suggests that they also engaged in homosexuality and bestiality.
Rabbi Huna, quoting Rabbi, states that the generation of the Flood wasn't wiped out until they actually wrote marriage contracts for males and animals, essentially legalizing these abominations.
Rabbi Simlai connects sexual immorality with societal collapse, stating that "Anywhere sexual immorality is found, a chaotic catastrophe comes to the world, which kills the righteous along with the wicked." Think of the Flood, which spared only Noah and his family.
Rabbi Azarya and Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon, citing Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, emphasize God's intense aversion to sexual immorality. "The Holy One blessed be He is slow to anger regarding everything except for sexual immorality." They point back to the verse, "The children of the great men [benei haelohim] saw…." And what follows immediately? "The Lord said: I will obliterate man" (Genesis 6:7).
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, again citing bar Pedaya, brings up the story of Lot and the people of Sodom. Lot pleaded with the angels to spare Sodom, and they were initially receptive. But when the people demanded, "Bring them out to us, that we may know them" (Genesis 19:5), meaning to have sexual relations with them, the angels turned away. They asked Lot, "Whom else do you have [here] [po]?" (Genesis 19:12), implying, "What else can possibly be in your mouth [peh] to plead in their favor?" At that point, it became impossible to defend them.
This passage in Bereshit Rabbah isn't just an ancient interpretation of a biblical verse. It's a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked power, moral decay, and the devastating consequences of sexual immorality. It reminds us that leadership carries immense responsibility, and that the choices we make, both individually and collectively, have far-reaching effects. It forces us to consider: what are the benei haelohim in our society doing, and what consequences will follow?