Commento su Genesi 3:8

וישמעו AND THEY HEARD — There are many Midrashic explanations and our Teachers have already collected them in their appropriate places in Genesis Rabbah and in other Midrashim. I, however, am only concerned with the plain sense of Scripture and with such Agadoth that explain the words of Scripture in a manner that fits in with them. וישמעו AND THEY HEARD — What did they hear? They heard the sound of the Holy One, blessed be He, as He walked in the garden (see Genesis Rabbah 19:12).

וישמעו את קול ה' אלוקים מתהלך בגן לרוח היום, referring to the author’s commentary on Exodus 14,30, it appears that he understands the word מתהלך, as does Rabbi Chalfan in Bereshit Rabbah 19,7 where that Rabbi says that the word מתהלך modifies the word קול.

AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE ETERNAL G-D WALKING IN THE GARDEN. The Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:³⁷⁶19:12. “Rabbi Chilfi said that from here we may learn that a voice ‘walks,’ for it is said, And they heard the voice of the Eternal G-d walking.” And so did the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] write in Moreh Nebuchim.³⁷⁷I, 24: “It is the voice that is modified by walking.” And so is the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra that “walking” refers to “the voice,” just as in the verse: The sound thereof shall go like the serpent’s.³⁷⁸Jeremiah 46:22. And Ibn Ezra further says that the meaning of toward the cool of the day is that they heard the voice towards evening. And he mentioned in the name of Rabbi Jonah ibn Ganach³⁷⁹Also known as Jonah ibn Janach (990-1050), considered the greatest Hebrew grammarian. He is the author of the Rikmah (Many Colored Web) and the Book of Roots, a lexicon. that the meaning of the verse is: “and man was walking in the garden toward the cool of the day,” [the sense of the verse thus being that while man was walking in the garden, he heard the voice of G-d].
In my opinion, the sense of walking in the garden of Eden is similar to that of the verses: And I will walk among you;³⁸⁰Leviticus 26:12. And the Eternal went as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham;³⁸¹Genesis 18:33. I will go and return to My place.³⁸²Hosea 5:15. All these verses indicate a revelation of the Divine Presence in that place or the departure from the place wherein He was revealed. The sense of the expression, toward the cool of the day, is that with the revelation of the Divine Presence comes a great and strong wind, even as it says, And, behold, the Eternal passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal.³⁸³I Kings 19:11. Similarly we find: Yea, He did swoop down upon the wings of the wind;³⁸⁴Psalms 18:11. and in the book of Job it is written, Then the Eternal answered Job out of the whirlwind.³⁸⁵Job 38:1. Therefore Scripture says here that they heard the voice of G-d as the Divine Presence was revealed in the garden approaching them in the wind of the day, because the breath of the Eternal blew upon it,³⁸⁶Isaiah 40:7. that is, in the garden, like the wind of ordinary days, not a great and strong wind as in the vision of other prophecies, in order that they should not be frightened or terrified. Yet Scripture says that in spite of this they hid themselves on account of their nakedness. In Bereshith Rabbah³⁸⁷19:13. we find that the Rabbis also said: “Said Rabbi Aba the son of Kahana: ‘Mehalech (walking) is not written here but mith’halech (meaning “it leaped and ascended).”³⁸⁸This means that when Adam sinned, the Divine Presence went from the earth to the first heaven, and then with every successive generation of sinners it departed to yet another higher heaven. This is so clearly explained in Bereshith Rabbah there (19:12). Rabbi Aba thus interpreted the word mith’halech similarly to that of And the Eternal went,³⁸¹Genesis 18:33. as we have explained the term “walking,” except that he explained the verse before us as referring to the withdrawal of the Divine Presence that dwelt in the garden of Eden and its retiring therefrom on account of the sin of Adam, even as it says, I will go and return to My place.³⁸²Hosea 5:15. We interpret it to mean the revelation of the Divine Presence in that place, which is the correct and fitting explanation of the verse.

מתהלך בגן, back and forth, in accordance with the requirements of their purpose. The word is similar in meaning to Genesis 13,17 where Avraham is instructed by G’d התהלך to “crisscross the land of Canaan, in order to symbolically lay claim to it.” The same construction is also found in Psalms 105,13 ויתהלכו מגוי אל גוי, “they wandered from nation to nation.”

וישמעו את קול השם They heard the voice of G'd. The reason the Torah describes the direction G'd's voice took, i.e. לרוח היום, was to enable them to find a place to "hide" from G'd. In this instance G'd's voice travelled westwards, parallel to the sun, whereas Adam and Eve were in the centre of the garden.

וישמעו, some commentators explain what happened not as G’d’s voice “walking,” but as Adam and Chavah walking and hearing the voice of G’d while going for a walk. If that were correct, the word “they heard” should have been written after our being informed that they had been walking in the garden. Besides, the word מתהלך should have been in the plural mode. The correct interpretation of the verse is: while Adam and Chavah went for a walk they heard the voice of G’d “going for a walk.” We have a precedent for this, i.e. the “voice” of the serpent being described as “walking” in Jeremiah 46,22.

And they heard the voice: The rule is that in a place where, relative to the recipient, it is not fit for there to be a revelation of the Divine Presence, but the time nevertheless necessitates a revelation of the Divine presence, there is a sounding of a [loud] voice. It is like the metaphor of the Sages, may their memory be blessed, "A coin in an [otherwise empty] barrel calls, 'Kish, kish' (makes much noise)." And for that reason, they said in Sotah 9b concerning Shimshon, that the Divine Presence was beating in front of him like a [bell] clapper. And that is because he was not properly prepared - regarding the separation from desire for a woman - for the attainment of the holy spirit; but he attained the holy spirit nevertheless. So behold, up until now, Adam was clinging to the Divine Presence; and the woman did not see or know what the revelation of the Divine Presence was at all, but was rather like a monkey. However, from the time they ate from the tree of knowledge, both of them understood the greatness of that thing.

וישמעו את קול ה' אלוקים מתהלך בגן, “they heard the voice of the Lord G’d strolling trough the garden.” This is not the only time that we find the word הילוך, walking, associated with קול, a voice. We read in Jeremiah 46,22 קולה כנחש ילך, “She will rustle (sound) away like a snake.” Nachmanides understands the word מתהלך as a metaphor for a form of revelation of G’d’s Presence. We have a similar verse in Leviticus 26,12 והתהלכתי בתוככם, “I reveal Myself in your midst,” although in that context it is as a result of Israel obeying all of G’d’s commandments. The meaning of the word לרוח, in the expression לרוח היום, is that prior to a revelation of G’d’s Presence, one of the advance notices is a strong wind such as when Elijah experienced such a revelation at Mount Sinai. (Kings I 19,11) In this instance the wind was not powerful and frightening, but רוח היום of the same force as it was daily when a breeze is blowing. G’d had not intended to frighten Adam and his wife. There are some commentators who understand the line as indicating that Adam and his wife were indeed frightened upon hearing G’d’s voice, and that is why they tried to hide.

They heard the voice. Before the sin they were able to communicate with Hashem directly, as Moshe did, without the assistance of the imagination. Therefore their prophecies were accompanied by no sensory perceptions, either audible or visual. That is why they experienced no fright, unlike later prophets. Now, however, their physical natures had become dominant and their prophecies were cloaked in more tangible garb.

As He was walking. [The verse says only מתהלך but] Rashi added the word היה before it, since otherwise it is present tense, [whereas past tense is called for]. And Rashi added also a ש, שהיה, since מתהלך calls for a ש. (Re’m) The reason [that Hashem was walking through the Garden] is: Hashem did not want to punish him hastily, but after deliberation, as it says in Avos 1:1, “Be slow and deliberate in judgment.” (Divrei Dovid)

Die Weisen bemerken zu dieser Stelle: "עיקר שכינה בתחתונים, ursprünglich wollte die göttliche Nähe auf Erden weilen." Wir pflegen die Fälle von dem innig nahen Verkehr Gottes mit Menschen als Ausnahmszustände, als außerhalb der gewöhnlichen Verhältnisse stehend zu betrachten; darum werden sie auch vielfach angezweifelt und als unmöglich betrachtet. Dem gegenüber steht der große Satz: Nicht die spätere Sendung der Propheten, nicht das Sprechen Gottes mit den Vätern, mit Moses und Israel sind Ausnahmszustände; vielmehr die sechstausendjährige Entfernung des Menschen von Gott ist das Unnatürliche; עיקר שכינה בתחתונים das ursprüngliche Verhältnis ist jenes. Nicht jenseits, hienieden — zeigt uns diese Geschichte — sei ein Zustand für den Menschen möglich, in welchem — Friede in seiner Brust, Friede mit der Natur um ihn, Friede mit seinem Gotte über ihm — alles in Harmonie mit ihm zusammenstimmend, sich ihm harmonisch anschmiegt. Die Natur — ein blühender Garten, Tiergeschlechter ihm zu Füßen, selbst die jetzt fernen, scheuen Amphibien sich ihm freundlich anschmiegend — und unter allen der Mensch aufrechtstehend, Gottes Ebenbild, sich erhebend zu seinem Gotte und Gott ihm nah, mit ihm sprechend, ihn unterweisend und leitend — alles dies aber abhängig davon, dass der Mensch sich mit all dieser Herrlichkeit Gott unterordne, "Gott frage, was gut sei und bös!" Aber "der Mensch bleibt auch nicht eine Nacht in seiner Herrlichkeit, sobald er im Tier sein Vorbild erblickt und der Unterschied zwischen Tier und Mensch verschwindet." Die Pforten des Paradieses wieder zu öffnen, wiederherzustellen den Frieden auf Erden, den Frieden von dem wilden Tiere an bis hinauf zum Menschen, und Gottes Herrlichkeit der Erde wieder zu bringen, das ist auf allen Blättern des Gotteswortes als Folge und Ziel der תורה ausgesprochen. Es ist nicht unwichtig, diese Wahrheit aus diesem Anfang der Menschengeschichte festzuhalten, damit, wenn uns nun später einzelne Momente entgegentreten, wie die Sendung der Propheten, oder gar jener Moment, in welchem das ganze Volk gehobene Propheten wurden, wir solche Momente nicht als übernatürliche Ausnahmszustände betrachten, sie uns vielmehr als das erscheinen, was sie waren: durch die Kraft der תורה bewirkte momentane Rückkehr zu dem ursprünglichen natürlichen Zustande.

מתהלך בגן, “the sound of G-d’s voice appeared to take a walk in the garden” This expression describing the movement of sound, occurs elsewhere also. Examples are: Exodus 19,19, קול השופר הולך, “as the sound of the shofar became progressively stronger;” it also occurs in Jeremiah 46,22, קולה כנחש ילך, “she rustles like a snake.”

לרוח היום IN THE WIND OF THE DAY — (רוח is used also in the meaning of direction,— north, east, — etc.) in that direction to which the sun travels (באה לשם) which is the west, for towards evening the sun is in the west, and they committed the sin in the tenth hour (Sanhedrin 38b).

לרוח היום, according to His pleasure on that day. The word רוח is used in the abstract, spiritual sense, not referring to a breeze. This is no different that what G’d had also done during the other days of creation, and as He had been doing on this same day (sixth day of creation) prior to Adam’s sin.

Moving in the Garden at the breeze/to the direction of the day: It is like the explanation of Rashi, to the side of the sun. The explanation is that the sun is called, day - like the language of the Gemara, Pesachim 12, "the sixth hour, the day, stands at the meridian." And Rashi explained, [day, as] the sun. And that is Scripture's explantion in I Chronicles 26:17, "north of the day, four" - meaning north of the rising of the sun. And see what I wrote in the Book of Numbers 28:3, according to the Sages, may their memory blessed - that it is to the side of the sun. And the movement of the Divine Presence was exactly towards the direction of the day, to teach him knowledge. Not like the man was until then, as Adam's practices in the world were above the governance of the sun, like those of Moshe and Israel in the wilderness. But now he was under the sun, and like the language of Scripture in Ecclesiastes 1:3, "What profit has a man of all his toil wherein he toils under the sun." However the providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, is nevertheless over nature itself, that it should be according to the acts of people - as I wrote earlier concerning the making of the firmament on the second day. And that is why it is written, "moving" (mithalech), and not, "going" (holech). It is in fact because the acts of people direct the providence of God over the day, which is the governance over nature. And this is referred to with the mitpael [verb structure], as it is written in Parashat Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:12), "And I will move (hithalachti) among you" - and it is explained there. And in the Book of Samuel (I Samuel 12:2) the explanation of, "behold, the king moves (mithalech) before you," is also that the knowledge of the people is what draws the king to walk in front of them to the place that they are [moving].

לרוח היום, towards evening, when the day becomes cooler and the breeze blows. He recognized at once that the voice belonged to G’d, and that G’d had come to speak to them about their sin. As a result, they hid among the trees of the garden out of shame over the fact that their genitals were exposed. Even though they had made these חגורות for themselves by sewing together the fig leaves, these were not enough to hide the areas of their bodies they felt ashamed of. They were perfectly aware, of course, that it is impossible to “hide” from G’d, else their entire intelligence would not have amounted to much. The Torah merely describes that they reacted in the time honoured human fashion when one is ashamed and wishes to hide the source of one’s shame.
The reason why the Torah informs us that they heard G’d’s “voice” before they heard what He had to say, is that the Torah wishes to teach us something about good manners. 1) G’d wanted to give them an opportunity to hide; 2) one should not frighten people by addressing them suddenly without a person having had a chance to compose himself first in order to receive a visitor and to meet such a visitor after preparing for his visit. One should either knock on the door, or try and make voice contact by inquiring if the person is at home, etc. (Massechet Derech Eretz ) The reason why the Torah had to mention the expression רוח היום is that the wind carried the sound of the voice to them.

מתהלך, während הלך in der Regel die Bewegung zu einem Ziele hin bedeutet, drückt התהלך die sich mit Absicht innerhalb eines beschränkten Gebietes haltende Bewegung aus. Daher: der Wandel des Menschen innerhalb der von Gott angewiesenen Wege: התהלך לפני ד׳. Der התפעל drückt dabei ebensowohl das bewusst- und energievolle Sichzurückziehen von den anderen Kreisen, als das positive Sichhalten in der angewiesenen Spur aus. Die Weisen erblicken in diesem מתהלך daher סילוק שכינה, das Fürsichgehen, das Sichzurückziehen der Gottesherrlichkeit. (So später כי ד׳ אלריך מתהלך בקרב מחנך, während überall auf Erden die Gottesnähe vermißt wird, ist sie in Israels Läger vorhanden, dorthin zieht sie sich zurück.) Denn Gott und seine Stimme sucht nur so lange den Menschen auf, als der Mensch in seiner Reinheit aufrecht steht über dem Tier. (Und so auch später an die Bedingung geknüpft: והיה מחניך קדוש! Das כזחניך zeigt, dass diese Gottesnähe nicht in Extase, in Verzückung, Schwärmerei und Verrücktheit zu suchen sei, sondern "mitten in unserem irdischen, auf der Erde sich gestaltenden, vielseitigen Menschenleben in allen seinen Entfaltungen will Gott uns nahe sein, will Gott zu uns kommen; nur sei dies irdische Leben, dieser menschliche Kreis auf Erden קדוש, ein heiliger!") Sie hörten also die Stimme Gottes sich im Garten לרוח היום zurückziehen.

לרוח היום, as if accompanying the prevailing wind; it did not cause the wind to blow harder so as not to give Adam the excuse that he had to hide in order to escape the force of the wind. An alternate exegesis of this expression: Adam and his wife had been sitting in a position where they could take advantage of the cooling effect of that wind. As soon as they heard G-d’s voice, they fled from their position to escape G-d’s voice.

ויתחבא, as the Torah wrote in Deuteronomy 23,15 ולא יראה בך ערות דבר, “no exposure of genitals (or other shameful matters) shall be visible on you.”

And the man and his wife hid themselves (lit., himself): It should have been, "hid themselves!" Moreover, the words, "in front of the Lord, God," are superfluous. So it comes to teach us that each one hid on their own, in order to protect their nakedness with branches and leaves of the trees, so that their nakedness not be seen at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, would stand with them. But if they would sit together, it is impossible that the leaves would cover so much that her flesh would not be seen, since it is nakedness also for Adam. Hence they distanced themselves from one another and only needed that they not be truly naked, revealing their [essential] nakedness. And that is the meaning of, "in front of the Lord, God": Since they understood that they would would meet Him. However they did not flee and run away because of fear of the punishment, but rather because of the fear of God and the awe of His glory, to stand in front of Him while revealing nakedness.

עץ הגן, the word עץ here does not refer to a specific tree, but to the category of “trees,” as opposed to other, smaller plants. They took refuge due to their feeling of shame.

לרוח היום entweder zur Seite, woher der Tag kommt: Osten, oder wo die Sonne damals stand: Westen. Nach dieser letzteren Ansicht, die auch die natürlichste scheint, und welcher auch אונקלס folgt, nach welcher somit das erste סילוק שכינה gegen Sonnenuntergang im Westen war, dürfte noch eine andere Bestimmung und Überlieferung eine tiefe Bedeutung haben. קדש הקדשים, das Allerheiligste war im Westen. שכינה ist nach Ansicht der Weisen im Westen. Das ewige Licht an der מנורה, dieser Darstellung des עץ החיים, war das נר מערבי, das dem Westen zugewandte. Ist es wahr, dass der letzte Abschiedsgruß der שכינה im Westen war, so stehen wir nach Westen gewandt und schauen ihr nach und warten. Seitdem mit dem ersten irdischen Sonnenuntergang dem Menschen auch sein geistig-göttlicher Sonnenuntergang geschehen, seitdem stehen wir dorthin blickend und harren seiner Wiederkehr, und die ganze עבודה im מקרש ist nichts als Vermittlung, um die Rückkehr dieser Zeit anzubahnen.

According to Rashi, this was a westerly wind. This sounds logical as the seat of G-d’s Presence is always perceived as being in the West. [not the Rashi on our verse; perhaps the author refers to the Rashi on Song of Songs 4,6. In the Temple the holiest section was at its western end. Ed.]

ויתהבא, es verkroch sich der Mensch und sein Weib. Sie standen nicht mehr scheuten seine Nähe. Sie fühlten fortan lauter ,מפני aufrecht vor Gott, sondern ,לפני ד׳ Gegensätze. Den ersten Gegensatz hatten sie schon gefühlt, zwischen ihrem Leib und Geist, hatten sich schon Schürzen gemacht. Sofort werden sie auch des zweiten inne, zwischen sich, den nicht mehr über den Körper Herrschenden, an Leib und Geist Reinen, und Gott. Fühlten sich ihrer Menschenwürde verlustig, und verkrochen sich unter die übrigen Wesen.