Chumashחומש

שמען קולי. שֶׁהָיוּ פּוֹרְשׁוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ מִתַּשְׁמִישׁ, לְפִי שֶׁהָרַג אֶת קַיִן וְאֶת תּוּבַל קַיִן בְּנוֹ, שֶׁהָיָה לֶמֶךְ סוּמָא וְתוּבַל קַיִן מוֹשְׁכוֹ, וְרָאָה אֶת קַיִן וְנִדְמָה לוֹ כְּחַיָּה וְאָמַר לְאָבִיו לִמְשֹׁךְ בַּקֶּשֶׁת וַהֲרָגוֹ, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁיָּדַע שֶׁהוּא קַיִן זְקֵנוֹ הִכָּה כַּף אֶל כַּף וְסָפַק אֶת בְּנוֹ בֵינֵיהֶם וַהֲרָגוֹ, וְהָיוּ נָשָׁיו פּוֹרְשׁוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ וְהוּא מְפַיְּסָן:

שמען קולי HEAR MY VOICE — For his wives separated from him because he had killed Cain and Tubal-Cain, his own son. Lamech was blind and Tubal-Cain used to lead him. The latter saw Cain and thought him to be an animal. He therefore told his father to draw the bow, and thus Lamech killed him. As soon as he learned that it was his forefather Cain, he smote his hands together, struck his son between them and so killed him too. His wives thereupon separated from him, and he endeavoured to appease them,

שמען קולי. לְהִשָּׁמַע לִי לְתַשְׁמִישׁ, וְכִי אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי הוּא נֶהֱרַג, וְכִי אֲנִי פְצַעְתִּיו מֵזִיד שֶׁיְּהֵא הַפֶּצַע קָרוּי עַל שְׁמִי? וְיֶלֶד אֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתִּי, לְחַבֻּרָתִי נֶהֱרַג? כְּלוֹמַר, עַל יְדֵי חַבֻּרָתִי? בִּתְמִיהָ, וַהֲלֹא שׁוֹגֵג אֲנִי וְלֹא מֵזִיד, לֹא זֶהוּ פִּצְעִי וְלֹא זֶהוּ חַבֻּרָתִי:

saying שמען קולי “Hear my voice”— obey me and return to me: for the man I slew — was he slain by my wounding? i. e. did I wound him with premeditation, that the wound should be called by my name (i. e. attributed to me); and the child that I slew — was it slain by my blow? (i. e. by a blow directed intentionally by me?) [Rashi here inserts the word בתמיה which he uses frequently to direct that the preceding words should be read as a question.] Did I not act inadvertently and not with premeditation? This was not my wound, nor was this my blow!

פצע. מַכַּת חֶרֶב אוֹ חֵץ מקא"דורה בְּלַעַז:

פצע wound, is the stroke inflicted by a sword or arrow (old French macheure).

כי שבעתים יקם קין. קַיִן שֶׁהָרַג מֵזִיד נִתְלָה לוֹ עַד שִׁבְעָה דוֹרוֹת, אֲנִי שֶׁהָרַגְתִּי שׁוֹגֵג לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיִּתָּלֶה לִי שְׁבִיעִיּוֹת הַרְבֵּה:

כי שבעתים יקם קין IF CAIN SHALL BE AVENGED SEVENFOLD — (according to Rashi, as previously explained, it signifies “If vengeance shall be taken on Cain after seven generations”). If in the case of Cain who killed with premeditation the punishment was suspended for him until the seventh generation, in the case of myself who slew inadvertently does it not necessarily follow that it should be suspended for me until many seven generations?

שבעים ושבעה. לְשׁוֹן רִבּוּי שְׁבִיעִיּוֹת אָחַז לוֹ, כָּךְ דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא. וּמִדְרַשׁ בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה לֹא הָרַג לֶמֶךְ כְּלוּם, וְנָשָׁיו פּוֹרְשׁוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ מִשֶּׁקִיְּמוּ פְּרִיָה וּרְבִיָּה, לְפִי שֶׁנִּגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה לְכַלּוֹת זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן לְאַחַר שִׁבְעָה דוֹרוֹת, אָמְרוּ מָה אָנוּ יוֹלְדוֹת לַבֶּהָלָה? לְמָחָר הַמַּבּוּל בָּא וְשׁוֹטֵף אֶת הַכֹּל וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לָהֶן וְכִי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי? וְכִי אֲנִי הָרַגְתִּי אֶת הֶבֶל, שֶׁהָיָה אִישׁ בְּקוֹמָה וְיֶלֶד בַּשָּׁנִים, שֶׁיְּהֵא זַרְעִי כָּלֶה בְּאוֹתוֹ עָוֹן? וּמַה קַּיִן שֶׁהָרַג נִתְלָה לוֹ שִׁבְעָה דוֹרוֹת, אֲנִי שֶׁלֹּא הָרַגְתִּי, לֹא כָּ"שֶׁ שֶׁיִּתָּלוּ לִי שְׁבִיעִיּוֹת הַרְבֵּה? וְזֶהוּ קַל וָחֹמֶר שֶׁל שְׁטוּת, אִם כֵּן אֵין הַקָּבָּ"ה גּוֹבֶה אֶת חוֹבוֹ וּמְקַיֵּם אֶת דְּבָרוֹ:

שבעים ושבעה SEVENTY AND SEVEN — He uses a term that denotes many periods of seven generations. Thus did R. Tanchuma 1:1:11 explain this passage; but the Midrash Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah 23:4) does not mention that Lamech slew anyone at all, and only states that his wives had lived apart from him after they had born children, because God’s decree had been issued that Cain’s descendants should be exterminated after seven generations. They said, “Why should we bear children only to be destroyed? Soon the Flood will come and will sweep everyone away!” Lamech then said unto them, “Did ‘I’ slay a man ‘לפצע for my wounding” (i.e. that I should be wounded — punished)? Did “I” slay Abel who was a man in height but a child in years, that my descendants should be exterminated on account of this sin (the sin of Cain who killed Abel)? If Cain who did kill had his punishment suspended until the seventh generation, I who have not killed — does it not necessarily follow that my punishment) should be suspended for many seven generations? This, however, is an absurd argument a fortiori, for if so, the Holy One, blessed be He, could never exact his debt nor fulfil his word.

וידע אדם וְגוֹ'. בָּא לוֹ לֶמֶךְ אֵצֶל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְקָבַל עַל נָשָׁיו, אָמַר לָהֶם: וְכִי עֲלֵיכֶם לְדַקְדֵּק עַל גְּזֵרָתוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם? אַתֶּם עֲשׂוּ מִצְוַתְכֶם וְהוּא יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת שֶׁלּוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: קְשֹׁט עַצְמְךָ תְּחִלָּה, וַהֲלֹא פָּרַשְׁתָּ מֵאִשְׁתְּךָ זֶה מֵאָה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה מִשֶּׁנִּקְנְסָה מִיתָה עַל יָדְךָ: מִיָּד וַיֵּדַע אָדָם וְגוֹמֵר. וּמַהוּ עוֹד, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּתּוֹסְפָה לוֹ תַאֲוָה עַל תַּאֲוָתוֹ (בראשית רבה):

וידע אדם AND ADAM KNEW — Lamech came to Adam Harishon, complaining about his wives. He (Adam) said to them: “Is it for you to be overparticular regarding God’s decrees? You do your duty, and He will do His!” They replied to him: “First correct yourself: have you not lived apart from your wife these 130 years, ever since, through you, death was decreed as a punishment?” At once ‘וידע אדם עוד וגו “Adam knew his wife עוד ” — What signifies the word עוד? It is used here to teach that his love for her was now greater than before (Genesis Rabbah 23:4-5).

אז הוחל. לְשׁוֹן חֻלִּין, לִקְרֹא אֶת שְׁמוֹת הָאָדָם וְאֶת שְׁמוֹת הָעֲצַבִּים בִּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה לַעֲשׂוֹתָן עֲ"זָ וְלִקְרוֹתָן אֱלֹהוּת:

אז הוחל THEN IT WAS BEGUN [TO CALL etc.] — The word הוחל must be connected in meaning with חולין “profane matters “) viz, calling the names of men and the names of idols after the name of the Holy One, blessed be He — making them the objects of idolatrous worship and calling them Deities (Genesis Rabbah 23:7).

זה ספר תולדות אדם. זוֹ הִיא סְפִירַת תּוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם, וּמִדְרְשֵׁי אַגָּדָה יֵשׁ רַבִּים:

זה ספר תולדות אדם THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM — This is the record (or, enumeration) of the generations of Adam. There are however, many Midrashic observations on this verse

ביום ברא וגו'. מַגִּיד שֶׁבַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּבְרָא הוֹלִיד:

‘ביום ברא וגו IN THE DAY THAT [GOD] CREATED etc. — This states that on the day when he was created he begot progeny (Genesis Rabbah 24:7).

שלשים ומאת שנה. עַד כָּאן פָּרַשׁ מִן הָאִשָּׁה (בראשית רבה):

שלשים ומאת שנה A HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS — Until then he lived apart from his wife (Genesis Rabbah 24:6).

ויתהלך חנוך. צַדִּיק הָיָה וְקַל בְּדַעְתּוֹ לָשׁוּב לְהַרְשִׁיעַ, לְפִיכָךְ מִהֵר הַקָּבָּ"ה וְסִלְּקוֹ וֶהֱמִיתוֹ קֹדֶם זְמַנּוֹ, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁשִּׁנָּה הַכָּתוּב בְּמִיתָתוֹ לִכְתֹּב וְאֵינֶנּוּ בָּעוֹלָם – לְמַלְּאוֹת שְׁנוֹתָיו ‏(בראשית רבה):

ויתהלך חנוך AND ENOCH WALKED [WITH GOD] — He was a righteous man, but his mind was easily induced) to turn from his righteous ways and to become wicked. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore took him away quickly and made him die before his full time. This is why Scripture uses a different expression when referring to his death by writing ואיננו “and he was not”, meaning, he was not in the world to complete the number of his years.

כי לקח אותו. לִפְנֵי זְמַנּוֹ, כְּמוֹ הִנְנִי לֹקֵחַ מִמְּךָ אֶת מַחְמַד עֵינֶיךָ (יחזקאל כ"ד):

כי לקח אותו FOR GOD TOOK HIM — before his time; a similar meaning of לקח “to take” we find in (Ezekiel 24:16), “I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes [by a plague]”.