פירוש על בראשית 5:1

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

THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM. These are the children He will mention in the chapter.⁴⁷³So Rashi and Ibn Ezra. In my opinion, this alludes to the entire Torah, for the entire Torah is the book of the generations of Adam. Therefore, He says here “book” and does not say, “And these are the generations of Adam,” as He says in other places, e.g. And these are the generations of Ishmael;⁴⁷⁴Genesis 25:12. And these are the generations of Isaac,⁴⁷⁵Ibid., Verse 19. and so in all such cases.

זה ספר תולדות אדם, thus begins the story of human history, and events worth recording for all posterity.