Comentário sobre Gênesis 2:7

וייצר AND GOD FORMED — Here the letter yod is written twice to intimate that there were two formations — a formation of man for this world, and a formation of man for resurrection; in the case of animals, however, which will not stand after death for judgment before God the word referring to their formation— ויצר —(Genesis 2:19) is not written with two yods (Midrash Tanchuma, Tazria 1).

AND HE BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE. This alludes to the superiority of the soul, its foundation and secret, since it mentions in connection with it the full Divine Name.²⁸⁴And the ‘Eternal G-d’ formed… and He breathed into his nostrils…. And the verse says that He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life in order to inform us that the soul did not come to man from the elements, as He intimated concerning the soul of moving things, nor was it an evolvement from the Separate Intelligences.²³⁷Intelligences without matter, generally referring to the angels and spheres. See Rambam, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 3:9. Also Moreh Nebuchim, I, 49: “The angels are likewise incorporeal; they are intelligences without matter, etc.” (Friedlander’s translation.) Rather, it was the spirit of the Great G-d: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and discernment.²⁸⁵Proverbs 2:6. For he who breathes into the nostrils of another person gives into him something from his own soul.²⁸⁶Similarly, since G-d breathed into man’s nostrils, it follows that the soul in man is of Divine essence. It is this which Scripture says, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding,²⁸⁷Job 32:8. since the soul is from the foundation of binah (understanding) by way of truth and faith.²⁸⁸Truth and faith here signify Cabalistic concepts. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 33. This corresponds to the saying of the Rabbis in the Sifre:²⁸⁹Numbers, beginning of Seder Matoth. “Vows are like swearing ‘by the life of the King:’ oaths are like swearing ‘by the King Himself.’ Although there is no proof for it in Scripture, there is an allusion to it: By the living G-d, and by the life of your soul.”²⁹⁰II Kings 4:30. Here in the verse where an oath is being expressed, it says, by the living G-d. It does not say “by the life of G-d,” which would indicate that His life is independent of Him; rather it says, by the living G-d, thus indicating that life is His very essence. (The correctness of this translation is indicated by the patach under the word chai, which is not in the construct state, and therefore means “the living G-d.”) See my Hebrew commentary, p. 33, for further elucidation of this point. Thus there is an allusion here to the teaching of the Sifre that “an oath is like swearing ‘by the King Himself,’” since in this verse quoted, where an oath is being given, it says, by the living G-d. This is an oath “by the King Himself.” In the case of a person, however, it says “by the life of your soul,” thus indicating that in a human being his life and his soul are two independent things. This explains the tzere under the word chei, which indicates a construct state combining two independent nouns. Thus there is an allusion to “Vows are like swearing ‘by the life of the King.’” See also Note 293. And in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah we find:²⁹¹Sefer Habahir, 57. See above, Note 42. “What is the meaning of the word vayinafash (and He rested)?²⁹²Exodus 31:17. It teaches us that the day of the Sabbath preserves all souls, for it is vayinafash” [i.e., from the word nefesh, soul]. It is from here that you will understand the expression, speaking the oath of G-d.²⁹³Ecclesiastes 8:2. This denotes that an oath is like swearing “by G-d Himself.” See Note 290 above. The person learned in the mysteries of the Torah will understand.
Know that those who engage in research have differed concerning man. Some say that man has three souls. One is the soul of growth, like that in a plant; or you may call this “the force of growth.” Then there is also a soul of movement in him, which Scripture mentioned concerning fish, animals, and everything that creeps upon the earth. The third is the rational soul. And there are some philosophers who say that this soul in man which comes from the Most High comprises these three forces while the soul is but one.²⁹⁴The division of opinion among the philosophers as to the nature of the soul is clearly marked in Jewish philosophy. Ibn Ezra (Ecclesiastes 3:7) writes at length to prove that the soul in man consists of three parts. He quotes Saadia Gaon to be of the same opinion. The poet-philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol (M’kor Chayim 5:20) also held this theory. Rambam, however, in his Sh’monah P’rakim, Chapter 1, holds that man’s soul is but one. This verse in its plain meaning so indicates for it states that G-d formed man of the dust of the ground, but he lay there lifeless like a dumb stone, and the Holy One, blessed be He, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and then man became a living soul, able to move about by virtue of this soul, just like the animals and the fish, concerning which He said: ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,’²⁹⁵Above, 1:20. and ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature.’²⁹⁶Ibid., Verse 24. This is the meaning of the expression here, ‘lenefesh chayah’ (into a living soul) man was made, meaning man turned into a soul in which there is life, after having been as a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth.²⁹⁷Isaiah 45:9. For the letter lamed in the word lenefesh indicates the opposite, [namely, that from being a potsherd he became a living soul]. And so it is in the verses, And the water shall turn ‘ledam’ (into blood) upon the dry land;²⁹⁸Exodus 4:9. And it turned ‘lenachash’ (into a snake);²⁹⁹Ibid., Verse 3. And He made the sea ‘lecharavah’ (into dry land).³⁰⁰Ibid., 14:21.
Onkelos, however, said: “And it became a speaking soul in man.” From this it would appear that his opinion coincides with those who say that man has various souls and that this rational soul which G-d breathed into his nostrils became a speaking soul.
It appears to me that this also is the opinion of our Rabbis, as we may deduce from what they said:³⁰¹Sanhedrin 65b. “Rava created a man. He sent him to Rabbi Zeira who spoke to him but he did not answer. Said Rabbi Zeira to him: ‘You are created by one of the colleagues; return to your dust.’”³⁰²This story indicates that man has various souls, since Rava was able to bestow the soul of movement upon the man he created, but he could not give him the soul of speech. And in Midrash Vayikra Rabbah we find written:³⁰³32:2. “Said Rabbi Avin: When a man sleeps, the body tells the neshamah (the moving spirit), and the neshamah tells the nefesh (the rational soul), and the nefesh tells the angel.”³⁰⁴The Midrash there concludes that each soul in man communicates to the other its sense of agreement that G-d’s judgment is just. At the same time it is obvious from this Midrash that the Rabbis are of the opinion that there are various souls in man. So also the verse, He gathers unto Himself his spirit and his breath,³⁰⁵Job 34:14. indicates, according to its plain meaning, that his spirit and breath are two distinct things.
That being so, the verse, And the Eternal G-d formed man, states the formation of movement, that man was formed into a creature capable of movement since “formation” denotes life and perception by virtue of which he is a man and not a kneaded mass of dust, just as it is said, And the Eternal G-d formed out of the ground every beast of the field, and He brought them unto the man.³⁰⁶Further, Verse 19. And after He formed him with the power of perception, He breathed into his nostrils a living soul from the Most High, this soul being in addition to the formation mentioned, and the whole man became a living soul since by virtue of this soul he understands and speaks and does all his deeds and all other souls and their powers in man are subject to it. The letter lamed in the word lenefesh is thus the lamed indicating possession, just as in the following verses: My lord, O king, ‘lecha ani’ (I am thine), and all that I have;³⁰⁷I Kings 20:4. ‘lakoneh’ (to him that bought) it, throughout his generations;³⁰⁸Leviticus 25:30., ‘lecha ani’ (I am thine), save me.³⁰⁹Psalms 119:94. Or, it may be that the verse is stating that man wholly became a living soul and was transformed into another man, as all His formations were, from now on, directed towards this soul.

וייצר ה' אלוקים, the animals had not rated involvement of both attributes of G’d in their creation and formation. Not only that, but in order to create man G’d had used עפר מן האדמה, the choicest of the dust available on earth. Moreover,

וייצר ה' אלוקים את האדם, the word is written with two letters י as is appropriate. We find this fact commented on allegorically in Bereshit Rabbah 14,2 where it is suggested that these two letters י allude to man’s basic urges, contradictory tendencies of either being obedient to G’d or rebelling against His dictates. [there is an obscure reference to two different kinds of development of the fetus before birth, i.e. a seven month pregnancy or a nine month pregnancy respectively, being alluded to by the two letters י. If that is the meaning of the spelling, there is no moral lesson involved here. Ed.] עפר מן האדמה, the Torah here mentions only one of the four raw materials man is made of, seeing it is the predominant one, at least quantitatively, in all land based living creatures as opposed to the creatures whose habitat is the water, whose predominant raw material is the water. In the case of the birds, air is the quantitatively predominant raw material. This fact enables the birds to fly in the air. Mention of the raw material עפר means that this raw material distinguishes man, is the most visible, the result of G’d’s directive to earth to bring forth a lifeless human being beautifully shaped, functional, awaiting only the soul G’d would insert to turn it into a living creature. מן האדמה, the prefix ה was used here to let us know that only the choicest earth was employed in constructing this golem. Man’s body is superior to the bodies of the other mammals that had also been produced by primarily using earth as their raw material. Proof that this claim is correct is the fact that man alone of all the mammals on earth walks upright. The scholar Rabbi Yoseph ben Tzadik (in a book called olam hakatan) writes that we can understand this by comparing pure oil and impure oil respectively supplying a wick with its fuel. When pure oil is used, the flame rises perpendicularly, not flickering from one side to another, whereas when impure, insufficiently refined oil is used, the flame does not rise in an uninterrupted upward motion. Similarly, the fact that man walks upright is a reflection of the purity of the raw material used in his composition. An additional reason why man is able to walk upright is the fact that he contains the soul whose origin is in heaven. This fact would reflect that whatever grows reflects its origin in the manner in which it grows. Seeing that man’s head is his most important part, it being higher than the rest of his body, it is no more than natural that he would walk in a manner which illustrates the superior importance of his head, i.e. walking upright, head held high. By holding his head high, he symbolically points toward heaven, his origin.

Two creations. One creation for this world, and one creation for when the dead will be resurrected. This apparently means that Hashem now gives man the vitality to come back to life after death, as Hashem wills it. (Nachalas Yaakov)

וייצר ד׳א׳ ועו׳. In diesem Satze ist das ganze Geheimnis des Menschenwesens niedergelegt, und an den hier geoffenbarten Tatsachen hängt das ganze Bewusstsein der Menschenwürde und des Menschenberufs. Es ist vielfach aufgefallen, dass hier die ganze Würde des Menschen darin zusammengedrängt erscheint, dass er נפש חיה geworden, ein Charakter, den ja auch die ganze übrige lebendige Welt bis zum kleinsten Insekt hinab trägt. Allein der Schwerpunkt dieses Satzes liegt nicht in נפש חיה, sondern in dem ויהי האדם לנ׳ח׳, so ward der Mensch zum נפש היה. Nicht dass der Mensch zu einem lebendigen Individunm geworden, sondern wie er es geworden, darin liegt die ganze Höhe, die ihn von allen übrigen lebendigen Wesen auf Erden scheidet. יצר. Was יסר für den Geist und das Gemüth ist, das ist יצר für den Stoff. Beides heißt: den geistigen oder leiblichen Stoff innerhalb einer bestimmten Richtung für ein bestimmtes Ziel umschränken; jenes ist das Geschäft der geistigen und sittlichen Erziehung und Bildung, dieses der stofflichen Gestaltung und Formgebung. Beides ist wiederum mit ישר (lautverwandt mit גשר ,קשר ,כשר) verwandt, das ja auch die kürzeste und direkteste Richtung auf ein Ziel, die gerade Linie bedeutet. — Ob עפר (verwandt mit חפר) seine Bedeutung in dem lautverwandten עבר, (Die Außenseite, die man sofort antrifft, sobald man den Durchmesser des Gegenstandes zurückgelegt hat, woher auch חבר, sich dem Andern zur Seite anfügen) und עור, (Die Außenseite des lebendigen Organismus, vergl. übrigens Seite 9), findet und also die lose, lockere Außenseite des Erdkörpers bedeutet, die selbst als feinster Staub unverlierbar zu ihr gehört und immer wieder ihr zurückfällt, stellen wir als Vermuthung hin.

. וייצר ה' אלוקים את האדם, “G-d shaped the human being;” seeing that the Torah wished to write that G-d placed man inside the garden, it repeated part of the process by which man was created, [showing that G-d was active in his creation beyond the initial stages. Ed.] The words: ויטע, “He planted,” and ויצמח, “He made grow,” were written in order to lead up to the story of the tree of knowledge, and the commandment forbidding man to eat from that tree.

עפר מן האדמה DUST OF THE EARTH — He gathered his dust (i. e. that from which he was made) from the entire earth — from its four corners — in order that wherever he might die, it should receive him for burial (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 3). Another explanation: He took his dust from that spot on which the Holy Temple with the altar of atonement was in later times to be built of which it is said, (Exodus 20:24) “An altar of earth thou shalt make for Me” saying, “Would that this sacred earth may be an expiation for him so that he may be able to endure” (Genesis Rabbah 14:8).

ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים, G’d personally blew a soul of life into man, a life force which had been readied to absorb what was previously called צלם אלוקים, “the image of G’d.” This has been attested to in Job 32,8 ונשמת שדי תבינם,”by means of the breath of the attribute of Shaddai You endowed them with understanding.” At any rate, ויהי האדם לנפש חיה, man had remained a living creature (similar to the animals) until You equipped him with a divine-like tzelem and demut.

ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים, G’d blew into man some of the spirit prevailing in the highest regions on earth. Whereas the life force of the animals is described as נפש חיים, something abstract but originating in physical earth, man’s life force is called here נשמה, to alert us to the fact that the origin of this life force is not physical, has not been supplied by earth, in fact could not have been supplied by earth. Our verse illustrates what G’d had meant when He had announced that man would be בצלמנו כדמותנו, “in Our image, Our likeness.” (1,24). This is so in spite of the fact that sometimes man is equipped additionally with רוח and נפש. The expression נשמה is reserved exclusively for describing man, whereas the other two expressions, describing non-tangible animalistic forms of energy called “life-force,” are shared by man and beast. You may argue that the Torah describes all of the living creatures by invoking the term נשמה in Genesis 7,22. We are told there: כל אשר נשמת רוח חיים באפיו וגו', “every creature which had the soul and spirit of life in its nostrils… died.” We must understand that verse as meaning that man who possessed both a נשמה as well as רוח חיים, died.”

The breath (or “soul”) of life. Chayim — “life” — is in the plural to indicate that the soul possesses numerous faculties, such as growth, sensation and intellect. Alternatively, it indicates that the soul lives forever.

He gathered dust... [Rashi knows this] because if not, why does it say, “Dust from the ground?” One term is sufficient! But this explanation raises a difficulty: It should say, “From all the earth.” Thus Rashi offers the other explanation. And the other explanation also raises a difficulty: It should say: “מֵאדמה”. Why the word מִן? Thus Rashi offered the first explanation, “From all four corners.” (Maharshal)

Wir lesen hier also: "Da formte ׳ד׳ א, der Weltschöpfer und Ordner, der aber mit dem Menschen eine fernere, höhere Entwickelung der von ihm geschaffenen Erdwelt einleiten will, den Menschen, Staub von dem Menschen-Boden, und hauchte in sein Antlitz Odem des Lebens, da ward der Mensch zu einem lebendigen Wesen". Bei der Schöpfung der übrigen lebendigen Wesen hieß es: תוצא הארץ נפש חיה es bringe die Erde lebende Wesen hervor. Wie bei den Pflanzen war auch bei der Schöpfung der Tiere die Erde thätig, und ihr entsprang nicht nur der Tierleib, sondern mit dem Leib zugleich das Tierleben. Das lebendige Individuum brachte die Erde hervor. Nicht so beim Menschen. Bei der Schöpfung des Menschen, auch bei der Schöpfung seines Leibes, war die Erde passiv. Ihre Tätigkeit für die Bildung des Menschen liegt vor der Schöpfung desselben. Seitdem sie geworden, hatte sie alle Tage hindurch sich zu tränken, um den Stoff für das edelste Geschöpf vorzubereiten. Mit dieser Vorbereitung des edelsten Stoffes hatte sie ihre höchste Tat vollendet. Der Stoff zum Menschenleib war ihr letztes und edelstes Produkt. Von da ab war sie bei der Schöpfung des Menschenleibes untätig. Es ist ׳ד׳ א, der den Menschenleib bildet. Es tritt hier wiederum die besondere Dignität auch des Menschenleibes hervor, die schon oben I. 26. 27. gewürdigt worden. Allein auch nach der Bildung des Leibes von der Erde war er noch עפר. Es heißt nicht: Gott bildete den Menschen מן עפר, aus Staub der Erde, sondern: ויצר ד׳ א׳ את האדם עפר מן האדמה er bildete ihn Staub von der Erde. Was Gott von der Erde zum Menschen bildete, war nur das, was עפר, irden an ihm ist, von der Erde stammt, irden ist, und wie der Staub der Erde wieder verfällt. Das Menschen- leben, das Lebendige im Menschen entnahm Gott nicht der Erde. Leblos, עפר, lag der für den künftigen Menschen geformte Leib da, da hauchte ׳ד׳ א in sein Antlitz den Odem des Lebens und so ward der Mensch zu einem lebendigen Wesen. Was den Menschen von dem Tiere scheidet? Beim Tiere haftet die lebendige Individualität an dem irdischen Stoff; wie der Leib, so ist auch die Seele der Erde entsprossen. Beim Menschen ist nur der todte Stoff der Erde entnommen, und erst der Hauch von Gott macht ihn zum lebendigen Individuum. Darin liegt die Freiheit, die Un- sterblichkeit, die ganze Größe des Menschen. Das das Tier zum Individuum machende Leben stammt von der Erde und verfällt der Erde. Nicht so das Lebendige im Menschen. Nicht nur der Geist, auch die Lebenskraft ist beim Menschen etwas Höheres als beim Tier. Auch sie ist nicht an den Leib, sondern an den Geist geknüpft. Mit dem Geist erhielt er das Leben, in dem Geist haftet seine Seele. Scheidet der Geist, so wird das Lebendige nicht mit eingesargt; denn es haftet an dem Geist. Deshalb ist auch seine irdische, sinnliche Erhaltung, seine Gesundheit nicht blos vom Leibe abhängig. Was das Tier tötet, tötet darum noch nicht immer den Menschen, und das Leben des Menschen ist kein so zu berechnender Moment, wie das des Tieres. אדם יש לו מזל, es giebt im Menschen ein sich aller Berechnung Entziehendes, er kann, wenn auch alles Andere bereits geschwunden scheint, durch den Geist noch lebendig bleiben; denn der Geist trägt auch das Leben. Wer will berechnen, wie lange ein vollkommener Menschengeist auch den Leib dem Leben erhalten kann. So sind im Menschen zwei ihrer Natur nach völlig verschiedene Wesen vereinigt. Das eine ist der Erde angehörig. Allein wie der Mensch nicht der Erde angehört, sondern die Erde dem Menschen zur Herrschaft übergeben ist, אדמה ist, also ist auch das Bißchen עפר מן האדמה, das den Menschenleib bildet, dem Menschen unterthan. Sein eigentliches geistiges und lebendiges Wesen haftet nicht daran, und auch während ihrer sinnlichen Vereinigung kann der Mensch und soll er, was irdisch an ihm ist, beherrschen. Was עפר, irdisch an ihm ist, kann sich als solches dem Gebiete der Unfreiheit nicht entziehen und erliegt den Einflüssen irdischer Elemente. Allein was ihn zum Menschen macht, die נשמת חיים, die ihm ׳ד׳ א mit seinem Hauche gegeben, macht ihn der Natur dieses ihres Ursprungs teilhaftig, hebt ihn über alle zwingende Notwendigkeit, macht ihn frei und hebt auch den Leib mit hinein in das Bereich der Freiheit.

ויפח באפיו נשמת חימם, “He blew into his nostrils a living soul.” G-d personally blew the breath of life into the human being, something He had not done for any of His other creatures. Why was all this necessary? This was in order to enable man to have the wisdom, i.e. holy spirit, to enable him when viewing all the animals to name them correctly after having discerned how each was different from the other.

ויפח באפיו AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS — He made him of both, of earthly and of heavenly matter: the body of the earthly, and the soul of the heavenly. For on the first day were created heaven and earth, on the second, He created the firmament for the heavenly beings, on the third He said, “Let the dry land appear” — for the earthly beings, on the fourth He created the lights for the heavenly beings, on the fifth He said, “Let the waters swarm…” — for the earthly beings. Consequently on the sixth there had to be created a being composed of both, of heavenly and of earthly matter, for otherwise there would have been envy (lack of harmony) among the works of Creation, in that there would have been devoted to one class of them one day more of the Creation than to the others (Genesis Rabbah 12:8).

באפיו, all land-based living creatures, man as well as mammals, need the nose to breathe, i.e. to stay alive. It is the organ through which cold air enters man from the outside and blows on the heart. It is also the organ through which the air exits after it has performed its task. The air exiting through the nostrils is the one left over after digestion, having previously nestled around the warmth of the heart. It (the heart’s task) is divided into three parts as the biologists and anthropologists have told us. It comprises growth potential, sensitivity i.e. ability to move, and the ability to think.

A living soul. This alludes to the unique human capacity for free choice. The word nefesh — “soul” — indicates desire, as in Devarim 21:14. The implication is that only human beings were created to exercise their free will.

Will receive him for burial. This raises a difficulty: Animals are received for burial, although their dust was never gathered! Rather, Rashi is saying that the earth receives and guards man’s body within it until the dead will be resurrected (Devek Tov).

Bedeutungsvoll ist es ferner, wenn es hier heißt: Gott hat dem Menschen die Seele des Lebens ins Antlitz eingehaucht. Es heißt nicht בפניו, sondern באפיו. Die Wurzel von אף und אפים dürfte nicht אנף, sondern אפף sein, אפף aber: schnaufen, mit Gier etwas in sich aufnehmen wollen, bedeuten. Daher die Partikel אף: auch, wenn etwas Vorangehendes oder vorangehend Gedachtes so stark ist, dass es etwas Nachfolgendes mit in sein Bereich zieht. (Vgl. גם von גמא und מגמת פניהם, und die Gegensätze אך abschlagend, רק leerend, mindernd.) Verwandt mit אבב :אפף, das gierige Trinken der Halme aus dem Boden, daher אב und אביב, ogl. גמא von אפים .גמא daher: die Öffnung am Körper, wodurch der Mensch den zu seiner Erhaltung notwendigen Strom des Lebens begierig in sich aufnimmt — Nase, und auch allgemein: das strebende, wollende, verlangende Antlitz, daher ארך אפים Geduld, קצר אפים Ungeduld, und אף das unbefriedigte Verlangen, der Zorn. פנים aber allgemein: das sich irgend einer Richtung zuwendende Angesicht. Daher auch vorzugsweise השתחוה אפים ארצה, sich mit seinem ganzen Streben und Wollen jemandem unterwerfen. Und בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם, nicht אפים .פניך, das Streben, die Welt in sich aufzunehmen, ein Stückchen Universum sich zu gewinnen, ist Ziel jeder Arbeit. In der ursprünglichen Stellung im גן עדן kam die Welt diesem Streben freudig und freundlich entgegen. Seitdem die Pforten des Paradieses hinter dem Menschen zugefallen, kann er auch das Notwendigste nur im Schweiße der Mühe gewinnen. — Hier also lag schwer wie ein Toter der Leib des Menschen am Boden, geöffnet war ihm das Antlitz, um wie das Tier aufzunehmen die Bedingung des individuellen Lebens; in dies Antlitz hauchte ihm Gott den Odem des Lebens. Indem hier die Bedingung des Lebens dem Menschen ins Haupt, ins Antlitz, gehaucht ward, ward der Mensch auch in seiner äußeren Erscheinung über alle Geschöpfe der Erdwelt gehoben. Er bildet dadurch den völligen Gegensatz zur Pflanze. Die Pflanze hat die Bedingung ihres Daseins unten, aus der Erde; bei dem Tiere liegt die Quelle des Lebens in der Mitte, im Herzen; beim Menschen im Haupte, in der Krone; sein Leben ist an den Geist geknüpft. Der Mensch blickt nach Oben, hat alle seine Kraft von Oben, wenn er hofft, wenn er wünscht, wenn er denkt; das in sein Antlitz eingehauchte Leben trägt den Menschen, hält ihn aufrecht — mit dem Schwinden des Bewusstseins fällt er.

נשמת חיים, “an immortal soul,” surviving the death of the body it inhabits.

לנפש חיה A LIVING SOUL — Also cattle and beasts are called נפש חיה (1:20, 22, 24), but the נפש of man is the most highly developed of all of them, because to him was granted understanding and speech.

If this were not so, there would be jealousy... This is from Vayikra Rabba. One might ask: Rest on Shabbos was created for earthly matter. Why then is there no jealousy in Creation? The answer: Rest is mainly for man, who is created from heavenly and earthly matter. Thus there is no jealousy. (Nachalas Yaakov)

Die Weisen machen noch aufmerksam auf die Schreibart des וייצר, mit doppeltem י. Es ist dies das einzige Mal, in welchem das; der racl hervortritt. Sie sind unerschöpflich in Deutung dieses doppelten י, in welchem ihnen die ב׳ יצירות, die Doppelbildung des Menschen bezeichnet liegt. Er vereinigt nämlich Ewiges und Vergängliches, Irdisches und Himmlisches, vereinigt in sich יצר טוב und יצר הרע er ist für עה"ז und ע׳הבא geschaffen. וייצר — das eine י, die eine יצירה, ist hörbar, das andere quiesziert — die Erscheinung des Menschen ist immer eine doppelte Erscheinung. Eine Bildung ist immer im Menschen vorherrschend; allein sie verdrängt die andere nicht, die andere ist immer durchschimmernd. Der höchste Mensch gehört noch der Erde an, in dem Gesunkensten schimmert noch das Menschliche hindurch. Auch die höchste Tat des יצר טוב wird noch den Kampf, die Trophäen über den יצר הרע nicht verleugnen, und auch umgekehrt. Hoher Dank gebührt ihnen, dass sie uns aufmerksam machen, wie der Mensch von vorn herein für beide Richtungen gebildet worden. Ist ja auch יצר הרע die Sinnlichkeit, an sich nicht רע. Jede Richtung, sobald sie מיוסר vom יוצר ist, ist rein und heilig. ,derselbe, der die Eine Richtung, hat auch die Andere geschaffen. Der Mensch ,וייצר das "Rothe" ist nicht der weiße Strahl, er ist das gebrochene, mit dem ,אדם Irdischen vermählte göttliche Licht; ist nicht מלאך, sondern אדם; hat zunächst nicht in dieser sinnlichen Welt, mit seiner sinnlichen Natur seine ,בעה״ז sondern ,בע"הבא göttlich sittliche Aufgabe zu lösen. Nicht dem Satan ist diese sinnliche Welt und diese sinnliche Natur des Menschen verfallen, wie sie nicht von einem Satan stammt. Es ist dies eine Mißgeburt, die zum Fluche der Menschheit ersonnen worden. Der jüdischen Lehre erscheint der Mensch in seiner Doppelbildung aus Gottes Händen; denn eben in dem Menschen soll sich das Himmlische mit dem Irdischen, das Ewige mit dem Vergänglichen vermählen.

ויהי האדם לנפש חיה, man now appeared similar to other living creatures that move on their feet, propelled by the נפש, life-force which becomes active as soon as the baby leaves the mother’s womb. Original man is described here as fully mature, not like subsequent human beings who were born by woman, and who could not walk, etc., as soon as they were born. The reason why he could walk immediately was because he was created as a grown up, did not have to grow from being an infant first. The weakness of human beings at birth, and therefore their inability to walk from birth, etc., stems from the fact that while in the womb, the nourishment provided by the mother’s menstrual blood is impure, unlike the animal young who had shared the same food as their respective mothers while inside the womb. This is why these animals are practically able to fend for themselves soon after they have been born. [mobility, i.e. the ability of moving about on its own is considered a crucial part of the definition נפש חיה being a living creature. Ed.] Both Adam and Chavah resembled the animals in that respect, never having been fed polluted food. This is the reason why our verse uses the term לנפש חיה, to alert the reader that the first pair of human beings was different from subsequent humans in that they were fully developed as soon as they could breathe.
As to Onkelos’ translation of נפש חיה, as רוח ממללא, “talking spirit,” a well known commentary, perhaps the way we have to understand his commentary is that only after G’d blew the נשמה into Adam’s nostrils did he become a creature that could express his feelings and thoughts in words. It is also possible to interpret the expressionויהי האדם לנפש חיה, as man now becoming capable to possess eternal life by being directly connected to the source of eternal life. The words לנפש חיה are to be contrasted to נפש מתה, a life force which is mortal, i.e. which dies as soon as its body dies.

אדם, another one of the species referred to as נפש חיה, one known as אדם. This is why we read in Genesis 2,7 ויהי האדם לנפש חיה, “Adam became one of the species known as נפש חיה.”

And that is that He commanded us to redeem the firstborn man, that we should give the money to the priest. And that is His saying, "you shall give me your firstborn sons" (Exodus 22:28). And He explained to us how this giving should be: And it is that we redeem him from the priest; and it is as if [the priest] already acquired him, and we purchase him from him for five sela - and that is His saying, "but surely redeem the firstborn man" (Numbers 18:15). And this commandment is the commandment of redeeming the son. And women are not obligated in it - indeed it is one of the commandments of the son that is upon the father, as it is explained in Kiddushin (Kiddushin 29a). And all of the laws of this commandment have already been explained in Bekhorot. However Levites are not obligated in it. (See Parashat Mishpatim; Mishneh Torah, Firstlings.)

That is that He commanded us that a nazarite should grow his hair. And that is His, may He be blessed, saying, "he shall let grow untrimmed, the hair of his head " (Numbers 6:5). And the language of the Mekhilta is, "'He shall be holy' - its growth is to be in holiness; 'and he shall let grow untrimmed' - is a positive commandment. And from where [do we know that it is also] a negative commandment? [Hence] we learn to say, 'no razor shall touch his head.'" And it is said there, "This is what I have given as a positive commandment [only] - one who scrubs [his scalp] with earth and one who places herbs" - meaning when a nazarite puts them on his head to remove the hair, he would then not be transgressing the negative commandment. For he did not remove it in the manner of a razor. He did however transgress the positive commandment, which is, "he shall let grow untrimmed" - and this one did not grow [it]. As a negative commandment derived from a positive commandment is a positive commandment - that is a principle with us. And the laws of this commandment have already been explained in Tractate Nazir. (See Parashat Nasso; Mishneh Torah, Nazariteship 1.)