Bereishis - 3rd Portion

Join me as we learn for today, Tuesday, the third Torah reading of various chapter 2 verse 20. And the human gave names to all of the domestic animals and to the birds of the heaven and as well as to all the wild beasts. However, for the human, he was not able to find a helper or someone compatible for him. Rashi tells us what does this mean? He says as follows. This is a continuation to what we mentioned previously that he gave all the animals different names. So when God brought all the animals in front of Adam, he brought all the animals in their kinds male and female said for all the animals and all living things in the world. There's a peer there's a couple I don't have a companion. I don't have my peer immediately. When God put him in his sleep that he was able to create his companion vapel and God cast a deep sleepard deep sleep on the human and he fell asleep and he slept and he took one of his sides and he closed it with flesh in its place. Rashi tells us what does this mean? What does the word mitis mean? Mister of from its sides. Where do I find this world word used in other places as being that Dashi in the beginning of the book of Genesis has to tell us all the different interpretations and reasoning of rationale of the different translations where he may not repeat it again later on but being that it's his first time he tells us what the translation means. So he finds a place later on in the book of Exodus where the same terminology is used and to the side of the Mishkan. What does it mean that the human had sides? This is what our sages told us. That Adam was created first with two sides, one in the front and one in the back. And by taking one of the sides, he separated them. He separated this human into two individuals. Now, being that one side was separated. So, he didn't want it to be empty. There's a side that's empty. What's going to be there? The place that was cut, he closed with flesh. Why did he have to put him to sleep? Was this the anesthetic that he gave him that he shouldn't feel the surgery? Why did he have to put him to sleep? He should not see this piece of flesh that was taken from him that from it was created his wife and because of that will feel disgusted by it and therefore he won't find her appeasing or pleasing and then this way should not she should not become repulsive to him. The Torah continues with verse 22 and God built this side that he took from the human made it for a wife and he brought it to the human. What does it mean? That he built. What did he build? The side. So number one means the concept of building. When we build the building, you have that there's a broader side on the bottom and then as the building goes up, it gets narrower. So therefore, the narrow part is able to support itself on the lower part, the broader part. So too when God built the woman like a building [snorts] broad on the bottom and narrower on top. The purpose of this is so that the woman should be able to accept and to keep and to protect the child during pregnancy like a silo of wheat which is wide on the bottom and narrow on top. This way the walls of the weight of whatever may be in the silo or whatever you're carrying should not put too much pressure on the walls. This way not breaking the walls and he built the side. What does it mean? The here is telling us that he built it to make a wife to be for him as a wife. We find in other places the word and God made and he made an aphod apron for the aphod. That means he changed it to gon changed the uh making it le a for it to be an apron for him. So the lammed explains to me and tells me what the verse tells me into something creating. It doesn't mean to something which usually can be what the word lammed means but in this case it means into something. Verse 23. And the man said, and the human said, "This time, a bone from my bones, and a flesh of my flesh, therefore was called." He called this individual a wife, a woman because was taken from a man as is and is have the same words. So isa woman was taken from man as we'll see in Rashi explains rashi tells us here why does he tell me this time telling us because something interesting happened that teaches us that when God brought him all the different types of animals he tried to be a find a companion amongst all the different animals and beasts but he was not able to feel comfortable with any of them He didn't feel that any of them were his were compatible with him until he came to and only then did he realize yes this is a part of me my flesh is so rashi continues the word over here tells us the language isha and ish come from one another and therefore when we have we can learn from this word uh that we see over here each one of them one word comes from another word. As well as Rashi uses this moment to tell us and prove to us we can prove that the world was created with the holy tongue for the very fact that he uses ish and isa to be able to tell us why each one of them are given that name. So we see how was he created calling ish and in general that the creation was used by using the holy tongue. The Torah continues verse 24. Therefore, a person will leave his father and his mother and will cleave to and will cleave to his wife and they will become one flesh. Rashi explains to us what does this mean? Who is saying? Who says therefore? So this is all as Rashi tells us the divine presence, the divine uh the Torah is saying this statement that because of this a a man will leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife as well as the Torah is telling us here. This comes to prohibit the noites that any human being as we know part of the seven noite laws is not to commit adultery. So as well this tells us as part part of the noite laws is that a person is commanded that he should only cleave to his wife. How do they become one flesh? And he therefore explains to us the child which is created through the husband and wife and there in the existence of the child you have the flesh becomes one united entity. The Torah now continues with verse 25 and they were both naked. the human, the man and his wife, but they did not feel any shame. Rashi explains what does it mean they did not feel any shame. They did not know the ways of modesty to know that there's a difference between good and bad. How can it be that they don't know what's good and bad, what's right and wrong? Even they have where the human was given the ability to have knowledge and to speak. Though this man the Adam was given the ability to give the names to all the animals and he had the superior intellect. However, he did not have an evil inclination until he ate from the tree of knowledge. Then the evil inclination has entered in him. Only then did he know what was between good and bad. And as we're going to see later, that their eyes were open. Then did they recognize the concept that something there is what be embarrassed of? And the idea of nakedness. As the Torah tells us in verse one, chapter 3, and the and the serpent was the most cunning from all the wild beasts of the field that God made. And this serpent said now to the woman though or did God really say do not eat from it from the do not eat from any trees of the garden. So Rashi tells us what's happening here. Why does he all of a sudden come to tell us about the story of the serpent right here and over here? What does this have to do with our story here? He should have said this later on where he tells us why God made for that he made them clothing of leather and got them clothed. What was going on over here? It's coming to teach us for what reason or from what advice the serpent to all of a sudden try to get and persuade them to sin. He saw Adam and Eve that were naked and they were intimate with one another laying k in front of everybody or in the open a therefore he had a desire for her and because of that he wanted to get them to do something wrong. What does it mean that he was the most cunning of all animals according to his cunningness and greatness? That's how great his fall was as well. Therefore, the Torah uses the terminology that the serpent was cunning of all, but as well, it ended up being the cursed of all as well. The serpent then goes on to ask Eve, asking the woman, "Is it so that God said, "Do not eat from anything in the garden." You may ask, didn't the serpent see them eating from other fruits? Perish from other fruits here. This was just a way of bringing into conversation to get to talk to her that she should be able to respond and have this conversation and this way will be able to uh convince her and to talk to her about the tree of knowledge. But first he was starting to talk to her about other things. And once they were in conversation, they moved then to the tree of knowledge as well. Verse two. So the woman responds to the serpent. Yes, we're allowed to eat from the fruits of the tree of the garden. Verse three, however, from the fruits of the tree which is in the center of the garden. God said, Do not eat from it. Do not touch it. For lest you die if you come to eat or touch it. Rashi explains to us here what was going on and tells us as follows that if you notice God never told him to say not to touch it. This she added on her own the commandment that God gave. has brought her to losing out as it says onto the words because when you add onto the words this is what causes one to lose out and not to do accurately what God says. So as the Torah continues verse number four and the serpent says Alisha to the woman you will certainly not die from eating this fruit. How did he know? You will certainly not die. So Rashi tells us in verse four, what happened was he pushed to her until she actually touched the tree. The serpent said, "Look, just like when you touched it, you didn't die from it. So too, if you eat from it, you won't die from it." Verse five, why then did God tell you not to eat it? The serpent has to come up with an excuse. God knows from the because the day you eat from it your eyes will open up and be like God be like God knowing the difference between good and evil. What is the what was the serpent saying here? The serpent said, "Every craftsman resents the others in his trade." And therefore, in this case as well, if you're if you're going to eat from this tree, you're going to eat from this tree, you're going to be able to know exactly like God and how to create the world. And therefore, he doesn't want you to eat from this tree. And therefore you'll be like God creators of the world is creators of the world. And the woman saw that the tree is good for eating and it is desirable for the eyes. And the tree was attractive to means to gain intelligence and she took from its fruit and she gave it also to her husband to eat with her and they ate. Over here we see what happened. So Rashi tells us she saw that the words of the doesn't mean she saw exactly but she understood and appreciated the words that the serpent said. She believed and enjoyed exactly what he was saying. She believed that this tree was going to be good. And she now to be like creators like God that it is pleasurable for the eyes like he told her that your eyes will open up because of it. And these are all the things she believed and the tree is desirable to gain intelligence. Like he told her like he said because of this you'll know the difference between good and evil. eating and she gave it also to her husband. Why did she also give it to her husband that she shouldn't be the only one to die? Because if eating from the tree is going to cause you to die, she wouldn't be the only one. He will live on marry somebody else instead. So what does she say? Let both of us die. So if this is if this is liable that this will kill us, both of us will be in the same boat. Why then does it say gamisha also for her husband also is coming to include something which is not stated clearly tells us it comes to include she also gave it to the animals around her as well that they should eat from this tree. Verse seven and the eyes of both of them opened up and they found out that they are naked. Therefore, because they were naked, they then sewed together leaves that they plucked from a fig tree and they made them into loin cloths. What does it mean that they figured out that they were naked? That their eyes were opened? Meaning, not figuratively or not literally, I'm sorry, that their eyes literally opened. Their eyes were open the whole time. meaning that this idea of knowledge and wisdom. The verse is talking about not concerning literally seeing the end of the verse tells us proves it because at the end of the verse it says that they realized that they were now naked. They realized that they were naked. What does this mean? Rashi asks what did it take the genius that they figured out that they were naked even a blind person who can see? Why does it say because they opened their eyes now they can see that they were naked. Even a blind person knows that they were naked. So for sure they knew before that they were naked as well. What does it mean that they knew that they were naked? Is that they understood that there's something different here going on, something more unique. They had one mitzvah that they were were given to do. And what happened was this one mitzvah and they were now stripped from it. They now had one commandment and they did not do that one commandment that God gave them and was taken away from them. Why did they use the figs? Why the figs? Why the leaves of a fig tree? So Rashi tells us this is because whoa ate this was the tree that they ate from it. This was the tree of knowledge. The thing that groomed them, that's what they used to fix them. All the other trees did not allow the husband, Adam and Eve, the man and the woman to be able from taking their trees or from making their belts from them. Continues to say, "Why does the Torah not say what kind of tree it was? God did not want to bring pain to any creation and not be embarrassed and all the creations will say look this tree caused the punishment that was brought to the world all the terrible tragedies that came to the world the death and the hardships that came because of the sin of the tree of knowledge was because of this kind of tree because of this one and this is what's explained the Torah now goes on to say once they ate from the tree and they heard the voice of God which was moving about in the garden to the direction of the day's end and the man and his wife hid because of God in the middle amongst the trees in the and they heard. And over here, Rashi gives a principle which will apply to all of his commentary throughout the Torah. There are many different types of explanations and the rabbis already have set them in the proper places in the bracious and in other midrashi says what's my job when I come here to interpret the Torah and give you an explanation. I am only here to tell you the simple interpretation of the scripture and I will bring you those aos those interpretations and those translations of the medish only those that explain the words of the scripture each word in its proper setting so you understand it clearly when they're said now going back to the simple interpretation he tells us what the word vayish means means what did they hear? What did they hear? They heard the divine voice of God that was walking about and moving about in the garden to the direction of the day in the same direction that the sun sets which is this is the west. Towards the evening, the sun is in the west. And how and what time was it? They sinned in the 10th hour closer to sunset. Verse 9. And God called out to the man and he told him, "Where are you?" Why is God asking him where are you? Sashi says God knew where he was. So why is he asking him where are you? In order to engage in a conversation. So therefore he asks some uh some type of questions which will help start the conversation. So he should not be confused to answer appropriately. If you will just punish him suddenly then he would not know what to do because if he wouldn't get him into conversation he would then not have the ability to confess and saying what was going on. We see the same thing happens by God tells him where is he your brother so the angels God says there who are these people with you and all the afterwards go on to tell him don't go with them and so on to be able to engage and start the conversation so too we find with when he had these messengers of we also know theidic interpretation here what means where are you what have you accomplished in your life what was what is your purpose here as the alterba told the minister while he was in jail verse 11 verse 10 and he said the Adam the man responds to God your voice I heard in the garden and I was afraid because I am naked so I hid verse 11 so God responds to Man, who told you that you are naked? From the tree that I told you not to eat, you ate from it. Verse 11. How do you know? What is even embarrassment? How do you even know that somebody standing naked is what to be embarrassed about? Do you know the difference between bad and good, evil and good at like in a question? In a rhetorical question, did you really eat from the tree that I told you not to? And the man responded the woman that you gave with me to help me. She gave me from the tree and I ate. Rashi tells us something unique that Adam already the first moment. He tells God over here Adam showed ingratitude. God gave him a woman that he should be able to have a companion because he couldn't find a companion with anybody else. And what's the first thing he does? He throws her under the bus and says, "It's the woman that you gave me." Blaming God that he gave him that woman and therefore caused him to sin. And God said to the woman, "What is this that you've done?" So the woman replied, the woman replied, "The serpent deceived me and caused me to eat." What does the wordi mean? So Rashi tells us deceiving deception as it says don't let deceive you. Verse 14 and God said the serpent because you did this you are cursed from all animals and for all beasts of the field. [snorts] you will move on your belly and earth you will eat all the days of your life and dust and eat dust all the days of your life. Verse 14, Rashi tells us because you did this. From here we learn that we do not look for merits that may be possible for one who entices others to do idolatry. If they would have asked if he would have asked the serpent, why did you do this? The serpent could have easily answered, "If the words of a teacher and the words of the people are contradicting one another, who should you be listening to? Who should have they obeyed? Why are you blaming me? Why did the woman have to listen to me?" She didn't have to listen to me. They should have listened to the teacher, not to the student. So Rashi says if he's going to be worse than a animal how much more so will it be cursed from even the that means who's if he's telling us that of all domestic animals and wildlife they would be cursed more than domestic animals whose gestation period is longer than wild animals then certainly would be more cursed than the wild animals. So we hear the rabbis explain the rabbis given our med as they tell us they tell us seven. From here we learn that that the gestation period of a serpent is seven years longer than any other animal. The Torah now continues in page in verse uh verse 15. I'm sorry, one more one more. You will move on your belly because initially the serpent had feet and it was and it was cut. Verse 15. And I will plant hatred between you and the woman between your offspring and her offspring. They will pound on your head and you will hiss as you bite them in the heel. And over here the rashi explains as follows. You only had the intention that the man should eat it first when he will eat it and you will then say you'd be able to marry Eve. But you came to speak to first why did you try to convince over Adam if the whole purpose was that you wanted Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge? This way Adam will die and you would be able to marry Eve. Why didn't you then speak to Eve first? Because women it's easier to convince and you know that the women can then convince and influence their husbands. This is what you try to do to create divide between the husband and wife. Therefore I will plant hatred between you and the woman so you will not be able to have not only for now but forever. comes from the word they will pound you comes from the word I will crush it and as we see in the translation of the enlas translated also from the same root you will not have any height and you will therefore be able to bite the individual the human on its heel but even there and you will have the ability from there even though you're only going to reach the heel but you will able to kill the person from the heel. What is the word? The word tuenu comes from the same word as nashaf which means blow or to hiss because when a serpent comes to bite it blows a kind of hissing sound into the individual at the time since the words andu are very sound similar although they have different meanings. Therefore, both of them are written in the same terminology and using the same type of expression even though one means hissing while the other one means banking. Is to the woman he said as follows. I will greatly increase your difficulty in raising children and in pregnancy. You will give birth to children in anguish and your longing will be for your husband but he will and your longing will be for your husband and but he will dominant you. Over here Rashi tells us what is the word why does he say which is anguish as well as pregnancy. That's the pain that will come with difficulty of raising children. Pregnancy. That's the pain that comes and the difficulty the trouble discomfort of pregnancy. You will give birth to children in anguish refers to later. That's the birth pains of of childbirth. Your longing will be for your husband for marital relation. But still in all nevertheless you will not have the ability. You will not have the audacity to ask him directly. Rather the initiative will have to come from him and not from you. And now comes to Adam because he ate from the tree of knowledge as well. because you listened to your wife ate and you ate of the tree that I commanded you saying did not eat from it. The earth will be cursed because of you. You will produce food from it with difficulty all the days of your life. tells me in verse 17, I will bring up, it will produce for you cursed things. There's going to be things that come from the earth that you will not desire, such as flies, fleas, ants, there comes about as if somebody who is compared to an individual who goes out to do evil ways. And because of that, Briles and then he goes out to evil ways and the people curse the breasts from which he nursed. Meaning cursing where he came from and because of that it brings out all the bad things that come along as well. The Torah now continues. It will bring forth thorns and thistls for you and you will have to eat the grass of the field. What does this mean? The land when you're going to plant all different kinds of grass and all different kinds of seedlings, you won't only get what you want, but it will sprout thorns and thistls as well. And these and the only way that you're going to be able to eat them would be only after pulling out the weeds and correcting them. These are bitter types of vegetables that can only be eaten once a person works very hard whether pickling them, frying them or doing something to them and cannot be eaten raw. and you'll eat the grass of the field seemingly. What is this curse? How is this a curse? This is a blessing. But God already said this in this in the when God created the human that he's able to eat from all of the different of creations and all the different grass that planted. What he's saying over here in the beginning of the passage is as follows. The land is cursed because of you and it will produce it with difficulty. Now after all that difficulty and after the difficulty that you've put into the land then you're going to have all the different things that you will bring thorns and thirsts. Then when you will sew the legumes and the vegetables then when you're going to sew the the you're going to plant vegetables and all the different thing things in your garden. What's going to happen is when you're going to want to plant in your field vegetables and legumes, you will have no choice, but you're going to have to eat other things as well that reproduce to that will not reproduce in its original form. And things are going to come out differently than when you originally planted it. And you're going to have to work difficult to separate and understand and appreciate the grass that you've sewn. Verse 19, you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground because from it you were taken for you are dust and you will also now return to dust. Verse 19 Rashi tells us means that after you expended much effort after you've expended much effort to grow it, you're going to work really hard to be able to sweat to be able to appreciate the things that you've worked hard to be able to enjoy. And with that a man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living things. continues. The verse now goes back to the original discussion that it started before before the sin of the tree of knowledge where Adam was giving names to everything gave everything names. So he also gave a name to his wife. So she got the name then. But the only reason why the Torah interrupted to teach you that by giving the names to all the animals that's came about to being because Adam couldn't find a companion somebody that was compatible. Therefore, therefore he fell asleep and God put him to sleep and did the surgery and separated and created Eve because he says that the very fact that when he created them they were both naked he says why were they both naked. So he tells us about the story of the serpent to let you know that because they were both naked. The serpent saw that was going on because he saw they were naked and saw that they were intimate with one another. That's when he had a desire created this cunning plan and caused it. Now that he finished the whole plan of what the saw when they were naked, what the serpent saw and what happened? He goes back to the original and saying by the way he was also naming as well. Where does the word kava come from? comes to the word life that they're very similar to one another. That she gives life to the things that she gives birth to. Meaning the mother of all things like you would say like it says in Cohelis in Ecclesiastics what was created what was to this person from the word was and as well. So we see that the yud and the are interchangeable. Verse 21. And God made for man and his wife clothe skin garments and he clothed them in these skin garments. Rashi tells us there are hagic interpretations that explain here that say that what were these clothing that he made that this was type of clothing that was connected to their skin that they were very thin and they were like nails that were connected to their skin meaning that they were as if they were wearing a garment of nails and others explain It wasn't that they were wearing nails, but it was something that came from skin like leather that came from animals or either wool or enough from rabbits which is soft and smooth and worthy of making clothing from it. And God made garments from them to wear. So the two opinions whether it was nails that was skin close to their skin or that it was made out of wool and that was something that or not necessarily wool or the fur that comes from rabbits I should say the fur from the rabbits that would be soft and fuzzy for them to wear. This concludes the third Torah reading of Genesis.