א֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם׃
Atau bicaralah kepada bumi, maka ia akan mengajarimu; dan ikan-ikan di laut akan menceritakannya kepadamu.
Abarbanel
That the tree was good for food. She saw that the serpent himself ate of it with no ill effects. And she also gave it to her husband. The fruit had the effect of increasing one’s passions; therefore it was important to her that he eat of it as well. This passage illustrates the dangers of treating Hashem’s commandments as a subject for philosophical inquiry.
Radak
The heavens declare the glory of God: – There are interpreters (Targumist and others) who take this as like “Or speak to the earth,and it shall teach thee” (Job 12:8), and “Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee” (ibid. 7); and so The heavens declare, for from the wonders and mighty works which man sees in the heavens he declares the glory of God. And this is what he (means when he) says: There is no speech nor words; Their voice cannot be heard, suggesting not that they declare in words, but from what man sees in them the sons of men declare the glory of God. We are able to explain declare with reference to the heavens and the firmament themselves, for by their course and circuit in an appointed order the glory of God – Blessed be He! – is seen; and that is the “declaring” and “telling,” on the analogy of “He sendeth out His commandment upon earth; His word runneth very swiftly.” (Ps. 147:15.) And when he says: There is no speech nor words (he means) no words like the words of men, but the work they do stands for the words, and constitutes the “declaring” and the “telling”; and so he says: And their speech to the end of the world. The great teacher of righteousness, the great sage our Rabbi Moses, has interpreted (Guide for the Perplexed, 2. 5) “declare” of the heavens, for his opinion and that of the Philosophers is that the spheres are living intelligences, serving God and praising Him with great praise, and singing His glory in great and mighty songs. And so he says: The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament telleth His handywork, notwithstanding that the “declaring” and the “telling” are not with mouth and tongue. This is what he (means when he) says: There is neither speech nor language; Their voice cannot be heard, but the “declaring” and the “telling” are to them like an image of the words and praises which a man forms in his mind without their actual issuing forth in speech.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Shemini 6 or Vayikra Rabbah 13,2). The words זאת החיה אשר תאכלו, “this is the category of creature that you may eat,” reflect Chabakuk 3,6: ”when He stands He makes the earth shake, when He glances, He makes nations tremble.” At the time when G’d was about to give the Torah to the Jewish people, He stood and contended with the earth and gave the Torah to Israel in public, in full view of everyone. At that time He lifted the restrictions against spilling the blood of the seven Canaanite nations inhabiting the land of Israel. We have several verses to that effect, one in Isaiah 60,12 “for the nation that does not serve you shall perish;” a reference to the lives of those seven nations. We have another verse in Deuteronomy 20,16: “you shall not let live anyone;” the repetition of such permission in Isaiah means that also the money, physical possessions of those nations, was permitted to be kept as loot. This is supported also by the words “you shall consume all the (7) (seven) nations” (Deut. 7,16).
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that the meaning of the verse in Chabakuk 3,6 is that G’d spied out amongst all those nations, searching for a country which would be suitable as a homeland for the Jewish people, a mountain suitable to give them the Torah, etc., and that He found none other than the land of these seven nations. Rabbi Hunna from Tzippori understood the word וימודד in that verse to mean that G’d (allegorically speaking) loosened their girdles, i.e. much as in Job 12,8 which is the reverse of חגור מתניכם, “tighten your belt ready for war or marching.” Rabbi Tanchum, son Chanilai said that the meaning of those words is that He let loose against them all the forbidden creepers. According to Vayikra Rabbah 13,2 this is a simile comparing the situation to a farmer who came to a threshing ground with a donkey on one side and a dog on the other. He loaded the donkey with five measures of grain and the dog with two. The donkey trotted along contentedly whereas the dog was clearly resentful. So the farmer took one of the measures of grain from the dog and added it to the load the donkey was carrying. Whereas the donkey did not protest the dog was still resentful. The farmer told the dog that it was not much good to him seeing it was unwilling to accept any responsibility (the seven Noachide laws) at all. Similarly the Gentile nations and the Jewish people. Seeing that the former do not even observe the basic seven Noachide laws G’d does not have much use for them and has permitted the Israelites to dispossess them completely. [In the version in the Midrash the restrictive word “seven” is absent. It appears that our author was careful not to offend the Christians in his host country. Ed.]
Another parable illustrating the relationship between G’d and the Jewish people. A physician went to see two of his patients. To the family of the one who was in a life-and death-situation he did not prescribe a specific diet for the patient, permitting him to eat whatever he wanted. To the second patient he gave very precise instructions what not to eat as this was apt to save his life. After a while the patient to whom the doctor had not prescribed a specific diet died whereas the other patient recovered. The families of both patients became aware that the doctor had prescribed only for the one patient and they wanted to know why. The doctor explained that the patient who died had been doomed already. There was therefore no point in denying him what he could enjoy on a short-term basis. The same applies to the Israelites and the seven Gentile nations who are doomed. Seeing that the latter are headed for death anyway, there is not much point in prescribing a restrictive diet. The Israelites, however, may be saved from their sickness if they keep a strict diet. Hence the Torah issued the instructions in this chapter, while allowing the Gentiles to eat whatever they want. This is the mystical dimension of introducing this chapter with the words זאת החיה, this is the life-giving legislation regarding food which may be consumed, etc.” Seeing that the Israelites are attached to eternal life, it is important hat they not consume food which could endanger their hereafter.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that the meaning of the verse in Chabakuk 3,6 is that G’d spied out amongst all those nations, searching for a country which would be suitable as a homeland for the Jewish people, a mountain suitable to give them the Torah, etc., and that He found none other than the land of these seven nations. Rabbi Hunna from Tzippori understood the word וימודד in that verse to mean that G’d (allegorically speaking) loosened their girdles, i.e. much as in Job 12,8 which is the reverse of חגור מתניכם, “tighten your belt ready for war or marching.” Rabbi Tanchum, son Chanilai said that the meaning of those words is that He let loose against them all the forbidden creepers. According to Vayikra Rabbah 13,2 this is a simile comparing the situation to a farmer who came to a threshing ground with a donkey on one side and a dog on the other. He loaded the donkey with five measures of grain and the dog with two. The donkey trotted along contentedly whereas the dog was clearly resentful. So the farmer took one of the measures of grain from the dog and added it to the load the donkey was carrying. Whereas the donkey did not protest the dog was still resentful. The farmer told the dog that it was not much good to him seeing it was unwilling to accept any responsibility (the seven Noachide laws) at all. Similarly the Gentile nations and the Jewish people. Seeing that the former do not even observe the basic seven Noachide laws G’d does not have much use for them and has permitted the Israelites to dispossess them completely. [In the version in the Midrash the restrictive word “seven” is absent. It appears that our author was careful not to offend the Christians in his host country. Ed.]
Another parable illustrating the relationship between G’d and the Jewish people. A physician went to see two of his patients. To the family of the one who was in a life-and death-situation he did not prescribe a specific diet for the patient, permitting him to eat whatever he wanted. To the second patient he gave very precise instructions what not to eat as this was apt to save his life. After a while the patient to whom the doctor had not prescribed a specific diet died whereas the other patient recovered. The families of both patients became aware that the doctor had prescribed only for the one patient and they wanted to know why. The doctor explained that the patient who died had been doomed already. There was therefore no point in denying him what he could enjoy on a short-term basis. The same applies to the Israelites and the seven Gentile nations who are doomed. Seeing that the latter are headed for death anyway, there is not much point in prescribing a restrictive diet. The Israelites, however, may be saved from their sickness if they keep a strict diet. Hence the Torah issued the instructions in this chapter, while allowing the Gentiles to eat whatever they want. This is the mystical dimension of introducing this chapter with the words זאת החיה, this is the life-giving legislation regarding food which may be consumed, etc.” Seeing that the Israelites are attached to eternal life, it is important hat they not consume food which could endanger their hereafter.