## Chizkuni, Genesis

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

**והנחש היה ערום** צריך לומר שע״‎י מקרה קודם לכן אכל מעץ הדעת שהרי האזהרה לא היתה רק לאדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
והנחש היה ערום, we must assume that the serpent per chance had already eaten from the tree of knowledge, as the warning not to eat from it was issued not only to man.


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

**ויאמר אל האשה** פתח הקב״‎ה את פי הנחש כמו שפתח את פי האתון של בלעם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויאמר אל האשה, “it said to the woman;” G-d had given the serpent the power of speech, just as He had given that power to Bileam’s ass (Numbers 22,28).


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

**אף כי אמר אלקים** וגו׳‎ אפילו אם אמר הקב״‎ה מצותיו לא תאכלו משום עץ שבגן בתמיה לפי הסברא גם הוא יודע הצווי דכתיב **אף כי אמר אלקים לא תאכלו** וגו'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אף כי אמר אלוקים, “even though G-d has said, etc.;” the word אף implies that the serpent was aware that only eating had been forbidden not touching.


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

**[לא תאכלו -** כאן כללה עצמה באזהרה]


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

**ולא תגעו בו** לאכלו כמו ובנבלתם לא תגעו לפי הפשט והאמת כל המוסיף גורע ואין זה סייג לתורה הואיל ואמרה שהקב״‎ה אמר לא תגעו בו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולא תגעו, neither must you touch it. This is the plain meaning of the verse. We find that the Torah does forbid something that is forbidden to eat, i.e. a carcass that did not die through ritual slaughter. (Compare Leviticus 11,8, where the halachic meaning is that it must not be touched when the purpose is to eat it.) The truth is that when one adds a restriction to G-d’s commandment, instead of improving it, one causes harm to it, makes it less effective instead of more effective. Seeing that the additional restriction had not been issued by G-d directly, it is less than useless. (Compare Sanhedrin 29).


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:4:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:4:1)

**לא מות תמתון** פרש״‎י דחפה עד שנגעה בו, אמר לה כשם שאין את מתה בנגיעה וכו׳‎ וא״‎ת מנא ידע שלא תמות בנגיעה עדיין לא עבר היום ורחמנא אמר כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות. אבל אין להרהר אחר דברי רבותינו ז״‎ל אבל לתשובת המינים יש לומר שהנחש דבר עמה למחרת שדחפה ואמר כשם שאין מיתה בנגיעה וכו׳‎ שכבר עבר היום והשיאה ואכלה מעץ הדעת באותו יום שני לנגיעה ונתנה גם לאישה. ד״‎א **לא מות תמתון** אמר הנחש לחוה אכלי ממנו ואל תפסידי בכך שום דבר שהרי בלאו הכי נקנסה עליך מיתה בנגיעה ומה תפסידי אם תאכלי ממנו והכי הפי׳‎ ד**לא מות תמתון** לא בשביל האכילה גרידא תמותון שהרי כבר נקנסה עליכם מיתה בשביל הנגיעה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לא מות תמותון, according to Rashi, this expression means that the serpent had first pushed the woman against the tree to demonstrate that though she had touched it, she had not died. Neither would she die by eating from it. If you were to ask how did the serpent know that the woman would not die by touching that tree? G-d had threatened that anyone eating from that tree would die on that day, and the day had not come to an end yet?We must not ask such questions when examining the exegesis of our sages! Actually, this question has been asked, and answered as the serpent having convinced the woman that death would follow instantaneously if she would violate G-d’s commandment. In order to answer the doubters or deniers of the truth of the Torah, this dialogue was not completed until the next morning when the previous day had already passed without any harm befalling the woman. [Some commentators claim that the serpent had eaten herself and demonstrated that she had not suffered any harm. In that case we must assume that the animals had not been forbidden to eat from that tree. Ed.] A different interpretation of the words: לא מות תמותון: the serpent told the woman that she now risked nothing by eating, as if she had said that also touching had been forbidden, she could not die more than once anyways, so what did she have to lose by also tasting the fruit of that tree? The literal meaning of the words: לא מות תמותון, would therefore be: “you cannot die twice.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:5:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:5:1)

**והייתם כאלקים** כמלאכים. וראיה לפי׳‎ זה שתרגומו כתרגום בצלם אלקים ברא אותו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
והייתם כאלוקים, “and you will wind up being just like G-d;” the word as used by the serpent means: “like angels.” We have confirmation for this from the translation of Onkelos, i.e. כרברמין חכמין, “of superior intelligence;” (according toMaimonides in his moreh nevuchim, this is not the only time that the word; elohim is used to describe angels.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:6:1)

**ותרא האשה** בלבה כמו וראיתי אני בלבי (ח). ד״‎א **ותרא האשה** סרסהו ותקח האשה מפריו ותאכל ותרא כי טוב העץ למאכל ותתן גם לאישה עמה ויאכל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ותרא האשה, “the woman saw,” with her mental eye; as in Kohelet 1,17 ולבי ראה הרבה חכמה, “and with my heart I saw a great deal of wisdom.”A different exegesis of these words: the verse must be rephrased as: “the woman took from the fruit and ate; as a result she realised that the tree (its fruit) was good to eat, and she also gave to her husband to share it and he ate.” [The problem was that one can taste that something is good, but one cannot know by looking at it that something tastes good. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:6:2)

**גם לאישה** לרבות קין ותיומתו שכבר נולדו כמו ששנינו עלו למטה שנים וירדו ארבעה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
גם לאישה, “also to her husband;” this included her twins who had already been born by that time, as we have been taught in Sanhedrin 38. [The Talmud there describes that no more than an hour elapsed between Adam and Chavah mating and Kayin and Hevel, their twins having being born, Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:6:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:6:3)

**ותאכל** היא אכלה תחלה כסבורה שאיננה בכלל הצווי (י). **ותתן גם לאישה** וגו', פרש״‎י שלא תמות היא ויחיה הוא וישא אחרת. כלומר הקב״‎ה אמר לנו פרו ורבו ומי שיאכל מעץ הדעת כמוני אם בבעלי תתקיים ברכת פרו ורבו גם בי תתקיים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ותאכל, “she was the first one to eat;” she had assumed eating had not been included in the prohibition. According to Rashi, she reasoned that if she had to die G-d would surely provide Adam with another wife. In order to forestall this, she gave her husband to eat so that they would both die. Alternately, they would both continue to live. (Rashi may have used the word: לאשה, “to her husband,” instead of “to Adam,” as the inspiration for this insight.) Moreover, she thought that by her survival her husband would be able to fulfill G-d’s commandment to become fruitful and to multiply by means of her surviving.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:7:1)

**ותפקחנה עיני שניהם** וכי סומין היו אלא נסתכלו והבינו במה שהראה להם הקב״‎ה כמה דורות אבדו בשבילם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ותפקחנה עיני שניהם “and the eyes of both of them were opened;” had they then been blind before? The meaning of the expression is that only now did they realise how many generations each of them had lost through eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Furthermore


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

**וידעו** כי גנאי הוא להם להיותם ערומים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וידעו, they recognised that


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

**עירמם** וערומים מלאים דמלאים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ערומים הם, that their being nude was something they have to be ashamed of. The word עירומים is sometimes spelled with the letter י after the letter ע and sometimes not. The author offers no reason for why it is sometimes one way and sometimes another. According to Minchas Shay, the text in our author’s manuscript should read that when spelled with the letter י after the letter ע, the word as both meanings, i.e. “naked” as well as “crafty.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:7:4)

**ויתפרו עלה תאנה** למלבוש ובכסות קל נתעטפו שלא להנות מן העולם כדי לכפר עליהם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויתפרו עלה תאנה, “they sewed a fig leaf, as a temporary device to cover their private parts. They used this as a device to atone for their sin, by making it into some type of loincloth.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:7:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:7:5)

**ויעשו להם חגרת** לחגור את המלבוש. ד״‎א **חגרת** לכסות בשר ערוה כמו ודוד חגור אפוד בד מין מלבוש.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
We find the expression לחגור, as describing a device to prevent a garment from falling, in connection with David in Samuel II 6,14.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:8:1)

**מתהלך בגן** הקול היה מתהלך ומצינו במקום אחר הליכה גבי קול ויהי קול השופר הולך וחזק מאד קולה כנחש ילך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מתהלך בגן, “the sound of G-d’s voice appeared to take a walk in the garden” This expression describing the movement of sound, occurs elsewhere also. Examples are: Exodus 19,19, קול השופר הולך, “as the sound of the shofar became progressively stronger;” it also occurs in Jeremiah 46,22, קולה כנחש ילך, “she rustles like a snake.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:8:2)

**לרוח היום** לרוח המצויה שהרי נכנסה בו ערמומית ויודה מעצמו אבל לא לשאינה מצויה שלא יהא לו פתחון פה לומר בשביל הרוח שאינה מצויה נחבאתי. ד״‎א **לרוח היום** לקרר עצמם היו יושבים אדם וחוה וכששמעו הקול ברחו משם ונמצאו בתוך הגן.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לרוח היום, as if accompanying the prevailing wind; it did not cause the wind to blow harder so as not to give Adam the excuse that he had to hide in order to escape the force of the wind. An alternate exegesis of this expression: Adam and his wife had been sitting in a position where they could take advantage of the cooling effect of that wind. As soon as they heard G-d’s voice, they fled from their position to escape G-d’s voice.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:8:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:8:3)

**לרוח היום** פירש רש״‎י רוח מערבית וכו׳‎ והכי קים לן דשכינה במערב.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
According to Rashi, this was a westerly wind. This sounds logical as the seat of G-d’s Presence is always perceived as being in the West. [not the Rashi on our verse; perhaps the author refers to the Rashi on Song of Songs 4,6. In the Temple the holiest section was at its western end. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:10:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:10:1)

**כי עירם אנכי** אעפ״‎י שכבר תפרו עלה תאנה י״‎ל שמא לא כיסו אלא בשר ערוה בלבד.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי עירום אנכי, because I am nude;” although they wore the fig leaf. Perhaps that leaf only covered their private parts.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:12:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:12:1)

**האשה אשר נתת עמדי** להיות לי לעזר והיה לי לבטוח עליה שלא לעשות לי שום דבר כי אם לעזר בשביל כך קבלתי מידה. גם לא ידעתי מאיזה עץ נתנה לי היינו דכתיב **היא נתנה לי מן העץ** ולא כתוב מעץ הדעת. והוא היה כפוי טובה שהרי הקב״‎ה נתנה לו לטובה והוא חשבה לרעה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
האשה אשר נתתה עמדי, “the woman You have given me to be my companion;” Adam complains that this woman who had been meant to be his helper, assistant, had instead turned out to be his seducer. He had assumed that he could trust her implicitly. He claimed that he had not known from which tree she had taken the fruit she offered him. The Torah had not mentioned which fruit she had asked him to share, i.e. the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Adam implied that if he had known that this was the fruit of the tree of knowledge he would not have eaten from it. Had he refused her offer of the fruit, he would have appeared as ungrateful, for how could he refuse something that G-d had provided, seeing that only good things emanate from G-d. (Compare Avodah Zarah, 5)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:13:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:13:1)

**ויאמר ה׳‎ אלקים לאשה** ואדם היכן היה אבא חלפתא אומר בדרך ארץ נתעסק והלך וישן לו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויאמר ה' אלוקים לאשה, “The Lord G-d said to the woman: where was Adam? Abba Chalfi ben Karchi said that after having engaged in marital relations with his wife he was tired and had gone to sleep.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:13:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:13:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:13:2)

**[השיאני ואכל** ומשפט לשון הקדש כשתהיה התנועה באות הבא אחר הוי״‎ו יפתחוהו].

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
[Explicação gramatical em relação à língua sagrada: Quando a vogal estiver na letra que segue o vav, ela será aberta.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:14:1)

**כי עשית זאת** פירש״‎י מכאן שאין מהפכים בזכותו של מסית וכו׳‎ וא״‎ת אם כן הוא היכי יהא נהרג מסית לעולם יטעון כך דברי הרב ודברי התלמיד דברי מי שומעים אלא י״‎ל שאין לפטור אדם מסית בכך מאחר שהוא מוזהר שלא להסית אבל הנחש לא הוזהר שלא להסית ואם שאלו הקב״‎ה למה עשית כך היה פוטר עצמו לומר כך דברי הרב וכו׳‎ אלא מאחר דאיהו לא טעין אנן לא טענינן ליה. וא״‎ת הא ק״‎ל דאין מסית אלא לעבודת כוכבים אלא מדאמר להו והייתם כאלוקים ש״‎מ היינו דעבודת כוכבים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי עשית זאת, (G-d speaking to the serpent) “because this is what you have done, etc;” Rashi comments that we learn from here that seducers are not given an opportunity to defend their actions, as if G-d had asked the serpent why it had acted as it did, the serpent would have answered: ”since when does one follow the instructions of the pupil when they contradict the instructions of the teacher, i.e. G-d?” Since the Torah had expressly forbidden the seducer to practice his trade, this will never be accepted as his excuse, i.e. that he only wanted to “test” the victim of his seduction. If the seducer himself does not use this argument, we (the court) certainly must not use it on his behalf. If you were to ask: the Torah’s legislation about this subject only deals with someone who seduces others to commit idolatry, not other sins!? (Compare Deuteronomy 13,712) The answer is that the serpent had held out the hope to the woman that by eating from the tree of knowledge they would be just as great as G-d, והייתם כאלוהים, i.e. the seduction was based on leading them into worshipping themselves as deities.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:14:2)

**ארור אתה** התחיל הקב״‎ה לקללם כדרך שעשו העבירה הנחש שהתחיל נתקלל תחלה ואחריו חוה ואחריה אדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ארור אתה, “you are cursed;” G-d began the series of curses, in the same sequence as the seduction had begun, i.e. the serpent was punished first. The woman was punished next, and Adam was punished last.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:14:3)

**מכל הבהמה ומכל חית השדה** פרש״‎י אם מבהמה נתקלל מחיה לא כל שכן שהרי מצינו צער עיבור בהמה גסה יותר מצער עבור חיה דקה העמידו רבותינו שימי עיבורו של נחש שבע שנים וה״‎ק ארור אתה מן הבהמה בדוגמא וכענין שהיא מקוללת מן החיה פירוש כשם שהבהמה המושכת ימי עבורה זו היא חמור נתקללה יותר מחית השדה שמקצרת ימי עבורה זהו חתול לאחר שבע שימי עבורו של חתול שבעה שבועות ושל חמור מ״‎ט שבועות כך נתקלל הוא יותר מאותה בהמה לאחר שבע דהוו להו שבע שנים. וי״‎ו ד**ומכל** יתירה היא. דבר אחר **מכל הבהמה ומכל חית השדה** שאין לך בהמה וחיה ההולכת על גחון ואתה **על גחנך תלך.** ולכל הבהמה ולכל חית השדה נתתי את כל עשב לאכלה ואתה **עפר תאכל כל ימי חייך** שמתוך שפיך בארץ העפר יכנס לתוך פיך ותאכלנו בעל כרחך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מכל הבהמה ומכל חית השדה, “more than any mammal or beast of the field;” Rashi asks the rhetorical question: “if G-d punished the serpent more than any mammal, is it not understood that it also punished it more than any beast of the field?” The sages in Bechorot 8 explain that a female cat gives birth after 52 days of pregnancy, whereas domesticated mammals such as donkeys require 49 weeks, i.e. about seven times as long. The serpent was condemned to a pregnancy of seven years instead. The Torah had only used this opportunity to inform us that the pregnancy of large mammals had already been longer than that of smaller mammals. The duration of a snake’s pregnancy would be so much longer.[This editor may be forgiven when he fails to understand that snakes which do not produce live young, but lay eggs, like birds, “suffer” pregnancy pains at all. I have found in Google that there are some snakes which reside in cool climates that do produce live young. This still does not mean that they have carried them for seven years? Ed.] A different exegesis: seeing that there is no other beast that is forced to crawl on its belly, not even having many short legs, it is quite obvious that the snake, in order to secure its food, labours under greater difficulties than any other type of living creature. Besides, the manner in which a snake has to eat the grass of the field makes it impossible that its mouth does not also swallow some of the earth that the grass grew out of.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:14:4)

**ועפר תאכל** היינו קרקע בתולה וה״‎ק כל ימי חייך תטרח לחזר אחר קרקע בתולה לצורך מאכלך וזהו הקנס שנקנס עליו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ועפר תאכל, “and you will be forced to eat dust.” The reference is to virgin earth. The meaning of the whole verse is: ”as long as you live you will search for virgin earth from which to secure your food; this is the penalty that has been decreed for you.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:14:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:14:5)

**על גחנך תלך.** מכאן ואילך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
על גחונך תלך, “you will have to move by using your belly.” This part of the penalty would commence forthwith and would continue indefinitely.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:15:1)

**ואיבה אשית.** מה שפרש״‎י ולא לדבר אל חוה תחלה וכו', לעיל קאי, [כלומר] וגם לאו נתכוונת לדבר אל חוה תחלה וכו'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ואיבה אשית, “and I will set enmity, etc.” Rashi’s comment, printed in our chumashim as belonging to this verse, although appearing at the end of G-d’s speaking to the serpent, refers to the original intention of the serpent to cause Adam’s death as a result from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge; the reason it had not tried to seduce Adam, G-d was well aware of, was that it is easier to deceive women, so that the woman was used as the serpent’s tool in seducing Adam. The Torah adds this line in order to show how much the punishment fitted the crime, the ultimate objective of the serpent having been (according to Rashi’s source (Bereshit Rabbah, 20,5 ) that it would marry the woman.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:15:2)

**הוא ישופך ראש.** שאתה הולך על גחון.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
הוא ישופך ראש, “he will strike your head,” seeing that you are crawling on the ground,


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:15:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:15:3)

**ואתה תשופנו עקב.** שאין אתה יכול להזיקו רק בעקב.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ואתה תשופנו עקב, “whereas you will only be able to attack the heel.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:16:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:16:1)

**אל האשה אמר** שאלו גויים את רבי יהושע למה נתקללה חוה על אכילת עץ הדעת מאחר שעדיין לא נוצרה בשעת הצווי אמר להם על האדם כתיב על כל אבריו של אדם והיא נבראת מצלעו. ד״‎א היא כללה עצמה באזהרה כשאמרה ומפרי העץ אשר בתוך הגן אמר אלקים לא תאכלו ממנו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אל האשה אמר, “to the woman He had said:” the gentiles asked Rabbi Joshua why the woman was punished for eating from a tree, seeing that she had not even been created yet when G-d issued the prohibition to eat from it to Adam. He replied that the Torah did not write that G-d forbade eating from the tree “to” Adam, but that it worded it as a general prohibition including the human species, by writing: על האדם, “concerning all his limbs and sinews,” or “the human species,” i.e. himself and all his offspring. (Compare 2,16) Woman, after all, had been constructed from what had been part of his body. A different exegesis: the woman had included herself in the prohibition when she had told the serpent that G-d had forbidden, quoting Him in the plural mode: לא תאכלו ממנו, “you (pl) must not eat from it.” (3,4).


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

**הרבה ארבה** שתחיה בעצבון ובטורח כל ימיך. וא״‎ת מה אכפת לן מהקללה, אכניס שפחות לשמשני ת״‎ל **והרנך** כלומר תתעברי, מדה כנגד מדה היא מלאה את בטנה מן האיסור לפיכך תלקה בבטנה. וא״‎ת אלד בשופי ובנחת ת״‎ל בעצב תלדי והוא צער הלידה. וא״‎ת אשמור עצמי מלהזקק לבעלי ת״‎ל ואל אישך תשוקתך וא״‎ת אכוף יצרי ולא אזקק עמו כלל ת״‎ל **והוא ימשל בך** על כרחך תזקק עמו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
הרבה ארבה, “you will be in a state of retardation, held back throughout your life.” You will always be in a position of trying to catch up. If you were to ask that she could console herself by arguing that she would assign her household duties to her paid servants, G-d added that there were duties, such as her carrying a fetus in her womb which she could not outsource, i.e. הרונך, your pregnancy and the pain associated with her giving birth; if she were to respond that she would forego having marital relations with her husband, G-d added that it would become her second nature to long for the physical union with her husband, ואל אישך תשוקתך. If she would respond that she would learn to control such urges, G-d added that והוא ימשול בך, “he would exercise control over her.”


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

**והוא ימשל בך** פרש״‎י הכל ממנו ולא ממך. כלומר אפי׳‎ אין לה תאוה יכול הוא לבעול אבל אם אין לו תאוה אינה יכולה היא. והוא ימשל בך דרשו רבותינו בב״‎ר יכול ממשלה מכל צד פי׳‎ שיוכל למשכנה, ת״‎ל לא יחבול רחים ורכב ובאשה קאי כדכתיב לעיל לאלתר כי יקח איש אשה חדשה. ועוד כי פסוק זה מתורגם כתרגום ירושלמי לא תמשכנון רחיא ורכבא ארום צרכי נפשתא אינון ולא תאסור כלין וחתנים ארום כל דעביד אלין כמאן דכפר בעלמא דאתי, כלומר אם ארש איש אשה לא יניחנה זמן ארוך באירוסין.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
והוא ימשול בך, according to Rashi, [as understood by our author, Ed.] the meaning of this phrase is that her husband will be the driving force in all matters of marital union, and that seeing you do not experience the desire for such physical intercourse, unless he has been aroused, you will not be able to arouse him, but on the other hand, he can force marital union on you;”Our sages state in Bereshit Rabbah 20,18, “you might have thought from this phrase that her husband dominates her in every respect;” to prevent you from thinking thus, the Torah in Deuteronomy 24,6 wrote: לא יחבול רחים ורכב, “he must not inflict injury upon her by overburdening her.” [It is clear that the Torah there refers to the woman, as in the previous verse it had ordered the husband to provide his new bride with joy for the first year of the marriage. Ed.] Furthermore, that verse has been translated by the Jerusalem Talmud as meaning: “you must not take the upper millstone as pawn for overdue debts, as the livelihood of the debtor depends upon it.” Our author accepts a different exegesis which understands the verse to mean that a man who has become engaged to a woman, must not allow undue delay before the actual marriage, as his “bride” would then be considered as if her groom had abandoned her. [The word כי יקח in the previous verse refers to engagement not actual consummation, Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:1)

**ולאדם.** אמר רבי יהודה ב״‎ר סימון מבראשית עד ולאדם יש שבעים ואחת אזכרות כנגד שבעים ואחד סנהדרין מלמד שדנו הקב״‎ה בסנהדרין גדולה לקנוס עליו מיתה. ואם תאמר הרי שבעים ושלש הם אלא בצלם אלהים והייתם כאלהים אינו בכלל כמו שפרשתי למעלה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולאדם, Rabbi Yehudah, son of Rabbi Shimon points out that the word for G-d appears a total of 71 times before this word. This is an allusion to the number of judges that comprise the Jewish Supreme Court, known as Sanhedrin. The verse is a hint that G-d convened the Supreme Court in the celestial regions to decree the death penalty on Adam. If, after making your own count you found that G-d’s name had already appeared 73 times, you must remember that in the expression: בצלם אלוהים or in והייתם כאלוהים, the word ”elohim, is not sacred, as it does not mean “G-d,” but “angel.” Our author had drawn attention to this already in his commentary of Genesis 1,27.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:2)

**ולאדם אמר.** הכל משמשים פנים כנגד עורף חוץ מג׳‎ שמשמשים פנים כנגד פנים מפני שהשכינה מדברת עמהם ואלו הן אדם נחש דג. אדם דכתיב ולאדם אמר, נחש ויאמר ה׳‎ אלהים אל הנחש דג שנאמר ויאמר ה׳‎ לדג.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולאדם אמר, ”and to Adam He had said:” Bereshit Rabbah, 20,3 in commenting on the words: “and He had said to Man,” writes that of all creatures only three perform sexual union while facing one another’s face; they are: the human beings, the snake and the fish. They enjoy this distinction because in the Holy Scriptures we read that each of these species had been spoken to by G-d, directly. Man had been addressed by G-d in our chapter. The snake had been addressed by G-d also in our chapter. The fish that had swallowed and spat outJonah had also been addressed by G-d directly, as we read in Jonah: 2,11.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:3)

**כי שמעת לקול אשתך.** ולא לקולי והיא גלתה לך סוד הנחש לפיכך לא היית שוגג ועל כן נענשת.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי שמעת לקול אשתך, “because you (preferred) to listen to the voice of your wife, etc.;” instead of to My voice. She had revealed the secret to you that the serpent had revealed to her, you cannot claim to have been ignorant, and that is why you have to be punished.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:4
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:4)

**ארורה האדמה.** נתקללה האדמה על שעברה ציוויו של הקב״‎ה שאמר לה תדשא הארץ עץ פרי עושה פרי מה הפרי נאכל אף העץ נאכל והיא לא עשתה כן אלא ותוצא הארץ עץ עושה פרי. והיא לא נתקללה אלא ימי חייו של אדם שנאמר כל ימי חייך וצא וחשוב שנותיו ותמצא שמשמת הוא לא נולד איש עד שנולד נח וחזרה ברכה למקומה דכתיב זה ינחמנו ממעשנו ומעצבון ידינו מן האדמה וגו׳‎ וכתוב ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ארורה האדמה, “the soil has become cursed;” the earth had been guilty on its own account, as G-d had commanded it in Genesis 1,11: תדשא הארץ עץ פרי עושה פרי, “to produce edible trees bearing edible fruit;” however the earth had failed to produce edible trees (compare 1,12) The curse on the earth lasted only as long as Adam would live on it, i.e. כל ימי חייך, “as long as you are alive.” If you will make a careful count, you will find that from the day Adam died until Noach was born, no one had been born, and with Noach’s birth the original blessing returned to the earth. Noach’s father, Lemech, was aware of this, this is why he exclaimed at the birth of his son (Genesis, 29) זה ינחמנו ממעשי ידינו ומעצבון ידינו מן האדמה אשר אררה ה'. “this one is destined to comfort us for the hard work we had to do and the disappointments we have experienced as the result of G-d having cursed the soil.”The Torah, after the deluge, testifies that Noach became an outstanding farmer, איש האדמה, who also planted a vineyard. (Genesis 9,20)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:5
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:5)

**בעבורך** בתבואתך לשון מעבור הארץ, כמו שכתב אחריו וקוץ ודרדר תצמיח לך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
בעבורך, not “on account of you,” but “relative to your harvest.” We find the word עבור meaning: “harvest,” in Joshua 5,11, where the Israelites are described as for the first time eating from the produce of the Holy Land (instead of manna). The Torah had told us that subsequent to the earth’s having been cursed it would (not exclusively) produce thorns and thistles although it had been sowed with perfectly good seeds. (3,18)


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:6
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:17:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:17:6)

**כל ימי חייך** וא״‎ת איך ניצל אדם מן המיתה הרי כתיב כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות, אלא י״‎ל ניצל לפי שהשיב דברים נכוחים. האשה אשר נתת עמדי וגו׳‎ סבור הייתי שלא נתת לי אשה רק לתקנתי ולא היה לי להשמר ממנה, ומ״‎מ מפני שהניח צווי נתקלל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כל ימי חייך, “all the days of your life.” If you were to ask that if the earth only produced thorns and thistles how was Adam able to live on it for 930 years as testified by the Torah? (Genesis 5,5) Besides, had the Torah not warned him that he would die on the day he ate from the tree of knowledge? He was allowed to continue living for a while as part of his excuse had been perfectly logical, namely his argument that he had thought that G-d had given him a wife only for his benefit not as someone who would seduce him into sinning.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:18:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:18:1)

**וקוץ ודרדר תצמיח לך** עד עתה נתקיימה גזירת וירדו וגו׳‎ ולא נצטרכת לשמור גן ופרדס אלא מעתה תצטרך, ותצמיח לך קוץ ודרדר להקיף גן ופרדס שלך שלא יכנסו חיות השדה. ו**תצמיח** קאי אאדם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
קוץ ודרדר תצמיח לך, “it will grow thorns and thistles for you.” Until this moment the decree of Genesis 1,26 according to which the human species would rule in an unrestricted manner over all the creatures on earth had been in effect. There had been no need to guard the garden against invasion of wild beasts. From this moment on the negative phenomena on earth would be in effect, but would be directed only against the human species, לך, “against you.” The animal kingdom would not experience thorns and thistles as an impediment of their life on earth.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:19:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:19:1)

**בזעת אפיך.** זה החוטם שמזיע תחלה בעת הטורח. וקללה זו לא נתקיימה אלא בעובדי אדמה אבל בעצב תלדי בנים נתקיימה בכל הנשים לפי שחוה חטאה והחטיאה ולפיכך גדולה קללתה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
בזיעת אפיך, “in the sweat of your face; etc.;” the word אף in this verse refers to the protrusion called “nose,” which is the first organ beginning to perspire when one engages in physically strenuous activity. This particular curse affects only farmers, people working the soil. The second curse, that of enduring pain and hardship during the process of giving birth, affects only women. This was because Chavah had not only sinned but had also caused others, i.e. her husband, to sin. As a result she had been cursed more severely.


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

**עד שובך אל האדמה.** אבל מששב אל עפרו ומת בטל גזירה כמו שפי'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
עד שובך אל האדמה, “until you return to the soil.” As soon as man had died the decree cursing the earth became null and void, as we explained. (verse 17) [Our author appears anxious to counter the Christian doctrine that all of mankind, forever suffers from the consequences of Adam and Chavah’s sin, especially woman which is considered as having brought hereditary sin into the world. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:20:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:20:1)

**חוה** לשון חיות מגזרת היה הוה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
חוה, a variant of the word חיות, “life.” It is a derivative of the root: .הוה היה


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:20:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:20:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:20:2)

**אם כל חי** אמר ר׳‎ סימון אמו של כל החיים שכל מאה ושלשים שנה שפירש אדם מחוה היו הרוחות זכרים מתחממין ממנה ויולדת מהם ורוחות נקבות מתחממות ממנו ויולדות הה״‎ד אשר בהעוותו והוכחתיו בשבט אנשים. ד״‎א **אם כל חי** לשון גבורה כמו שקמתי אם בישראל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אם כל חיה, “mother of all living human beings.” According to Rabbi Simmon, in Bereshit Rabbah 20,11, what is meant is the “mother of all living creatures.” According to his view during all the 130 years that Adam lived apart from his wife, male disembodied spirits used her body warmth to produce living creatures that emanated from her womb. Female spirits also used her body as the means to reproduce. Our author directs the reader to a Midrash on Samuel II 7,14 where the words: והוכחתיו בשבט אנשים ובנגעי בני אדם, “I will chastise him with the rod of men and the affliction of mortals,” are explained in the manner he had described. The 130 years of which the Torah speaks are explained in the Talmud Eyruvin 18. A different exegesis: the words אם כל חי, are a compliment to Chavah who is the human mother of the human species. Devorah refers to herself in similar terms at the beginning of her famous song thanking G-d for her and Barak’s victory in Judges 5,7, where she refers to herself as “the mother of Israel.”


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:21:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:21:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:21:1)

**כתנות עור.** פרש״‎י חלקין כצפורן. כלומר לא היה בעור שער לאפוקי ממאן דאמר עור ארנבים מלא שיער.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כתנות עור, according to Rashi, “tunics made of skin/leather.” This “leather” was smooth as nails, no hair ever having been on it. Rashi contradicts commentators who explained the term as referring to the skins of hares which are completely covered with hair. (Compare Bereshit Rabbah 20,20)


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

**כתנות עור.** פרש״‎י לעור גופם ובשרם. כמו יאכל בדי עורו אברי גופו ואין לפרש עור בהמה שעדיין לא נפשטה בהמה וכן תרגם אונקלוס למשך בשריהון. ד״‎א **כתנות עור** מעור זוגו של לויתן ששחטו הקב״‎ה ומלח הנשאר לצדיקים לעתיד לבא.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כתנות עור, the term כתונת is familiar to us from the outer garment made for Joseph by his father, and the linen tunic worn by the High Priest, was intended to cover their bodies and their flesh, as described in Job 5,5, the extremities of their bodies, as opposed to the torso. The point is that the material was not taken from the body of a large mammal that had died, as there had not been time as yet for such skin to have been stretched to make it into leather. Compare Onkelos. According to some opinions the material stemmed from the Leviathan, the female of which G-d had killed and whose meat had been salted away by G-d for use to serve to the righteous in the future.


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

**וילבשם.** בתחלה ויעשו להם חגורות משמע ממתנים ולמטה ולבסוף **כתנות עור וילבשם** לכל גופם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וילבישם, “He dressed them.” First Adam and Chavah had made some kind of aprons that could be tied around their loins.(3,7) Now their entire bodies were covered by these tunics.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:22:1)

**ועתה פן ישלח ידו.** מקרא קצר הוא **ועתה** ראוי הוא להיות נטרד מכאן פן ישלח ידו שהרי הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים. ועתה פן ישלח ידו גלוי וידוע לפניו כי גם בתוך הגן יכול הקב״‎ה לשמור את האדם שלא יקח מעץ החיים אלא כנגד מדת הדין שהיתה מקטרגת עליו לנסותו דבר הכתוב וגלוי לפניו אם יהיה מנוסה לא יעמוד בנסיון לפיכך עשה לו לפנים משורת הדין לגרשו משם להיות לו פתחון פה לומר אף אילו היה שם לא היה מפר צוויו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ועתה פן ישלח ידו, “and now, lest he stretch out his hand;” this is an abbreviated verse, [reflecting the urgency of the matter? Ed.] The word: ועתה, could have been omitted as it is well known that הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים, “everything is subject to control by heaven except matters that depend on one’s degree of awe for heaven.” G-d did not therefore have to “fear” what Adam was about to do, but He knew it beforehand. G-d was perfectly capable to prevent Adam from eating of the tree while he was in the garden. It was His domain also, and He could have denied him access without having to expel him. Why then did the Torah bother to begin our verse with the word: ועתה, “and now?” It was inserted as the attribute of Justice urged G-d to test man’s ability to resist his temptation. G-d was certain that, especially now, Adam would not be able to resist that temptation, therefore G-d put him beyond such temptation. This was going beyond the demands of justice, an act of Mercy by G-d. It gave Adam an opportunity to claim that even if he had remained within the garden he would have resisted the temptation to eat from the tree of Life.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:22:2)

**ולקח גם מעץ החיים.** אחרי אשר הורגל לעבור לאכול מעץ הדעת יפרוץ הוא גדר עץ החיים ויאכל ממנו. ועוד שלא נזהר רק על עץ הדעת.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולקח גם מעץ החיים, “and he will also take from the fruit of the tree of Life.” One reason that would have caused him to eat from that tree is that he had not even been warned not to eat from it. At any rate, after Adam had already sinned once by eating from the tree of knowledge, there was reason to assume that to breach the restrictions once more, especially if the objective was to repair the damage he had caused himself by eating from the tree of knowledge was not far fetched, and G-d took that into consideration by physically preventing him from carrying out such an intention.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:3
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:22:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:22:3)

**ואכל וחי לעולם.** וא״‎ת הלא כתיב לעיל כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות והנה עבר הוא על הצווי ואכל ממנו ואיך יוכל לחיות לעולם, אלא י״‎ל עץ החיים היה סם חיים ורפואה לאוכל מעץ הדעת דאי לא תימא הכי אלא מות תמות ממש הרי לאחר מיתתו לא יהיה לו יכולת לאכול מעץ החיים אלא ע״‎כ לא נברא עץ החיים אלא לתקן קלקול עץ הדעת ומות תמות פי׳‎ תהא נחשב כמת. ד״‎א אמר הקב״‎ה כבר נקנסה מיתה עליו וגזרתי על עץ החיים שכל האוכל ממנו יחיה לעולם ואם יאכל האדם ממנו איך יתקימו ב׳‎ גזירות הללו לפיכך נכון שאטרדנו מגן עדן. ד״‎א אם יוליד בנים בתוך הגן לא יחטאו לקנוס עליהם מיתה ואם יאכלו מעץ החיים יחיו לעולם לפיכך טרדו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ואכל וחי לעולם, “he will eat and live forever.” If you were to remind us that the Torah had previously written that as a result of, or even on the day of eating from the tree of knowledge man would die, what good would it do him to eat from the tree of Life? We are forced to assume that the tree of Life, i.e. its fruit, was a medication intended to heal people that had been afflicted with a fatal disease. Anyone not so inflicted would not feel the urge to eat from it; [for all we know its fruit did not even look inviting. Ed.] Perhaps the translation of the expression: מות תמות, especially the repetition of the word for “death”: means that after having eaten from the fruit of the tree of knowledge man would be considered as if already legally dead. A different exegesis: G-d said that seeing death had already been decreed for man, and He had decreed that anyone eating from the tree of Life would live forever, how could both decrees exist side by side except by denying those who had eaten from the tree of knowledge access to the tree of Life?A third possible exegesis: if Adam and Chavah would give birth to children while still in the garden, and these had not eaten from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, it would be unfair to decree death for them; and if they were to eat from the tree of Life they would live forever. Therefore they had to be denied access.[Seeing that G-d did not consider uprooting the tree of Life, it is proof that anything in this universe which dies out, or perishes, does not do so as an act of G-d Who had created it for the benefit of His creatures, but must be a result of those creatures having forfeited by their actions the good such a phenomenon could do for them. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:23:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:23:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:23:1)

**וישלחהו, מגן עדן** כדין רוצח בשגגה לפי כשהביא הוא מיתה לעולם על אכילת עץ הדעת עדיין לא היה בו דעת ובינה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וישלחהו מגן עדן, “He expelled them from Gan Eden”. He was punished in a manner similar to that of a person killing another person through neglect rather than with intent to kill, i.e. he is exiled to a city of refuge. [the whole earth other than Gan Eden in this instance. Ed.] The reason why this penalty was appropriate was that at the moment when Chavah and Adam had eaten from the tree of knowledge they had not yet possessed the knowledge of good and evil which would have made them deliberate sinners.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:24:1
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:24:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:24:1)

**ויגרש את האדם** לא בא כתוב זה לומר שגרשו הקב״‎ה שכבר נאמר וישלחהו אלא כך פי׳‎ כאשר גרשו השכין הכרובים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ויגרש את האדם; “as soon as He had expelled Adam, etc.;” this verse does not mean to tell us that G-d had expelled Adam and his family, as we have already been told this in the previous verse. We have to understand this verse as follows: “as soon as G-d had expelled Adam and his wife, G-d positioned angels at the entrance to Gan Eden.


###### Chizkuni, Genesis 3:24:2
[Chizkuni, Genesis 3:24:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Genesis/r/3:24:2)

**הכרבים** צורות מפחידות את רואיהן, ובידם **להט החרב המתהפכת** שיש לה להט משני צדדיה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
הכרובים “the cherubs;” who were these cherubs? They were creatures whose very appearance frightened all those who merely looked at them. They carried gleaming swords in their hands. המתהפכת, “these swords exuded flashes of lightning from either side of the blade.”