Комментарий к Берешит 1:24

תוצא הארץ THE EARTH SHALL BRING FORTH — That is what I have explained (v. 14) that all things were created on the first day, and it was only necessary to bring them forth from the ground.

וחיתו ארץ, the construction is similar to Psalms 104,8 למעינו מים, or to Numbers 24,3 בנו בעור, the letter ו at the end of the word וחיתו is an addition.

תוצא הארץ נפש חיה, earth should produce living creatures possessing a quality of life superior to that of the plants.

"Let the earth bring forth living souls, etc.:" Most of the elements from which animal bodies are composed are found in the ground; and so [likewise,] the dead body after a long time becomes earth. And the ancients thought that the earth brought out man and animals by itself. And Ovid (Mct. I, 70) was in doubt about the creation of man, if the Creator of all created him from divine seed or whether the earth which had then recently been separated from the skies included some heavenly seed [and engendered him]. And the divine Torah informed us that both man and animals were [created] by the command of God and not by chance.

CATTLE. These are the species that eat grass, whether domestic animals or those of the wilderness.

And God said, etc.: This too was only for that time, as we explained with the creation of the swarms of the waters. And the reason that He did not need to say to them to be fruitful [is that] He implanted in them the ability to reproduce, and they would reproduce on their own. But He did command them not to interbreed, one specie with a different specie; and this is what it states, "according to its specie."

ויאמר אלוקים תוצא הארץ נפש חיה, on the sixth day both the mammals and man were created, seeing both of them inhabit the dry land on the earth.

Living [soul] creatures, according to its specie: At the time of the pronouncement, the command was that a living soul should should come out, that has several types that grow like it. Like a lion, that has several types that differ in their from and within [all of] them is the one soul of the lion.

ורמש, according to Rashi this word describes the creatures which creep on the ground. Nachmanides queried this, pointing out that in Genesis 7,21 in connection with the deluge, the Torah writes:ויגוע כל בשר הרומש על הארץ בעוף ובבהמה ובחיה ובכל שרץ השורץ על הארץ וכל האדם. “All flesh that moved on the earth perished, both fowl and cattle and, beast, and every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, and every human.” In view of this he interprets the word רמש as related to the root רמס. When speaking of the four-legged animals, the term refers to their trampling the earth with their feet, whereas when speaking about the small creatures, it means that they hug the earth with their entire bodies while in motion.

What I have already explained... Rashi is answering the question: Why is it not written, “Elohim created”? Whereas “Bring forth” implies it was already created but was covered by the earth. [Thus Rashi explains, “Everything was actually created from the first day.”] But the earlier verse (v. 12), “The earth brought forth grass,” does not prove this. For there it means that the earth brought to actuality what it was commanded (v. 11): “Let the earth sprout grass.” This is so because being commanded creates a potential [which can then be brought to actuality]. But it is different in our verse, where “Let the earth bring forth” is the commandment itself, without there being a prior potential existence. (Re’m)

(24-25) Von den Pflanzen hieß es: תדשא, öffnen oder enthüllen, und die Pflanze bleibt bei aller freigewordenen Individualität noch an den Mutterkörper der Erde gebunden. Von den Wassergeschöpfen hieß es: ישרצו המים, frei sich Bewegende erzeugen; allein die erzeugten Lebendigen verharren doch noch innerhalb des Elementes, das sie erzeugte. Erst von den lebendigen Erdgeschöpfen heißt es: תוצא הארץ, dass die Erde sie aus sich hinaussetzen sollte, und erst in ihnen erreicht der lebendige Organismus eine immer höhere und freiere Selbständigkeit bis hinan zum Menschen, der selbst seinem Ursprunge nach nur mit einem Teile seines Wesens der Erde angehört. נפש חיה, siehe oben V. 20. — בהמה rad. כום - בהם rad. בהמה, wie נור - נהר ,בון - בהן ,כון - כהן u.a.m. בום findet sich nur in במה wieder, wo es eine zur Erhöhung eines Gegenstandes dienende Anhöhe bedeutet. בהמה dürfte daher die treffendste Bezeichnung derjenigen Tiere sein, die sich schon vermöge ihrer Natur dem Menschen dienend unterordnen und durch diese Unterordnung die bedeutendste Staffel für die von dem Menschen zu erreichende geistige Höhe bilden. Ohne den Stier hätte der Mensch sich selbst vor den Pflug und den Wagen spannen, die schwersten Arbeiten vollbringen, die schwersten Lasten fortschaffen müssen, und unter der Last der Körpermühe wäre auch sein Geist erlegen, ja hätte sich nimmer erheben können. Indem der Mensch den Stier vor Pflug und Wagen spannen und das ihn nährende und kleidende Schaf ohne Körperanstrengung weiden konnte, blieb sein Geist frei für die Umschau am Himmel und auf Erden, er konnte denkend hinter dem Pflug und denkend bei seiner Heerde weilen. Dem Viehe, der בהמה, verdankt der Mensch seine geistige Hoheit, es ward במתו. Ihm gegenüber steht חית הארץ, die חיה, das Waldtier, das, indem es sich nicht unterordnet, das in sich geschlossene, nur sich angehörende selbständige Leben, חיים, darstellt. רמש האדמה ,רמש sind die am Boden kriechenden, niederen Tiere. Siehe oben V. 21.

תוצא הארץ, “let the earth bring forth;” The expression תוצא seems to imply that these creations already existed (and just needed to sprout forth from the ground).

נפש חיה — that have vitality.

ויהי כן, the result of G’d’s directive continued in force for all times.

ויהי כן, it was exactly so, i.e. without omissions or additions. If any of the components of these creatures (genes) were to be missing, they would lose the ability to procreate in kind.

"Living souls:" [This is] a general term, and here it includes [domesticated] beasts, crawling animals and [wild] animals.

Beast [behema]: The difference between an animal and a beast is not like Ramban, of blessed memory, wrote; that an animal eats meat; as we find in the second chapter of (Bava Kamma 19b), "and if you want, I will say that it is a deer [that we are speaking about, which is indeed an animal - as opposed to a beast - and nonetheless does not eat meat.]" And about the dog, there is an argument of the Tannaim in Tractate Kelayim, as to whether it is a type of beast or animal; and there is none that eats meat more than it. But rather, the difference is that the animal is naturally wild; if not that he is domesticated, by raising and accustoming him to change his nature. And a beast is the opposite - that he is tame by nature; if not that he is raised in a forest and, [getting] accustomed to this, changes his nature to become wild. (And see what I have written later, Genesis 2:19 and Genesis 3:13 and in Genesis 6:20, and in Leviticus 17:13.)

נפש חיה, the word נפש is a general rule, whereas the word חיה describes the detail.

[A soul] which is alive. On v. 20, “Let the waters teem,” Rashi explained: “It will have a living soul.” But here he explains differently [and says: “It has a living soul.” Why?] The answer seems to be: The beasts of the earth were completely created on the first day, with their living soul. For about them it is written, “Let the earth bring forth,” [but does not say, “Elohim created.”] Whereas for the fish and birds, only the ability to swarm as bodies was created on the first day, without the living soul. For about them it is written (v. 21): “And thus Elohim created...” [referring to their living souls].

AND BEAST OF THE EARTH. Those which eat flesh are called chayoth (beasts), and they all seek and seize prey.

תוצא הארץ, “let the earth bring forth;” when it comes to producing creatures whose habitat is earth, creatures equipped with a נפש, a life force, [of some spiritual dimension, my words, Editor.] we find that G-d created 4 different species, i.e. חיה, בהמה, ורמש, וחיתו ארץ, but when they are listed separately only 3 of them, the ones that are almost exclusively made up of bodies, are listed before the Torah states that “G-d saw that it was good.

ורמש — It means creeping swarms that creep low upon the ground; they appear as though they are dragged along, for how they move is not discernible. What we call רמש and שרץ in our (Hebrew) language, they call in old French mouvoir; English to move.

"According to its specie:" As per above, verse 11.

בהמה ורמש וחיתו ארץ, compare Rash’bam

VAREMES’ (AND CREEPING THING). Rashi wrote: “These are creeping swarms that creep low upon the earth, appearing as though they are dragged along.” Now in this chapter we find: And over every animal ‘haromeseth’ (that creepeth) upon the earth;¹⁹⁵Verse 28. Here Rashi’s interpretation could not apply to animal. and it is further written, And all flesh ‘haromes’ (that moved) upon the earth perished, both fowl and cattle, and beasts, and every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth;¹⁹⁶Genesis 7:21. also, Wherein all the beasts of the forest ‘tirmos’ (do creep forth).¹⁹⁷Psalms 104:20. But the meaning of r’misah is as if it were written with the letter samech, as in The foot tirm’senah (shall tread it down),¹⁹⁸Isaiah 26:6. and other related expressions. He thus says of beasts and cattle, ‘romes’ (that tread) on the earth,¹⁹⁹Verse 26. and of creeping things that drag along, ‘remes’ (that creep) upon the ground,²⁰⁰Verse 25. because they tread on the ground with their entire body.

"Beasts" (behema): It appears to me that he beginning of this word's usage is with reference to four-legged herbivorous animals that do not prey, like the bull and the sheep, the horse and the donkey; and this is its usage in this verse, and in any place it is juxtaposed to chaya (wild animals). And it appears to me that its main connotation is the opposite of the cruelty of wild animals; since in Syriac, its root indicates softness and goodness - the opposite of harshness. And so did I found in the works of Master Ephraim (S. Ephraem the Syrian), Section 3, page 614, "Tivdi letaiboutach, debah bahemin negdaich" - the intention [of which] is: Is it not up to us to give thanks to Your attribute of kindness, since within it [even] the afflictions that You afflict us with are softened and sweetened? (And it is translated into Latin as: Gratiâs misericordiae tuae maximas agere debemus, quae justitiae severitatem mitigat.) And sometimes the name, behema, is borrowed to include all animals besides man, as in (Psalms 36:7), "you save behema and man, O Lord;" and sometimes it does not include [other] animals, only four legged [ones], whether they be domesticated or wild.

ויהי כן, earth complied with the directive by its Creator in producing these creatures

"And remes (crawling animals):" "These are the creeping things, which are low and crawl upon the earth and appear as if they are dragging along, because their movement is not discernible" (Rashi). And remes is different than sherets (creeping animals), since it does not include flying creatures and fish (Johannes Clericus); since a remes [by definition] must crawl on the earth, as remes is [derived from] remisa (treading). However, the root remes is also used with [reference to] all four-legged animals, as in (Psalms 104:20) "in it crawls (tirmos) all the animals of the forest;" and also all the birds [are included], as in (Genesis 7:21) "And all flesh that crawls (romes) on the earth perished, among the fowl and among the beasts and among the animals and among all the creeping animals that creep on the earth and all men." And observe that it does not state [in the verse just quoted], "among all men," but [rather] "and all men;" since man is not included in "all flesh that crawls upon the earth." Rather, he is a different specie and separate from them. And the author of the cantillation marks also understood thus and [so] separated [that part of the verse] with an etnach (which denotes a pause) before "and all men." And the reason is that when animals and birds walk, their bodies are flat and laying (horizantal) upon the face of the earth; which is not the case with man, who walks with an erect posture, and his body is straight (vertical) upon the earth. And this is also the opinion of Ramban, who wrote, "because [animals] tread on the ground with their entire bodies."

"And animals of the (chayeto) earth:" Animals that eat meat and prey are called chayot due to their liveliness (chiyutam) and their strength, [which] is how [liveliness] is understood in (Exodus 1:19), "they are lively." And they are called"chayot of the earth" and "chayot of the field" (Genesis 2:20). And the word, chayeto, with the addition of a [letter,] vav [at the end of the word which does nonetheless not change its meaning] is like "beno (the son of) Be'or" (Numbers 24:3), and "lemayano (to a spring of) water" (Psalms (114:8). And the word, chayeto, is only found in verse [and not prose], and so [too] beno and mayano. And it appears that this is an Aramaic mode of expression [for] the son of Be'or, as in (Song of Songs 3:7), Behold, the bed of Shlomo (mitato shel Shlomo); in the manner of (Daniel 2:20) "the name of God." And even though water (mayim) [in Psalms 114] is not singular, and earth [in our verse] is not masculine, the additional vav [which usually indicates masculine gender and first person] remains due to the poetic style, even when it would have been fitting to change it according to [the word's] standard grammatical form.