וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם שֶׁ֖רֶץ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֑ה וְעוֹף֙ יְעוֹפֵ֣ף עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֖י רְקִ֥יעַ הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
Dieu dit: "Que les eaux fourmillent d’une multitude animée, vivante; et que des oiseaux volent au dessus de ta terre, à travers l’espace des cieux."
Noam Elimelekh
(1) Or one could also say - "I have oxen and donkeys" (Genesis 32:6) that behold it is written "and E-lohim said 'let the waters swarm with living soul [nefesh chayah], and let birds fly over the earth'" (Genesis 1:20). We can read this through hints: through the Torah, which is called 'water', a person merits [to become] 'living soul', which is the higher soul. "And let the birds fly over the earth" meaning, that a person may fly through their thoughts to the higher worlds. "And E-lohim created the great lizards" (Genesis 1:21) and see Rashi's explanation: and the words of the aggadah (Baba Batra 74b:6) - 'this is Leviathan, created both male and female' (Rashi on Genesis 1:21:1). One could say that Rashi z"l hints with his words [that it is necessary] to respond the the language of the Text "and He created" which at a first glance looks superfluous. Also, to the the change in the language, as it should say "and [God] said 'may there be great lizards etc'". However, according to the issue pointed out above, it will be explained that this is a hint to the tzadik who clings to the Blessed One, who is called 'Leviathan', an expression for accompanying [leviyah] and clinging to the Exalted Blessed Name. It is impossible that a person would come to this level without being with the Holy Blessed Name, since at the outset the Holy Blessed Name commanded that a person should work alone regarding this level, to merit a soul, and therefor it is written "and He said etc". But regarding the second level, which is to merit clinging to the Blessed One, called by the name Leviathan, which is to be in such clinging as to almost be disconnected from reality, until the Holy Blessed Name cools the person - and this is "cooled the male" [Ed - the original text Bava Batra 74b:7 is 'cooled the female'], meaning that in this clinging the Holy Blessed Name cools the person so as not to uproot them from reality, "male" is a hint to clinging. "Killed the female" is a hint to such a tzadik, whose female side is the yetzer hara, and the tzadik killed it, completely. "And salted [her] for the tzadikim in the world that is coming" (Bava Batra 74b:6) is a hint for the tzadikim that come after, that will be easy for them to serve the Blessed Name through what the tzadik caused to be, with their deeds, as above. "Salted" is an expression of sweetening, since the salt sweetens the meat, and so too the tzadik sweetens the yetzer hara [impulse to evil] until it is easy for the tzadikim that are coming in the future to serve the Holy Name, with no effort and no strain, and the two levels spoken above are given to the tzadik by the Blessed Name as a gift.
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 36,7. “for the stuff (materials contributed) they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, even too much.” [Clearly the meaning of the word מלאכה, used twice in this verse must have a different meaning each time. Ed.] The statement that the materials donated for construction of the Tabernacle first described as adequate, and, as an afterthought, as more than sufficient, poses a problem. Either it was adequate or it was overabundant.
The Or hachayim already deals with this problem, (compare this editor’s translation of that commentary on pages 906/7). Our author approaches the anomaly from a different angle.
One of the names of G’d is א-ל שדי, this name of G’d also appears to contain a contradiction within itself, seeing that the word א-ל refers to strength, power, as in Ezekiel 17,13 אילי הארץ, “the mighty ones of the land,” whereas the word שדי is a derivative of שדים (compare Genesis 49,25) a word used to describe the provision of sustenance for all living creatures. Seeing that the largesse emanating from G’d in His capacity as the Eyn Sof, will automatically keep increasing unless stopped, this term for G’d is used to describe Him as also the One Who called די, “enough,” to an ever expanding universe during the process of creation. A term comprising apparent contradictions is by itself not unique, therefore. [It might not be acceptable when applied to G’d’s creatures, but is certainly not strange when applied to the Creator, Who is the source of all phenomena in His universe. It nevertheless remains our duty to explore how the Torah could apply apparently contradictory terms to contributions made by man rather than by G’d. Ed.] The Talmud in Chagigah 12 sees in the word שדי, the attribute of G’d in His capacity of being able to call a halt to His initiatives, many of which had been assigned to His creatures such as to the oceans and the earth when they received instructions to produce living creatures in the waters and also vegetation on earth. (Compare Genesis 1,20 and 1,24 respectively) It was natural for these “agents” of G’d to use the powers entrusted to them freely, without restriction, so that G’d had to impose limits in order to prevent possible new “chaos” in the universe, one which He had set out to replace by order on the first day of creation. This is all part of the concept of צמצום, “restraint,” imposed by G’d both upon Himself and on those of His creatures not granted בחירה, free will, i.e. human beings. G’d had to impose these limits on His agents, as precisely because they were only agents, מלאכים, they had not been equipped with the ability to understand what G’d had intended in parts of the universe that were not within their parameters. When a creature is showered with too much largesse, it is not a blessing but is liable to prove destructive unless checked. (Compare Yevamot 47 where we are told that even the Israelites while living in their mortal shells on earth are not able to absorb all the goodness or punishment they deserve )
The Or hachayim already deals with this problem, (compare this editor’s translation of that commentary on pages 906/7). Our author approaches the anomaly from a different angle.
One of the names of G’d is א-ל שדי, this name of G’d also appears to contain a contradiction within itself, seeing that the word א-ל refers to strength, power, as in Ezekiel 17,13 אילי הארץ, “the mighty ones of the land,” whereas the word שדי is a derivative of שדים (compare Genesis 49,25) a word used to describe the provision of sustenance for all living creatures. Seeing that the largesse emanating from G’d in His capacity as the Eyn Sof, will automatically keep increasing unless stopped, this term for G’d is used to describe Him as also the One Who called די, “enough,” to an ever expanding universe during the process of creation. A term comprising apparent contradictions is by itself not unique, therefore. [It might not be acceptable when applied to G’d’s creatures, but is certainly not strange when applied to the Creator, Who is the source of all phenomena in His universe. It nevertheless remains our duty to explore how the Torah could apply apparently contradictory terms to contributions made by man rather than by G’d. Ed.] The Talmud in Chagigah 12 sees in the word שדי, the attribute of G’d in His capacity of being able to call a halt to His initiatives, many of which had been assigned to His creatures such as to the oceans and the earth when they received instructions to produce living creatures in the waters and also vegetation on earth. (Compare Genesis 1,20 and 1,24 respectively) It was natural for these “agents” of G’d to use the powers entrusted to them freely, without restriction, so that G’d had to impose limits in order to prevent possible new “chaos” in the universe, one which He had set out to replace by order on the first day of creation. This is all part of the concept of צמצום, “restraint,” imposed by G’d both upon Himself and on those of His creatures not granted בחירה, free will, i.e. human beings. G’d had to impose these limits on His agents, as precisely because they were only agents, מלאכים, they had not been equipped with the ability to understand what G’d had intended in parts of the universe that were not within their parameters. When a creature is showered with too much largesse, it is not a blessing but is liable to prove destructive unless checked. (Compare Yevamot 47 where we are told that even the Israelites while living in their mortal shells on earth are not able to absorb all the goodness or punishment they deserve )