Komentarz do Rodzaju 6:12

כי השחית כל בשר FOR ALL FLESH HAD CORRUPTED — even cattle, beasts and fowl did not consort with their own species (Genesis Rabbah 28:8).

FOR ALL FLESH HAD CORRUPTED THEIR WAY. If we were to explain all flesh in its usual sense and thus say that even cattle, beasts and fowl corrupted their way by consorting with other species, as Rashi has explained, we must then say that the expression, for the earth is filled with violence through them,²⁵Verse 13. does not mean “because of all of them” but only because of some of them [since “violence” does not apply to beasts and cattle], and Scripture tells of the punishment of man alone [even though all flesh corrupted their way]. Or we may say that the cattle, beasts, and fowl also did not follow their natural instincts, and all cattle seized prey and all fowl became birds of prey; thus they too committed violence.
By way of the simple meaning of Scripture, all flesh means “all men.” Further on Scripture says explicitly: all flesh wherein is the breath of life;²⁶Genesis 7:15. and of every living thing of all flesh,²⁷Ibid., 6:19. meaning all living bodies. But here it says all flesh, meaning all people. Similarly [we find the verses]: All flesh shall come to worship before Me,²⁸Isaiah 66:23. [meaning “all people”]; Or when the flesh hath in the skin thereof,²⁹Leviticus 13:24. [where again reference is only to people].

והנה נשחתה, without external influences, as a natural consequence, not due to man’s ecologically criminal behaviour. Although on the surface, there appeared to be no connection, man’s corruption resulted in the corruption of his habitat. The language used here by the Torah is comparable to Isaiah 47,2 וטחני קמח, “and grind meal.” One does not grind flour, but one grinds grain into flour. The prophet spoke about the end product. The Torah also spoke about the end product of man’s corruption bringing in its wake, though invisibly, the destruction of the earth’s crust.

וירא, a continuation of the words לפני האלוקים in the last verse.
כי השחית, the same as והנה נשחתה, i.e. a passive not a transitive hiphil.
כל בשר, all of mankind. We find the same expression in Psalms 145,21 ויברך כל בשר, as referring not to all that lives, but to all of mankind. The same expression also appears in this sense in Isaiah 66,23 יבא כל בשר, “all of mankind will come, etc.”

כי השחית כל בשר, “for all flesh has become corrupt.” According to Rashi the use of the transitive mode השחית, tells us that the animal kingdom copied man and became corrupt also, seeing that man had defied the G’d given laws of nature and substituted a mode of conduct of his own making. This was most manifest in their mating habits including indiscriminate mating with other species. Nachmanides writes that according to Rashi the line כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם, “for the earth has become filled with violence on their account,” cannot apply to the animals but only to man. Violence is not a form of corruption when practiced by the beasts. (Genesis 6,13) Alternatively, the verse does apply to both man and beast, and the beasts and birds had learned to become predators after observing the conduct of man. According to the plain meaning of the text, the wordsכל בשר apply only to human beings, just as they do in verse 17 לשחת כל בשר אשר בו רוח חיים, “to destroy all flesh which possesses the spirit of life (a soul).” When the Torah uses the words כל בשר again in verse 19 where the creatures to be brought into the ark are listed, the expression refers exclusively to members of the animal kingdom.

וירא אלוקים את הארץ, ”G-d saw the earth, etc.” At this point the Torah reverts to G-d’s name אלוקים to indicate that the attribute of Justice enters the picture at this stage. Seeing that the sins of that generation were so great the attribute of Justice was poised over them.

Consorted with dissimilar species. Rashi knows this because it is written דרכו, which implies lewdness, as it is written (Mishlei 30:19): “The דרך (way) of a man with a young woman.” Rashi did not mention fish because it is written, “On the earth” — excluding fish in the sea.

Da sah Gott die Erde an, und sie, die Erde als solche, nicht als kosmischer Weltkörper, als welcher sie außer Betracht der תורה steht, sondern insofern ihre Oberfläche Träger des Menschenwirkens ist, sie war in ihrer reinen Entwicklung gehemmt, indem ihre dem Menschen gespendeten Kräfte und Güter in den Dienst des Sittenverderbnisses aufgingen.

כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו, “for all flesh had corrupted its behaviour on earth. This is a reference to sexual perversions as in Proverbs 30,19, ודרך גבר בעלמה, “and the way of a man with a virgin.” Mankind had already been commanded since the 6th day of creation: תוצא הארץ נפש חיה למינה. בהמה ורמש וחיתו ארץ למינה, “let the earth produce living creatures each according to its kind; cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts, each according to its kind. This made it clear that bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism and all other kinds of unnatural sexual behaviour is considered by the Lord as an abomination, and had been so since creation. “When I will now destroy man I am only applying the same yardstick man applied when indulging in unnatural sexual practices which do not result in populating My earth.

את דרכו, its norms as established at the time of creation. Just as man cleaving to his wife (only) is described as a norm in Genesis 2,24, so there were other norms all of which were violated by the generation of the deluge. In retribution, G’d now violates the norms that applied to the conditions prevailing on our planet.

”כל בשר, “all flesh,” excluding the fish; seeing that fish had not become corrupted, they were spared; this is why the Torah emphasised that כל אשר בחרבה מתו, that “all the creatures whose habitat was the dry land had died.” (Genesis 8,22).