## Chizkuni, Genesis

###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:1:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:1:1)

**[השמים והארץ וכל צבאם** כאן כלול כל היצירות בבת אחת כגון מלאכים מעשה מרכבה וגיהנם].


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:2:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:2:1)

**ויכל אלקים ביום השביעי** נראה כאילו כלתה בו כל מלאכת בראשית שבעוד שהיה יום ששי לא נודע שכלתה מלאכתו או אם יעשה למחרתו כלום.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויכל אלוקים ביום השביעי, “the Lord had completed on the seventh day;” at first glance this wording gives the impression as if G-d had still been working on the seventh day; seeing that on the sixth day it had not yet been known that this was the last day on which G-d performed creative activities, there is no contradiction. This became known only in retrospect on the seventh day through G-d’s abstaining from any such activity.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:2:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:2:2)

**השביעי** המבורר למנוחה מה שאין כן באחד משאר הימים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
השביעי, “The seventh;” this day too has the prefix ה, as it was a day reserved for rest from physical activity, something that is taboo on all the other days.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:3:1)

**ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי** שבו העולם היה מלא כל טוב וברכה ושובע דוגמא אשר ברכך ה׳‎ אלקיך תתן לו הוא שאנו אומרים בתפלה וברכתו מכל הימים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויברך אלוקים את יום השביעי, “G-d blessed the seventh day.”[If I understand the author correctly, he does not understand the word ויברך here as in the immediate past, but as description of the state of the universe on that day as a result of its Creator having blessed it previously. Ed.] On this day the world was in a state of perfection full of everything positive, and fully satisfied. Compare Deuteronomy 5,14: אשר ברכך ה' אלוקיך תתן לו, “that the Lord your G-d has blessed you with, give him of it.” (the departing servant). This is also what we recite regularly in our prayers: “You have blessed it more than any other days.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:3:2)

**ויקדש אתו** פרש״‎י שלא היה מן יורד בו ואם תאמר אף יו״‎ט מקודש במן כדכתיב וביום השביעי שבת לא יהיה בו ושנו רבותינו לא בא הכתוב אלא לרבות יום כפור ויו״‎ט, אלא יש לומר דיו״‎ט לא נפקי מכלל שבת דאף הם שבת מיקרו בכמה מקומות וממקרא ד**ויקדש אתו** נלמוד שבתות וימים טובים. ד״‎א **ויקדש אתו** מעשיית מלאכה כדכתיב **כי בו שבת** שלא עשה בו מלאכה, וכן הוא אומר וביום השביעי שבת שבתון מקרא קודש כל מלאכה לא תעשו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויקדש אותו “He sanctified it;” according to Rashi, this refers to the fact that the manna would not descend to earth on that day. [Maybe Rashi means that the Sabbath rest is observed also in the celestial regions. Ed.] If you were to counter that on festival days the manna did not descend either, as we read in Exodus 6,26: וביום השביעי לא יהיה בו , and our sages in the Mechilta, (according to Rashi) claim that this verse was written only in order to include the day of Atonement and the other Festivals as days on which no manna descended, we have to remember that the festivals are frequently also referred to as Sabbaths, so that there was no need for a special verse to include those days as days on which the manna would not descend. A different exegesis of these words: the meaning of “He sanctified it,” is that no creative activity was to be performed on that day, seeing that the Creator Himself had abstained from carrying out such an activity on that day. The idea that a day known as שבת must be sanctified even if it is not the seventh day of the week, is demonstrated when the Torah in Leviticus 23,3 calls that day שבת שבתון, before adding that this is the reason that no work may be performed on it. The day of Atonement is also called שבת שבתון (Leviticus 16,31) although most of the time it does not occur on the seventh day of the week. It makes sense therefore that because it is also a שבת שבתון, the rules about work prohibition are identical to those occurring every week on the seventh day.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:3:3)

**כי בו שבת** אינו לשון מנוחה שהרי גבי הקב״‎ה כתוב לא ייעף ולא ייגע, ושלא בטורח ברא הוא את עולמו אלא לשון הפסקה כמו וישבת המן וישבתו שלשת האנשים ויום ולילה לא ישבתו, פי׳‎ כי בו פסק מלעשות מלאכה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי בו שבת, the word שבת when applied to G-d, cannot mean “He rested,” in the sense this term is commonly used, as we have it on the authority of Isaiah 40,28 that G-d never “grows faint or weary;” seeing that He did not have to exert Himself when creating the universe, why should He have been tired so that would have to “rest?” The word has to be understood as G-d having put a temporary stop to an activity. We find a similar term used when the regular descent on weekdays of the manna came to a halt after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, (Joshua 5,12) before they commenced eating from the produce of the land of Canaan. Both events are reported there as having occurred on the same day. We also find the verb שבת used in the sense of an interruption Job 32,1 when Job’s friends interrupted their arguing with Job for three days out of their respect for his righteousness. An even better proof is Genesis 8,22, where G-d assures Noach after the deluge that the regular phenomenon of day and night following one another will never again be suspended, i.e. יום ולילה לא ישבתו, “day and night will occur without interruption.” Neither day nor night will take “a break from their routine.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:3:4)

**מכל מלאכתו אשר ברא** וגו׳‎ להיות מנהגם מאותו זמן ואילך **לעשות** כיוצא בהן כגון בעלי חיים אילנות דשא שמזריעין ועושין כיוצא בהם. ד״‎א **לעשות** כל ימות עולם כסדר של ימי בראשית שהשמים והארץ יעשו מנהגם ולא ישנו הסדר. מכאן תשובה למינים שאומרים הקב״‎ה עושה מלאכה בשבת כשהוא מוריד מטר ומגדל צמחים וזה הבל כי כל זה נקבע מששת ימי בראשית שנצטוו לעשות מנהגם ואין זו מלאכה. וראיה לדבר שכן הוא שהרי מן מאחר שלא נברא להיות יורד בששת ימי בראשית לא רצה הקב״‎ה להורידו בשבת ע״‎י שלא נראה זמן תחלת ברייתו עד יציאת מצרים. ד״‎א **אשר ברא לעשות** ולא עשה, אלו המזיקים שברא הקב״‎ה נשמתם וכביכול לא הספיק לבראות את גופם עד שקדש עליו היום ונבראו בין השמשות ואין להם גויה רואין ואינן נראין. ד״‎א **לעשות** כל עשייה האמורה במעשה בראשית ענין תקון הוא וכן הפירוש מכל המלאכות אשר ברא לתקן בה את העולם. מה שלא נכתב ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום שביעי לפי שלא היה בו ערב אלא כולו היה אור.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מכל מלאכתו אשר עשה, “from all His work;” a reference to the functioning henceforth of the earth and its inhabitants, i.e. living creatures developing and multiplying, trees producing fruit, etc. An alternative exegesis of the phrase; the word: לעשות at the end of this verse refers to the continuity of this process for as long as earth would exist. This would be the Torah’s, i.e. G-d’s answer, to the heretics who claim that G-d performs His activities on the Sabbath seeing that He allows it to rain and bring about the growing and ripening of trees and crops on that day. This is utter nonsense, as these processes had all been part of the directive given by G-d when these phenomena or creatures were first created. The Torah here states categorically that G-d does nothing of the sort. Proof of this is that the fact that manna which, because G-d had not created it, i.e. it had not descended to earth during the first six days of the universe, was also not allowed to descend on the Sabbath, and it also had never been seen until after the Jewish people had left Egypt; all this refutes the theory that G-d “works” on the Sabbath. Yet another exegesis of our verse: the emphasis in our verse is on the expression אשר ברא לעשות, instead of אשר עשה; we are told here that the various types of destructive forces with which the earth seems to abound at time, were only “created,” i.e. were only made possible by G-d, but were not developed into finished products, i.e. powered by Him. G-d did not have time to completely fashion those destructive forces until dusk on the sixth day when it had already turned dark, as Midrash Tanchuma (ancient version) tells us on Bereshit 17. According to this exegesis our verse refers only to the constructive phenomena that G-d had created while it was still daylight on the sixth day. The reason that the Torah, at the end of its report on G-d’s “activity” on the seventh day does not conclude with the words: “it was evening it was morning,” is that there had been no evening; the entire Sabbath had been a day bathed in full light. (Bereshit Rabbah, 11,2.)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:3:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:3:5)

**[לעשות** כי בו שבת מעשות מכל].

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
[ "To do [on Friday] for in it [i.e. Shabbat] one refrains from all creative work."](Talmud Bavli, Shabbat, 118b)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:4:1)

**אלה תולדות השמים** וגו׳‎ לפי שבתחלה קצר במקצת דברים עכשיו חוזר ומפרש היאך נעשו, אמר רבי אבהו כל מקום שנאמר אלה פסל את הראשונים כאן פסל תהו ובהו וחושך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אלה תולדות השמים והארץ וגו, “these are the derivatives of heaven and earth, etc.; seeing that in the first chapter the Torah had been extremely concise on a number of aspects of the story of creation, the Torah now fills in some of these gaps, by explaining more about the “how” of that period. We have a statement by Rabbi Abahu, quoted in Bereshit Rabbah 12,3, according to which every time in the Holy Scriptures when a paragraph commences with the word: אלה, this is meant to indicate that a state of affairs which had been described as in effect previously, is no longer valid. On the other hand, if a paragraph commences with the word: ואלה, this is meant to indicate that what follows is a continuation of a state of affairs that already been in existence. The state of affairs that the word אלה in our verse is to supersede is that of tohu vavohu, chaos and darkness, which the Torah had introduced in Genesis. 1,2.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:4:2)

**תולדות השמים** מאורות וכוכבים ומעשה מרכבה ושאר דברים של מעלה כגון אש ברד שלג סופה וסערה אלא שבא דוד והורידן למטה לארץ.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
תולדות השמים. This is a reference to the luminaries and the stars as well as to all the phenomena that are part of the celestial regions, including fire (lightning) hail, tornados, etc.; However during the reign of King David, the latter succeeded in making most of these phenomena part of our terrestrial world. (Compare Talmud, Chagigah 12)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:4:3)

**והארץ** בעלי חיים דשאים אילנות אבנים מים. **ביום עשות** ביום שנעשו שמים וארץ בתחלה אלו הן התולדות שעשה אח״‎כ כל א׳‎ וא׳‎ בזמנו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
והארץ, this is a reference to both living creatures, and all manner of vegetation on earth. ביום עשות, at the time when heaven and earth had first been created, i.e. on the first day. All of these phenomena mentioned already on the first day, G-d had completed during the following five “days.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:4:4)

**ביום עשות ה׳‎ אלקים** עכשיו כשנבנו שמים וארץ במילואם הזכיר עליהם שם המיוחד משום דברב עם הדרת מלך וכן מצינו אין מזמנין על המזון בשם בפחות מעשרה. כאן פרש״‎י שיתף הקב״‎ה מדת הרחמים עם מדת הדין והיינו דכתיב וה׳‎ שמים עשה פי׳‎ הוא בעל מדת הרחמים עם מדת דינו עשה השמים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ביום עשות ה' אלוקים, “on the day the Lord G-d had completed;” now that heaven and earth had been completely built up, the Torah for the first time reveals G-d’s full name in accordance with the principle we have learned from Proverbs 14,28 that ברב עם הדרת מלך “when there is a multitude the king’s real honour becomes manifest.” We find this principle invoked also in B’rachot 49 where the Talmud says: ”one does not invoke the tetragram when preparing to recite grace after a meal unless there are at least 10 adult males present.”The author quotes Rashi as commenting on our verse that G-d, now that there were free willed human beings on earth, coopted the attribute of mercy so that He would not automatically have to destroy His universe when man sinned. This has been hinted at in the prefix letter ו before the line: 'וה שמים עשה, “and the Lord (by contrast) completed the heaven.” [This quote is not found in our editions of Rashi on this verse. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:4:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:4:5)

**ארץ ושמים** ולמעלה הוא אומר את השמים ואת הארץ בתנחומא אמרו בבריאה קדמו שמים לארץ אבל בעשייה ותיקון קדמה ארץ לשמים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ארץ ושמים, “earth and heaven.” Previously, in 1,1 the Torah had listed heaven before referring to earth. Midrash Tanchuma comments on this that when speaking of the creation of something out of nothing, i.e. the stage known as בריאה, heaven preceded earth chronologically, whereas when speaking of the completion of their coming into existence, earth was completed first.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:6:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:6:1)

**ואד** עשן ברואינה בלע״‎ז, וי״‎ו זו טפלה ויתרה היא וכן רבות במקרא וכן הפי׳‎ וכל שיח השדה קודם שנתוסף מכמו שנברא, היה עולה אד מן הארץ בכח המאורות להשקות את האדמה ולהצמיחה, ודיבור כי לא המטיר מפסיק ליתן טעם למה היו הדשאים והאילנות מוסיפין לצמוח.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ואד, “and a kind of mist;” the letter ו at the beginning off the word אד, appears to be superfluous; there are numerous such apparently superfluous prefixes ו in the Torah. As a result, in order not to have to consider that letter as superfluous, our author suggests that the meaning of the two verses 56 must be understood thus: “all the grasses etc. in the field were in a state of suspense after having been created, as only a kind of mist had been rising from the earth due to the influence of sun and moon, this being only sufficient to provide minimal moisture for these herbs. The section of the verse commencing with: for “G-d had not yet let it rain, nor had there been a human being to till the earth,” interrupts the story in order to provide us with the reason why none of these plants have been reported as growing.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:6:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:6:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:6:2)

**יעלה** העלה לשון מפעיל כמו ויעל עלות במזבח שהוא כמו העלה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
יעלה, “would rise;” the word must be understood as being in the past tense. Compare Genesis 8,20: ויעל עולות במזבח, “he (Noach) would offer burnt offerings on the altar.” (past tense).


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:7:1)

**וייצר ה׳‎ אלקים את האדם.** לפי שהיה רוצה לכתוב וישם שם את האדם אשר יצר הזכיר כאן פעם שנית יצירת האדם ודבור ויטע, ויצמח, נכתב להזכיר מצות עץ הדעת.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
. וייצר ה' אלוקים את האדם, “G-d shaped the human being;” seeing that the Torah wished to write that G-d placed man inside the garden, it repeated part of the process by which man was created, [showing that G-d was active in his creation beyond the initial stages. Ed.] The words: ויטע, “He planted,” and ויצמח, “He made grow,” were written in order to lead up to the story of the tree of knowledge, and the commandment forbidding man to eat from that tree.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:7:2)

**ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים.** בנפיחתו של הקב״‎ה שהיא רוח הקודש מה שלא נפח בשום אף בריה וכל כך למה כדי לכוין דעתו לחוד חידה שיקרא לבריות השמות עצמן שקרא להם הקב״‎ה וכן כתוב וכל אשר יקרא לו, הוא שמו פי׳‎ הוא השם שקרא לו הקב״‎ה קודם שהביאם לו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויפח באפיו נשמת חימם, “He blew into his nostrils a living soul.” G-d personally blew the breath of life into the human being, something He had not done for any of His other creatures. Why was all this necessary? This was in order to enable man to have the wisdom, i.e. holy spirit, to enable him when viewing all the animals to name them correctly after having discerned how each was different from the other.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:7:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:7:3)

**נשמת חיים.** נשמה שהיא חיה לעולם ואינה מתה במות הגוף.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
נשמת חיים, “an immortal soul,” surviving the death of the body it inhabits.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:8:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:8:1)

**וישם שם את האדם** אבל תחלת ברייתו לא היתה משם שאלו נברא בגן עדן ועמידתו שם יהיה סבור שכל העולם כך הוא אבל בראו מן החוץ וראה כל העולם מלא קוצים וברקנים ואחר כך הכניסו לגן עדן מקום מובחר.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וישם שם את האדם, “He placed Adam inside it.” When Adam had been created he did not find himself in the garden, for if he had been created in the garden he would have thought that the entire earth is such a garden. G-d deliberately created him outside the garden in order to show him that the rest of the earth was overgrown with thorns and thistles. His transfer to the garden, it was hoped, would make him grateful for having been placed in such a superior environment.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:8:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:8:2)

**ויטע** וכבר נטע, וכן ויצמח, שהרי קודם האדם היו הצמחים מקדם אמר ר׳‎ שמואל בר נחמני אתה סבור קודם לברייתו של עולם ואינו אלא קודם לברייתו של אדם והא דאמרינן שהוא מן הדברים שקדמו לעולם היינו העדן. אבל האילנות נטע ביום השלישי.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויטע, this has to be understood as “He had planted.” The same applies to the statement: ויצמח, “He had made it grow.” The plants had preceded the creation of man (Rabbi Shmuel son of Nachmeni, in Bereshit Rabbah, 15,3) is on record as saying that if we thought Gan Eden had preceded the creation of the universe this is an error. It only preceded the creation of Adam. [This is a reference to the word: מקדם, “previously;” Ed] When the Talmud stated in Pessachim 54 that one of the phenomena that were created before “the world,” was גן עדן, the meaning is: “before the universe had been completed, i.e. on the third “day”.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:9:1)

**[ויצמח -** כבר הצמיח]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:9:2)

**[ועץ החיים בתוך הגן -** באמצעיתו].


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:9:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:9:3)

**ועץ הדעת טוב ורע** כתרגומו והעץ שהאוכלו יודע טוב ורע.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
"and the tree of knowledge of good and bad:" as its (Onkelos) translation (explains) - the tree which the one who eats it(s fruit) knows good and bad.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:10:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:10:1)

**[ונהר יוצא מעדן להשקות** אבל גן עדן עצמו אינו צריך להשקות].


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:11:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:11:1)

**אשר שם הזהב** שתי חוילות הן, סבא וחוילה וגו׳‎ את אופיר ואת חוילה. לכך נתן לו סימן שהיא אותה שאצל אופיר, כדכתיב וזהב מאופיר יובא.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אשר שם הזהב The word: חוילה, occurs in the Torah twice more, once in Genesis 10,7, and once in verse 29 of that chapter. Therefore the Torah wished to indicate that the gold mentioned here is that which used to be brought from Ophir.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:12:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:12:1)

**וזהב הארץ ההיא טוב** ויכולים לערב בו נחשת ועדיין יתראה טוב, והלא דברים ק״‎ו אם מן הנהרים היוצאים ממנו כך, תוכו לא כל שכן.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וזהב הארץ ההיא טוב, “and the gold originating from that area is good.” What is meant is that it lends itself to amalgamation with copper, without losing its appearance as gold. Actually, this is no more than logical; if the gold found in the rivers emanating from Gan Eden was “good,” the gold inside the garden surely must be good.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:14:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:14:1)

**קדמת אשור** התי״‎ו במקום ה״‎א, והוא כאלו כתוב קדמה והה״‎א במקום למ״‎ד בתחלה כמו למזרח אשור.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
קדמת אשור, the letter ת at the end of the word: קדמת is in lieu of the letter ה, as in קדמה. Sometimes the Torah also uses the letter ה as a suffix instead of the letter ל as a prefix as in למזרח אשור “east of Ashur.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:14:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:14:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:14:2)

**הוא פרת** הידוע לישראל שהוא תחום ארץ ישראל כדכתיב עד הנהר הגדול נהר פרת יהיה גבולכם ולכך כתב הוא פרת ולא הוצרך לפרש יותר כמו שפרש בשאר שלשת נהרות.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
הוא פרת, “known to the Israelites at the time when the Torah was given as the river Euphrates.” It borders the larger land of Israel, as in G-d’s promise to Avraham in Genesis 15,18. Seeing that this river was well known, the Torah only needed to write “הוא פרת,” the one known as Euphrates. More details had to be given about the other three rivers as the reader would not have known which rivers were meant.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:15:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:15:1)

**לעבדה** להשקותה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לעבדה, “to irrigate it;”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:15:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:15:2)

**ולשמרה** שלא ירמסוה רגלי בהמה וחיה שעדיין לא היו שם להט חרב והכרובים. ד״‎א **לעבדה** על שם ששת ימים תעבוד. ולשמרה על שם שמור את יום השבת וכן הוא **לעבדה** בששת ימי המעשה ולשמרה ביום השבת שאין בו עבודה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולשמרה, “and to protect it against animals that would trample it.” The Torah speaks of a period prior to when the angels with drawn swords would prevent entry into Gan Eden. An alternate exegesis of these two words: the word לעבדה, is to be understood as in Exodus 20,8, i.e. ששת ימים תעבוד, “during the six days you are to work, etc;” and the word: לשמרה, is to be understood as in Deuteronomy 5,12: שמור את יום השבת, “observe the Sabbath,” in other words, G-d commanded Adam already at that time to observe the seventh day of the week as we observe the Sabbath after the Torah had been given, by not performing work on it.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:1)

**ויצו ה׳‎ אלקים על האדם** לא נסהו בשבילו שכל מה שהיה ועתיד להיות היה גלוי לפניו אלא להפיס דעתן של מלאכי רחמים שהיו מבקשים עליו רחמים יותר מדאי הראה להם שלא יעמוד בנסיון. ורבותינו דרשו מכאן שבע מצות לבני נח.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויצו ה' אלוקים על האדם; “the Lord G-d issued a command to Adam, etc.” This is not to be considered as a test which G-d wanted to subject Adam to, seeing that He knows all that was, is, and will be. He commanded Adam not to eat from the tree in order to demonstrate to the angels who had appealed for G-d’s mercy on his behalf, that this Adam to whom they had looked with that much respect and almost awe, did not even have the power to resist the only temptation to which G-d had subjected him. Our sages in Sanhedrin 56b derive from this verse that G-d issued the seven universal commandments for mankind at this time. Each of them is hinted at in the words of this verse.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:2)

**ויצו** אלו דינין. וכן הוא אומר כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה וגו'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויצו, a reference to establishing courts and judges to deal with disputes and violations of G-d’s commandments. The Torah refers to this again in Genesis 18,19 when explaining why G-d discusses the imminent destruction of the Sodomites with Avraham.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:3)

**ה'** זה כבוד של הקב״‎ה וכן הוא אומר ונוקב שם ה׳‎ מות יומת.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ה, a reference to G-d’s “honour,” i.e. a hint that blasphemers must be punished. (Compare Leviticus 24,16)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:4)

**אלקים** זה עבודת כוכבים, וכן הוא אומר לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אלוקים, a hint not to practice paganism, as spelled out in Exodus 20,3, “you must not have other deities.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:5)

**על האדם** זו שפיכות דמים וכן הוא אומר שופך דם האדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
על האדם, a hint forbidding the shedding of human blood, (murder). This has been spelled out in greater detail in Genesis 9,6.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:6
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:6)

**לאמר** זה גלוי עריות וכן הוא אומר לאמר הן ישלח איש את אשתו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לאמור, this is a hint not to commit incest and other forbidden forms of gratifying one’s libido. It is spelled out clearly in Jeremiah 3,1, where the prophet condemns legal maneuvers by “divorcing” a wife so she can legally sleep with another partner, all the while intending to take her back.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:7
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:7)

**מכל עץ הגן** זה גזל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מכל עץ הגן, an allusion to not commit robbery, i.e. unless we have permission from the Creator to enjoy what He placed on earth for that person it is considered as if we had robbed Him.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:8
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:8)

**אכל תאכל** זו אבר מן החי בא אברהם והוסיף מילה. בא יעקב והוסיף גיד הנשה בא יהודה והוסיף מצות יבום באו ישראל והוסיפו עליהם שבת וכבוד אב ואם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אכל תאכל, a hint not to eat flesh from an animal that is still alive. During Avraham’s time G-d added another command (for his descendants only) circumcision of the males. During Yaakov’s lifetime another prohibition was added, (by him?) namely, not to eat the גיד הנשה, the thigh muscle near the hip. During the lifetime of Yaakov’ son Yehudah, the law for a surviving brother, under certain circumstances to marry the widow of his deceased brother, was added. This law is known as yibbum. The Israelites added the commandment to honour father and mother. This commandment preceded the Ten Commandments, and was apparently introduced as part of the commandments mentioned when the people were encamped around a place called marah where the bitter waters had been made sweet. (Exodus 15,25).


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:9
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:9)

**על האדם** עליו ועל זרעו אחריו לפיכך לא כתב את האדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
על האדם, the commandment applied not only to the first human being, but to all subsequent generations; this is implied in the prefix ה, as it would be unnecessary otherwise; after all there was as yet only one human being. Or, if the command applied only to this first human being, the Torah should have written: את האדם, instead of על האדם, an expression that includes the entire human species.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:10
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:10)

**[על האדם** על כל אבריו של האדם]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:11
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:16:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:16:11)

**מכל עץ הגן אכל תאכל** וא״‎ת א״‎כ יש פתחון פה לבעל דין לחלוק לומר שאכל מעץ החיים. ואם כן היאך נקנסה עליו מיתה לאחר מיכן כשאכל מעץ הדעת אלא יש לומר שלא אכל מעץ החיים שלא נשתהה בגן עדן אלא ג׳‎ שעות ואם תמצא לומר אכל ממנו שמא עץ הדעת סם המות הוא לאוכל מעץ החיים. ועץ החיים סם המות הוא לאוכל מעץ הדעת לפיכך לאחר שאכל מעץ הדעת אמר הקב״‎ה הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו לדעת טוב ורע ועתה פן ישלח ידו ולקח גם מעץ החיים פעם שנית ואכל וחי לעולם וקרוב לבריות לטעות אחריו אבל מאחר שלא יאכל מעץ החיים אחר עץ הדעת ודאי ימות. ד״‎א **מכל עץ הגן אכל תאכל** לאו מעץ החיים קאי שהרי אינו צריך אזהרה שמה שכתוב ועץ החיים בתוך הגן היינו באמצע הגן וראיה לדבר שתרגומו באמצע גינתא. ועץ הדעת היה מקיפו סביב על פני כל סביבו נמצא ששניהם באמצע הגן וכל זמן שלא יעבור ולא יקח מעץ הדעת עץ החיים יהיה שמור בתוכו לפיכך לא נזהר רק על עץ הדעת וכשעבר ואכל ממנו אז אמר הקב״‎ה הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו וגו'. ד״‎א אדם הורשה לאכול מכל עץ הגן רק מעץ הדעת כדכתיב **ומעץ הדעת לא תאכל ממנו** שכל זמן שלא תאכל ממנו לא יהיה בך דעת ויצר להבחין בין טוב לרע ואיני דנך אלא שוגג ולא תהיה חוטא ואין מיחוש בדבר אם תחיה לעולם מאחר שלא תחטא אבל אם תטעום ממנו הריני דנך מזיד וקונס עליך מיתה פן תהיה חי חוטא לעולם. ד״‎א מה שלא הוזהר האדם על עץ החיים היינו לפי שהיה עתיד לעבור על צווי ומוטב שיאכל מעץ הדעת משיאכל מעץ החיים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מכל עץ הגן אכל תאכל, “you are encouraged to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden;” if that were literally so, we might think that man was allowed to eat also of the tree of life? You would be wrong. The tree of life did not present a challenge to Adam as he was as yet immortal, and could not understand the purpose of such a tree. Moreover, according to tradition, Adam spent an entire 3 hours of his life in that garden. (Compare Sanhedrin 38) If you were to say that during those three hours Adam had indeed eaten from the fruit of that tree, so how could death have been decreed for him after that? If that were so the tree of knowledge would have been misnamed and should have been named the “tree of death,” as its fruit brought about man’s mortality. Alternately, it is possible that eating from the tree of life would serve as an antidote for people who had eaten from the tree of knowledge. This would explain why G-d became concerned about Adam eating from the tree of life only after he had eaten from the tree of knowledge, Alternately, if he were to eat from the tree of life a second time, he might become immortal as a result. Another exegesis of the whole verse: The words: “you may surely eat from all the trees of the garden,” did not include eating from the tree of life, as G-d forbade eating from the tree in the middle of the garden (3,3 and 3,9) Onkelos also translates 2,9 that the tree of knowledge was located in the center of the garden; it may well be that both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge were in fact in the middle of the garden, the tree of knowledge surrounding the tree of life from all sides. This is why the warning had to be issued only concerning the tree of knowledge. As long as man had not eaten from that tree, the tree beyond had not even been a challenge. It was only after they had become aware of the difference between good and evil that eating from the tree of life had become of special interest. Anyone who is immortal by definition was not interested in eating from a tree of life which promised no more than what he already possessed. Seeing that the concept of sinning, i.e. deliberately disobeying G-d’s instruction, came into existence only after he had eaten from the tree of knowledge, the most that could have happened would have been that he had inadvertently eaten from the fruit of the tree of life, something that hardly qualified for a penalty. After having eaten from the tree of knowledge, eating from the tree of life became a deliberate sin, and would bring in its wake the appropriate punishment. It was therefore preferable for man to have eaten from the tree of knowledge to his having eaten from the tree of life, as the penalty for eating from the latter would have been harsher.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:17:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:17:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:17:1)

**[לא תאכל ממנו** משמע לא תאכל אתה וכל אשר לך, ולכך לקתה חוה]. **כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות** האדם לא נברא על מתכונת שימות אבל כשחטא נקנס למיתה כלומר אם תאכל ממנו סופך למות ולא תוכל להנצל מן המיתה לעת קץ ולא אמר שבאותו יום ימות ולפיכך הובדל הוא מעץ החיים פן יחזור לתולדתו לחיות לעולם ויצטרך לגזור מיתה עליו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות, “for on the day youwould eat from it you would surely become mortal.” Man had not been created as a mortal body, but after having sinned he was punished by becoming mortal. G-d’s warning did not mean that he would die immediately. He only had warned him that he would lose his entitlement to infinite life. At some time in the future he would not be able to escape the need to die. This is why he had to be separated from proximity to the tree of life, so that he could not regain the immortality that he had now lost.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:18:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:18:1)

**לא טוב היות האדם לבדו** מתחילה עלה במחשבה לעשות לו זוג ולא מצא פתח לעשות עד לאחר קריאת השמות כדי שיתאוה לה ויחבבנה יותר.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לא טוב היות האדם לבדו, “it is not good for Adam to remain solitary;” this was not a new idea that G-d had; He had planned for it all the time; He did not want to impose a partner on Adam, and that is why He gave him a chance to name the animals and to find that all of them had suitable mates, something that he now felt he lacked. G-d therefore responded to a wish of Adam that he had not even voiced as yet. If the mate was provided in response to his longing he would appreciate his wife more.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:19:1)

**ויצר ה׳‎ אלקים** במקום אחר הוא אומר שהעופות מן המים נבראו וכאן הוא אומר מן האדמה לפי שיש מיני עופות שנבראו מן המים ודירתם שם כגון צאינ״‎א פלוב״‎ן ויש עופות אחרים שנבראו מן האדמה ואינן יכולים לעמוד במים כגון תרנגולים ועופות אחרים הרבה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וייצר ה' אלוקים, “The Lord G-d fashioned, etc.” In one verse we have read that G-d created the birds from the water (1,21), here it states that the birds were the product that G-d fashioned from the earth. How are we to understand this? We have to consider that some birds make their habitat in water, (geese, ducks, swans) and whereas others are unable to survive in water, for instance, chicken and turkeys, to name only a few.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:19:2)

**ויבא אל האדם** דגים לא הביא כי בתוך המים הם ואינם יוצאים ואם יוצאים מתים ואין לו רדיה עליהם וגם בהמות לא הביא לפי שהיו מצויות אצלו ורגיל בם ומכירם ולא היה צריך להביאם לו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויבא אל האדם, “He brought to Adam;” G-d did not bring the fish as they are water bound and cannot survive on dry land. As a result of this, man does not enjoy authority over the fish. He did not bring domesticated mammals to him either, as Adam was already familiar with them. G-d did not have to bring them.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:19:3)

**לראות מה יקרא לו** לראות מה השכיל רוח חיים אשר נפח באפיו אם יקרא לבריות שמות הראויים להם והועיל כדכתיב הוא שמו הוא השם הראוי לו שהסכימה דעתו לדעת בוראו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לראות מה יקרא לו, “to find out how he would name it;” (the species). G-d wanted to find out how Adam reacted to the living soul He had blown into his nostrils i.e. if he would be able to correctly name the various species that fitted their nature. This is what is meant when the Torah wrote: הוא שמו “which is its appropriate name.” [The name G-d would have given these creatures if Adam had not named them. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:19:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:19:4)

**וכל אשר יקרא לו** וגו׳‎ כדי שידע מעצמו להזכיר שמותם כשיצטרך להם שאילו קרא להן הקדוש ב״‎ה שמות ומלמד אותם לאדם לא היה יודע הדבר מהר וקשה לו ליכנס בדבר.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וכל אשר יקרא לו וגו, “and whatever name Adam would give that species, etc.” The reason that Adam named each species was so that whenever he needed one of them he knew how to call for it, i.e. by its name. If G-d Himself had named each species and Adam would have had to ask Him for its name, it would have been a cumbersome procedure. This way he himself remembered the name of each species.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:20:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:20:1)

**ולאדם לא מצא עזר** ולמה לא בראה תחלה אלא צפה הקב״‎ה שעתיד לקרוא עליה תגר ולא בראה לו תחלה עד שתבעה בפיו בפירוש ומיד ויפל תרדמה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולאדם לא מצא עזר, “but Adam had not found a suitable partner for himself;” why did G-d not create Chavah at the same time as He had created Adam? G-d had known that the time would come when her husband would blame her for his own sin. (3,12) This is why He delayed creating her until Adam had expressed a wish for her explicitly. (Compare Bereshit Rabbah 17,4) As soon as Adam had expressed his wish for a suitable partner, G-d put him to sleep and proceeded to fashion Chavah from him.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:20:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:20:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:20:2)

**כנגדו** מן הדומה לו בצלם דמות ורקמה, כתרגום ירושלמי בר זוג בדנפיק ביה ולפיכך כתב **לא מצא עזר כנגדו** אעפ״‎י שכמה משרתים ועומדים היה מוצא לו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כנגדו, from raw material which matched that which had had been made of both in substance and in appearance. (See Targum Yerushalmi). This is why when the mammals had been paraded before him, the Torah had written that he had not found עזר כנגדו “a mate that would match him.” He had found numerous animals that could have served him as helpers for one purpose or another, but none that would have been suitable all round.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:21:1)

**ויפל, תרדמה על האדם** לפי הפשט חס הקב״‎ה על אדם הראשון שלא להכאיבו לפיכך הפיל עליו תרדמה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
.ויפל תרדמה על האדם, according to the plain meaning of the text, the meaning of this phrase is that “G-d cast a deep sleep over Adam;” this was so that the surgery He performed on him should not cause him any pain. He made him unconscious.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:21:2)

**וישן ויקח אחת מצלעתיו** אחת מצלעותיו שמואל אמר מבין תרין עלעוהי.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וישן ויקח אחת מצלעותיו, “and while he was asleep, He took one of his ribs;” Samuel, in Breshit Rabbah 17,6 says that He took one rib from between other ribs, and that this justifies the word תחתנה, which is in the plural mode.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:21:3)

**ויסגר בשר תחתנה** תחתה אין כתיב כאן דמשמע תחתית של דבר אלא **תחתנה** כתיב פי׳‎ תחת השתים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויסגר בשר תחתנה, “He closed up that spot with flesh.” The Torah did not write: תחתה which would have meant that He replaced the area of the incision with flesh instead;


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:21:4)

**ויסגר בשר** עד בריאת האשה לא כתיב סמ״‎ך ללמדך באת אשה בא סטן. ד״‎א ללמדך שהאשה סמוך לבעלה, ופריך התם והא כתיב הסובב את כל ארץ החוילה ומשני ההוא בנהרות הוא דכתיב.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויסגור בשר; until the creation of woman the letter ס had not appeared in the Torah; this is to teach us that Satan had not found an entrance into the world until woman had been created. A different exegesis: the appearance of the letter ס is to remind us that a wife is always close to her husband. Concerning the query raised in Bereshit Rabbah that the letter ס had already appeared in the word: הסובב in verse 11 of our chapter, we must answer that the subjects in that verse are two rivers, not a human being.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:21:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:21:5)

**בשר תחתנה** עשה לו כסתות היינו בשר העגבות.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
בשר תחתנה, a reference to the flesh of man’s buttocks. (Compare Bereshit Rabbah 17,6.)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:22:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:22:1)

**ויבאה אל האדם** מהיכן הביאה והלא מצלעותיו נלקחה אלא דבר הכתוב על מחשבתו של אדם שבתחלה כשראה אותה חשב בלבו שהובאה לו כשאר הבריות וכשהרגיש בעצמו שהיה חסר צלעו אז אמר עצם מעצמי וגו׳‎ ודוגמא והאנשים רדפו אחריהם חשבו לרדוף אחריהם. וי״‎מ שנבנתה חוץ לגן ולכך כתוב **ויבאה אל האדם** מחוץ לגן.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויביאה אל האדם; “He brought her to Adam.” Where did He bring her from? After all she had been part of her husband’s ribs before, i.e. right next to him? The Torah here describes how her sudden appearance next to him was viewed by Adam when he awoke from his deep sleep. He thought that G-d had brought her to him, just as He had brought the animals to him to be named. It was only after he noticed that now one of his ribs was missing, that he realised that she had formerly been part of his own flesh; this is why he exclaimed: “bone from my own bones, etc.” If we were to look for a similar formulation in the Holy Scriptures, we can find it in Joshua 2,7: והאנשים רדפו אחריהם, “and the men had chased after them” (the spies). Actually, they were only under the impression that they pursued them, as they never found them. Some commentators claim that our verse means that Adam thought that G-d had performed the operation beyond the borders of the garden, and this is why the Torah wrote: “He brought her to Adam.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:1)

**זאת הפעם** כלומר עכשיו יצאה אשה מן האיש אבל מכאן ולהבא אינו כן אלא האיש יצא מן האשה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
זאת הפעם, “this time;” he meant that this time the male’s partner was made of his own flesh. But he realised that this was a one time occurrence and would not repeat itself. Henceforth, instead of woman emanating from man, man would emanate from woman. (her womb).


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:2)

**זאת הפעם עצם מעצמי** פרש״‎י מלמד שבא אדם על כל בהמה וחיה ולא נתקררה דעתו. צריך לומר שנתעברו קודם שבא עליהם אדם דאי לא תימא הכי הא מיעקרן בביאת אדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
זאת הפעם עצם מעצמי; Rashi claims that Adam had already attempted carnal relations with each female of the species and had found such mating unsatisfactory. (The source appears to be the Talmud in Yevamot 63, as well as Rabbi Saadyah, Gaon) We would have to assume that each of these species had become pregnant from such relations before Adam had had relations with them. If we were not to assume this they would have become sterile after mating with a human being. (Compare Avodah Zarah, 22).


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:3)

**עצם מעצמי** בריה זו אינה דומה כשאר בריות שהן מן הקרקע והמים והרקק ומדוע נשתנית אלא בזאת נתכוין הקב״‎ה שיעזוב איש את אביו ואת אמו ודבק באשתו ואז יהיה הוא לבשר אחד כלומר גופו שלם לפיכך הוא רודף אחריה כי ממנו היא וכאלו הוא חסר אחד מאבריו דוגמא והיה המשכן אחד, אבל בהמות חיות ועופות ושאר בריות אינן רודפין כל כך לפי שאינם חסרים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
עצם מעצמי, “bone from my bone;” Adam realised that this new creature was basically different from all the others that he had become familiar with, so that he concluded it could only be due to the fact that she shared the same raw material with him. The reason why G-d may have arranged this so was in order for the human being to be encouraged to set up a home only with its own species when leaving their parents’ home. This would encourage them in the words of the Torah: והיו לבשר אחד “to become one flesh.” (a body composed of uniform human raw material) None of the other creatures pursue females in order to set up “house” with them. The reason is that they do not miss the “missing rib” which G-d had taken from Adam and had given it to his wife.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:4)

**לזאת יקרא אשה** דוגמא כי יהיה נערה בתולה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לזאת יקרא אשה, “this person must be called “אשה,” as it had been taken from “איש.” Compare the words: נער and נערה, for “boy” and “girl,” and ילד and ילדה. The author was troubled why the Torah uses the expression: נערה בתולה, instead of אשה בתולה, for an adult virgin


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:5)

**כי מאיש לקחה** אבל נקבות של שאר בריות לא נלקחו מהזכרים לפיכך לא נקראות על לשון הזכר כד״‎א תישים עזים אילים רחלים שוורים פרים פרות עיירים אתונות.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי מאיש לקחה, “for she emanated from the human species.” He meant that the female of the human species is reserved for a single male partner, as distinct from the beasts. Seeing that the females of the various animals did not originate from their male counterparts, the names they are known by reflect this. Example: תישים for male goats, as opposed to עזים, for the female of the species. [What about פר and פרה, for the male and the female of the species respectively? Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:6
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:23:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:23:6)

**כי מאיש לקחה** יצאה ממנו שלא כדרך הנוצרים כדי שלא תתפרץ במשכבה עם שאר אנשים רק לבעל בריתה שהוא איש שלה והיא צלעתו וכן הוא אומר ודבק באשתו. דרש רבי חנינא איש ואשה אם זכו ללכת בדרך ישר זה וזה בלא ניאוף הקב״‎ה ביניהם שהרי חלק את שמו ושיכנו ביניהם לא זכו אש אוכלתם שהקב״‎ה מסלק שמו מביניהם ונמצא אש ואש, ודאשה עדיף מדאיש אש של אשה קשה וממהרת לאכול וליפרע יותר משל איש מאי טעמא האי מצטרף אש של אשה נוח לדלוק שאין אות של שם מפסיקתו אלא מחובר הוא ונקרא אש, אבל של איש אין האותיות מצטרפות יחד שהיו״‎ד של שם מפסיקתן הכי מיתניא והכי פירש״‎י במסכת סוטה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
When the Torah writes in verse 24: ודבק באשתו, that there is a special bond between man and his wife, Rabbi Akiva in Sotah 17, explains this as follows: when a man and his wife are loyal to one another, forsaking the temptation to commit adultery, G-d Himself will be a constant companion of them, seeing that each of them has a letter of His name in their respective names, i.e. the letter י in the word איש, and the letter ה in the word אשה. If they conduct themselves in an unworthy manner, giving in to the temptation to engage in forbidden carnal relationships, G-d withdraws from them leaving only the letters אש, “fire,” burning lust, in their respective names. This fire will consume them. This “fire” will burn more fiercely in woman than in man, so that she will experience its destructive effect sooner than her erstwhile loyal partner, as the letter of G-d’s name was only a suffix in the word אשה, where in the name איש it is central to that word.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 2:24:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 2:24:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/2:24:1)

**והיו לבשר אחד** ולא יזכה הוא באחרת והיא לא תזכה באחר.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
.והיו לבשר אחד, “they will each have marital relations only with their legal partner.”