Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 8

15God spoke to Noah, saying,   טווַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־נֹ֥חַ לֵאמֹֽר:
16“Leave the ark, you with your wife, and your sons with your sons’ wives.   טזצֵ֖א מִן־הַתֵּבָ֑ה אַתָּ֕ה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֛ וּבָנֶ֥יךָ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ:
אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וגו' - You with your wife… Husband and wife are mentioned together. He now permitted them to have marital relations.   אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וגו'.  אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ, כָּאן הִתִּיר לָהֶם תַּשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה:
17All living creatures with you in the ark, from all flesh—birds, walking animals, and all the creatures that crawl upon the ground—have them leave with you, that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”   יזכָּל־הַֽחַיָּ֨ה אֲשֶׁר־אִתְּךָ֜ מִכָּל־בָּשָׂ֗ר בָּע֧וֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָ֛ה וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ הַיְצֵ֣א (כתיב הוצא) אִתָּ֑ךְ וְשָֽׁרְצ֣וּ בָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָר֥וּ וְרָב֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ:
הוצא - Have them leave. This word is written הוֹצֵא and read הַיְצֵא. הַיְצֵא means “tell them to leave”; הוֹצֵא means “if they do not want to leave, take them out yourself.”   הוצא.  הוֹצֵא כְּתִיב, הַיְצֵא קְרִי, הַיְצֵא – אֱמֹר לָהֶם שֶׁיֵּצְאוּ; הוֹצֵא – אִם אֵינָם רוֹצִים לָצֵאת הוֹצִיאֵם אַתָּה:
וְשָֽׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ - That they may swarm on the earth - but not in the ark. This tells us that animals and birds were also forbidden to have relations there.   וְשָֽׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ.  וְלֹא בַּתֵּבָה, מַגִּיד שֶׁאַף הַבְּהֵמָה וְהָעוֹף נֶאֱסְרוּ בְתַשְׁמִישׁ:
18Noah went out with his sons, and his wife with his sons’ wives.   יחוַיֵּ֖צֵא־נֹ֑חַ וּבָנָי֛ו וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֖יו אִתּֽוֹ:
19All the walking animals, all the crawling creatures, and all the birds—all the creatures that crawl upon the ground—came out of the ark by families.   יטכָּל־הַֽחַיָּ֗ה כָּל־הָרֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ וְכָל־הָע֔וֹף כֹּ֖ל רוֹמֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יָֽצְא֖וּ מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה:
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם - By families. This indicates that they took upon themselves to keep to their own species.   לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם.  קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם עַל מְנָת לִדָּבֵק בְּמִינָן:
20Noah built an altar to God. He took some of every species of domestic animal that does not impart spiritual defilement and of every species of bird that does not impart spiritual defilement, and offered them up as ascent-offerings on the altar.   כוַיִּ֥בֶן נֹ֛חַ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִכֹּ֣ל | הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהֹרָ֗ה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָע֣וֹף הַטָּה֔וֹר וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ:
מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הטהורה - Some of every species of pure animal. He said: “The only reason the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded me to take in seven pairs of these in contrast to only two of the impure animals was in order to offer some of them as sacrifices.”   מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הטהורה.  אָמַר לֹא צִוָּה לִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַכְנִיס מֵאֵלּוּ ז' ז' אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבָּן מֵהֶם:
21God figuratively smelled the appeasing fragrance (i.e., He acknowledged Noah’s appreciation), and in response, God said to Himself, “I hereby swear that I will never again curse the soil because of humanity, for the inclination of a person’s heart is challenged by his evil inclination from his earliest youth. Never again will I strike down all life as I have done.   כאוַיָּ֣רַח יְהֹוָה֘ אֶת־רֵ֣יחַ הַנִּיחֹ֒חַ֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ לֹ֣א אֹ֠סִ֠ף לְקַלֵּ֨ל ע֤וֹד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲב֣וּר הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָֽאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־אֹסִ֥ף ע֛וֹד לְהַכּ֥וֹת אֶת־כָּל־חַ֖י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִֽׂיתִי:
מִנְּעֻרָיו - From his youth. This word is written מנעריו without a ו after the ע, implying a connection to the verb נִעֵר “to stir.” From this we learn that from the time a child stirs to leave his mother’s womb he is instilled with an evil inclination.   מִנְּעֻרָיו.  מנעריו כְּתִיב, מִשֶּׁנִּנְעַר לָצֵאת מִמְּעֵי אִמּוֹ נִתַּן בּוֹ יֵצֶר הָרָע:
לֹא אֹסִף וְלֹֽא־אֹסִף - I will never again…never again will I. He repeated the expression to act as an oath. Referring to this it is written: “Just as I swore that the water of Noah would never again submerge the earth,” 1 for we do not find any oath except this where God repeats His words, and this is considered an oath. The sages also explained it this way in Tractate Shevuot. 2   לֹא אֹסִף וְלֹֽא־אֹסִף.  כָּפַל הַדָּבָר לִשְׁבוּעָה; הוּא שֶׁכָּתוּב אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי מֵעֲבֹר מֵי נֹחַ, וְלֹא מָצִינוּ בָהּ שְׁבוּעָה, אֶלָּא זוֹ שֶׁכָּפַל דְּבָרָיו וְהִיא שְׁבוּעָה וְכֵן דָּרְשׁוּ חֲכָמִים בְּמס' שְׁבוּעוֹת:
22As long as the earth lasts, none of the seasons—seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter—nor day and night, will ever cease.”   כבעֹ֖ד כָּל־יְמֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ זֶ֡רַע וְ֠קָצִ֠יר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף וְי֥וֹם וָלַ֖יְלָה לֹ֥א יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ:
עוד כָּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ וגו' לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ - As long as the earth lasts, none…will ever cease. These six seasons are each two months long, as we have learned: “Half of Tishrei, Marcheshvan, and half of Kislev is ‘seedtime’; half of Kislev, Tevet, and half of Shevat is ‘cold.’.” Bava Metzia. 3   עוד כָּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ וגו' לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ.  ו' עִתִּים הַלָּלוּ שְׁנֵי חֳדָשִׁים לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ חֲצִי תִשְׁרֵי וּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן וַחֲצִי כִסְלֵו זֶרַע, חֲצִי כִסְלֵו וְטֵבֵת וַחֲצִי שְׁבָט קֹר (חֹרֶף) (ב"מ ק"ו):
קֹר - Cold - this season is more severe than winter.   קֹר.  קָשֶׁה מֵחֹרֶף:
חֹרֶף - Winter. The season for sowing barley and pulse vegetables, which are quick (חָרִיף) to ripen, which is half of Shevat, Adar, and half of Nisan.   חֹרֶף.  עֵת זֶרַע שְׂעוֹרִים וְקִטְנִית הַחֲרִיפִין לְהִתְבַּשֵּׁל מַהֵר, וְהוּא חֲצִי שְׁבָט וַאֲדָר וַחֲצִי נִיסָן:
קָצִיר - Harvest. Half of Nisan, Iyar, and half of Sivan.   קָצִיר.  חֲצִי נִיסָן וְאִיָּר וַחֲצִי סִיוָן:
קַיִץ - Summer. Half of Sivan, Tamuz, and half of Av. It is the time of fig-picking and the time when they are laid out to dry in the fields; and they are called קַיִץ as in: “The bread and the dried figs (הַקַּיִץ) for the young men to eat.” 4   קַיִץ.  חֲצִי סִיוָן תַּמּוּז וַחֲצִי אָב, הוּא זְמַן לְקִיטַת תְּאֵנִים וּזְמַן שֶׁמְּיַבְּשִׁים אוֹתָן בַּשָּׂדוֹת, וּשְׁמוֹ קַיִץ, כְּמוֹ הַלֶּחֶם וְהַקַּיִץ לֶאֱכוֹל הַנְּעָרִים (ש"ב ט"ז):
חֹם - Heat. This is the end of the summer – half of Av, Elul, and half of Tishrei – when the world is particularly hot, as we have learned in Tractate Yoma: 5 “The end of the summer is more severe than the summer itself.”   חום.  הוּא סוֹף יְמוֹת הַחַמָּה, חֲצִי אָב וֶאֱלוּל וַחֲצִי תִשְׁרֵי, שֶׁהָעוֹלָם חַם בְּיוֹתֵר; כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ בְּמַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא שִׁלְהֵי קַיְיטָא קָשֵׁי מִקַּיְיטָא:
וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ - Nor day and night will ever cease - from which we can deduce that they ceased during the entire period of the Flood, for the constellations did not function and therefore there was no distinction between day and night.   וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ.  מִכְּלָל שֶׁשָּׁבְתוּ כָּל יְמוֹת הַמַּבּוּל, שֶׁלֹּא שִׁמְּשׁוּ הַמַּזָּלוֹת, וְלֹא נִכַּר בֵּין יוֹם וּבֵין לַיְלָה (ב"ר פכ"ה ופ' ל"ד):
לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ - means that none of these will cease to follow their natural course.   לֹא יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ.  לֹא יִפְסְקוּ כָּל אֵלֶה מִלְּהִתְנַהֵג כְּסִדְרָן:

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.   אוַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־נֹ֖חַ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ:
2There will be a fear and dread of you upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky, in all that will crawl on the land and in all the fish of the sea. They have been placed in your hand:   בוּמוֹרַֽאֲכֶ֤ם וְחִתְּכֶם֙ יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עַ֚ל כָּל־חַיַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעַ֖ל כָּל־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּרְמֹ֧שׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה וּבְכָל־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם בְּיֶדְכֶ֥ם נִתָּֽנוּ:
וְחִתְּכֶם - means “and dread of you” as we find similarly: “when you see the dreadful suffering (חֲתַת).” 6 And in the aggadah it is explained as an expression of חַיּוּת “life”: As long as a baby, even one day old, is alive there is no need to guard it from being harmed by mice; but even a giant like King Og of Bashan when dead needs to be guarded from being harmed by mice, as it says: וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם יִהְיֶה, which according to this explanation means: When will the fear of you (מוֹרַאֲכֶם) be upon the beasts? As long as you are alive (חִתְּכֶם).   וְחִתְּכֶם.  וְאֵימַתְכֶם, כְּמוֹ תִּרְאוּ חֲתַת (איוב ו') וְאַגָּדָה לְשׁוֹן חַיּוּת שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁתִּינוֹק בֶּן יוֹמוֹ חַי אֵין אַתָּה צָרִיךְ לְשָׁמְרוֹ מִן הָעַכְבָּרִים; עוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן מֵת, צָרִיךְ לְשָׁמְרוֹ מִן הָעַכְבָּרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם יִהְיֶה, אֵימָתַי יִהְיֶה מוֹרַאֲכֶם עַל הַחַיּוֹת? כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאַתֶּם חַיִּים (שבת קנ"א):
3Every moving creature that lives will be yours to eat; like plant vegetation, I have now given you everything.   גכָּל־רֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוּא־חַ֔י לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָ֑ה כְּיֶ֣רֶק עֵ֔שֶׂב נָתַ֥תִּי לָכֶ֖ם אֶת־כֹּֽל:
לָכֶם יִֽהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה - Will be yours to eat - for I did not permit Adam, the first man, to eat meat, but only plant vegetation. To you, however, in the same way that I gave full use of plant vegetation to Adam the first man, so have I given you everything.   לָכֶם יִֽהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה.  שֶׁלֹּא הִרְשֵׁיתִי לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן בָּשָׂר אֶלָּא יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב; וְלָכֶם – כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב שֶׁהִפְקַרְתִּי לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת כֹּל (סנה' נ"ט):
4But nevertheless, you may not eat the flesh of a still-living creature, nor its blood.   דאַךְ־בָּשָׂ֕ר בְּנַפְשׁ֥וֹ דָמ֖וֹ לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ:
בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ - The flesh of a still-living creature. Here He prohibited them from eating a limb separated from a live animal, these words conveying the meaning: “as long as it has life in it, you may not eat its flesh.”   בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ.  אָסַר לָהֶם אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי, כְּלוֹמַר כָּל זְמַן שֶׁנַּפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ, לֹא תֹאכְלוּ הַבָּשָׂר:
בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ - means as long as its life is in its blood. Thus there are two prohibitions:   בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ.  בְעוֹד נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ
בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵֽלוּ - You may not eat the flesh of a still-living creature – tells us that a limb separated from a live animal is forbidden; and furthermore, “You must not eat…of a still-living creature nor its blood”- tells us that blood of a live animal is also forbidden.   בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵֽלוּ.  הֲרֵי אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי, וְאַף בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ, הֲרֵי דָם מִן הַחַי:
5Also nevertheless, I will settle the account of the blood you shed if you take your own lives by committing suicide. Furthermore, I will settle the account from the hand of every wild beast that kills one of you. I will settle the account for human life Myself whenever the courts cannot, both from someone who commits an intentional but unwitnessed murder and from someone who commits unintentional manslaughter—i.e., who is on as good terms with his victim as he is with his own brother but kills him accidentally.   הוְאַ֨ךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶ֤ם לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙ אֶדְר֔שׁ מִיַּ֥ד כָּל־חַיָּ֖ה אֶדְרְשֶׁ֑נּוּ וּמִיַּ֣ד הָֽאָדָ֗ם מִיַּד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו אֶדְר֖שׁ אֶת־נֶ֥פֶשׁ הָֽאָדָֽם:
וְאַךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶם - Nevertheless…the blood you shed. Although I have permitted you to take the life of animals, nevertheless “I will settle the account of the blood you shed,” i.e., of one who sheds his own blood.   וְאַךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶם.  אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִתַּרְתִּי לָכֶם נְטִילַת נְשָׁמָה בַּבְּהֵמָה, אֶת דִּמְכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ מֵהַשּׁוֹפֵךְ דַּם עַצְמוֹ:
לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם - Your own life. This comes to include someone who strangles himself, even though no blood flowed from him.   לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם.  אַף הַחוֹנֵק עַצְמוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא יָצָא מִמֶּנּוּ דָם:
מִיַּד כָּל־חַיָּה - From the hand of every wild beast. Because the generation of the Flood had sinned, and were consequently given over freely as food for wild beasts by their having power over them, as it says: “Man is ruled over by beasts of prey like animals that perish,” 7 it was therefore necessary to warn the beasts about attacking humanity.   מִיַּד כָּל־חַיָּה.  לְפִי שֶׁחָטְאוּ דוֹר הַמַּבּוּל וְהֻפְקְרוּ לְמַאֲכַל חַיּוֹת רָעוֹת לִשְׁלֹט בָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּ (תהלים מ"ט), לְפִיכָךְ הֻצְרַךְ לְהַזְהִיר עֲלֵיהֶן אֶת הַחַיּוֹת:
וּמִיַּד הָֽאָדָם - From someone - i.e., from the hand of one who kills intentionally but no witnesses are present I will claim retribution.   וּמִיַּד הָֽאָדָם.  מִיַּד הַהוֹרֵג בְּמֵזִיד וְאֵין עֵדִים, אֲנִי אֶדְרֹשׁ:
מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו - (lit.) From the hand of a man who is his brother - i.e., from someone who loves the victim like a brother but killed him accidentally I will claim retribution – if he does not go into exile and request forgiveness for his sin; for even one who kills accidentally requires atonement. And if there are no witnesses to make him liable to go into exile and he does not humble himself to pray for forgiveness, the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact retribution from him, as our sages in Tractate Makot 8 expounded the verse “but God caused it to happen to him”: 9 The Holy One, blessed be He, causes one who killed intentionally but no witnesses were present to condemn him, and one who killed by accident without witnesses to make him liable for exile to meet at one inn…   מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו.  שֶׁהוּא אוֹהֵב לוֹ כְאָח וְהָרַג שׁוֹגֵג, אֲנִי אֶדְרֹשׁ אִם לֹא יִגְלֶה וִיבַקֵּשׁ עַל עֲוֹנוֹ לִמָּחֵל, שֶׁאַף הַשּׁוֹגֵג צָרִיךְ כַּפָּרָה, וְאִם אֵין עֵדִים לְחַיְּבוֹ גָלוּת וְהוּא אֵינוֹ נִכְנָע, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דוֹרֵש מִמֶּנוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ "וְהָאֱלֹהִים אִנָּה לְיָדוֹ" – בְּמַסֶּכֶת מַכּוֹת – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְזַמְּנָן לְפֻנְדָּק אֶחָד וְכוּ':
6In contrast, the blood of whoever intentionally sheds human blood, having been warned not to do so and witnessed doing so, must be shed by the human court, for God made man in the image of God.   ושֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָֽם:
בָּֽאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ - The blood of…must be shed by the human [court]. If there are witnesses to the murder you must put him to death. Why? “For God made man in the image of God” and this man has thus destroyed an image of the Divine form.   בָּֽאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ.  אִם יֵשׁ עֵדִים הֲמִיתוּהוּ אַתֶּם, לָמָּה? כִּי בְצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים וגו':
עָשָׂה אֶת־הָֽאָדָם - (lit.) He made man. This is an abbreviated verse and should be read as: “the Maker made man.” There are many such forms of abbreviated language in Scripture.   עָשָׂה אֶת־הָֽאָדָם.  זֶה מִקְרָא חָסֵר, וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת עָשָׂה הָעוֹשֶׂה אֶת הָאָדָם וְכֵן הַרְבֵּה בַּמִּקְרָא:
7As for you, be fruitful and multiply, proliferate upon the earth, and make it populous.”   זוְאַתֶּ֖ם פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֑וּ שִׁרְצ֥וּ בָאָ֖רֶץ וּרְבוּ־בָֽהּ:
וְאַתֶּם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ - As for you, be fruitful and multiply. According to the straightforward explanation, the first time “Be fruitful and multiply” is mentioned, 10 it was said as a blessing, and here it is a command. But according to its Midrashic explanation, this command follows the prohibition of murder in order to compare one who abstains from having children to one who sheds blood.   וְאַתֶּם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ.  לְפִי פְּשׁוּטוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה לִבְרָכָה וְכָאן לְצִוּוּי. וּלְפִי מִדְרָשׁוֹ לְהַקִּישׁ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹסֵק בִּפְרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה לְשׁוֹפֵךְ דָּמִים (יבמות ס"ג):