Talmud for Genesis 6:4
הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָרֶץ֮ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם׃ (פ)
The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of nobles came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
Tractate Kallah Rabbati
BARAITHA. Do not stumble through your eyes, for stumbling is only due to the eyes.85Cf. j.Ber. I, 5, 3C: ‘The eye and heart are the two agents of sin’.
GEMARA. For so you find that ‘Azza and ‘Azza’el86Two of the fallen angels (Yoma 67b, Sonc. ed., p. 316). [Cf. on the subject, Bamberger, Fallen Angels, pp. 178ff.] stumbled through their eyes; as it is stated, The sons of God saw the daughters of men87Gen. 6, 2.. What did they do? At the Creation they spoke before the All-merciful, ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’88Ps. 8, 5. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, ‘You will see that you will err more than they’. He caused the evil inclination to hold sway over them and they descended [to earth]. And what if they were possessed of the evil inclination, what benefit did they derive from their association [with the daughters of men]? If you argue thus, how will you explain what is written And they bore children to them?89Gen. 6, 4. Since [the minds of the women] were concentrated on the angels when they cohabited with their husbands, the result was that their children resembled angels.90There was no physical contact between the angels and women.
GEMARA. For so you find that ‘Azza and ‘Azza’el86Two of the fallen angels (Yoma 67b, Sonc. ed., p. 316). [Cf. on the subject, Bamberger, Fallen Angels, pp. 178ff.] stumbled through their eyes; as it is stated, The sons of God saw the daughters of men87Gen. 6, 2.. What did they do? At the Creation they spoke before the All-merciful, ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’88Ps. 8, 5. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, ‘You will see that you will err more than they’. He caused the evil inclination to hold sway over them and they descended [to earth]. And what if they were possessed of the evil inclination, what benefit did they derive from their association [with the daughters of men]? If you argue thus, how will you explain what is written And they bore children to them?89Gen. 6, 4. Since [the minds of the women] were concentrated on the angels when they cohabited with their husbands, the result was that their children resembled angels.90There was no physical contact between the angels and women.
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