פירוש על בראשית 4:19

ויקח לו למך AND LAMECH TOOK UNTO HIMSELF — It would not have been necessary to state all this in detail except to inform us by the conclusion of the narrative that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept the promise He made when He said, שבעתים יקם קין “vengeance shall be taken of Cain after seven generations״; for Lamech arose after he had begotten children and had raised the seventh generation and killed Cain. It is to this that the statement refers: כי איש הרגתי לפצעי וגו “for I have slain a man to my wounding etc.” (v. 23).

Lemech married two women. Adah, whom he married to bear children, gave birth to two righteous men, one a shepherd like many of the righteous, and one the inventor of instruments for praising Hashem. But Tzillah, whom he married for pleasure, gave birth to a weapon maker in the spirit of Kayin.

ויקח לו למך, it appears that the generations prior to Lemech and even subsequent to him did not marry more than one wife. Lemech, who was the first one to marry two wives, was also the first one of whom disagreements between him and his wives have been recorded. The two wives were jealous one of the other so that Lemech had to scare them that he would kill them if they would disturb his domestic peace.

It would not be necessary to detail... It could have just said: “Mesushael had a son Lemech, and Lemech had a son Yuval.” Why is it written, “Lemech married two women”?

ושם השנית צלה, “and the name of his (Lemech’s) second wife was Tzilah.” According to Rashi, it had become a custom for men to marry two wives, one for child-bearing and one for co-habitation, (indulging one’s libido). The second type of wife would drink a potion which would prevent her from becoming pregnant as a result of having sexual relations. The Torah telling us about Tzilah giving birth to a son, is to inform us that something went awry, [perhaps she only pretended to drink that potion, Ed.] Our author questions this as the Torah reported simply that Tzilah also gave birth, without hinting that this was unusual. We must assume therefore that the explanation of Rashi is based on the unnecessary word גם, “also,” in our verse, as having born children would have been something completely normal.

שתי נשים TWO WIVES — This was the custom of the generation that lived before the time of the Flood; they had two wives, one for child-bearing, the other for frivolous companionship and charm; the latter was given a cup of some drug to drink in order that she might become barren, and was dressed up like a bride and fed with the best food, whilst her fellow-wife was left without her husband’s companionship and ever mourned like a widow. Job expressly mentions this (Job 24:21). “He is a companion to (or, he feedeth) the barren that beareth not, and does not good to the widow”, as it is explained in the Agada of Pereq Chelek (see also Genesis Rabbah 23:2).

The one intended for conjugal relations. She was given a potion that would make her barren so she would not lose her beauty. You might ask: If so, why does it say, “Tzillah also gave birth”? The answer is: She gave birth before she drank the potion. Another answer: It says, “Tzillah also gave birth,” to teach that even though she took the potion she gave birth anyway, as the potion did not affect her at all. (Re’m)

עדה ADAH — She was the wife intended for propagation, and she was so named because she was repulsive to him and was kept aloof from him [other versions read “from his table “] for עדה is the Aramaic word for סורה kept aloof.”

צלה ZILLAH — She was the one for companionship alone, and she was so named because she always abided in his shadow (צל means “shadow”). Thus is the statement of the Agada in Genesis Rabbah 23:2).