Мидраш к Берешит 3:21

R. Chama b. Chanina said further: "What is the meaning of the passage (Deut. 13, 5) Before the Lord thy God shall ye walk. How is it possible that a man should walk after the Shechina, behold, it is said (Ib. 4, 24) For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. We must therefore say that this means walk after the standard habits of the Holy One, praised be He. Just as He clothed the naked; as it is written (Gen. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skin and clothed them, so also shall you clothe the naked; just as the Holy One, praised be He, visits the sick, as it is written (Ib. 18, 1) And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, so also shalt thou visit the sick. The Holy One, praised be He, buries the dead, as it is written (Deut. 34, 6) And he buried him in the valley, so also shalt thou bury the dead. The Holy One, praised be He, comes to console the mourner, as it is written (Gen. 25, 11) And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac, his son, so also shall thou comfort the mourners. (Ib. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skins and clothed them. Rab and Samuel differ in the explanation of the above passage, one explains it that the coats were made of a thing that came from skin [wool] and the other says: "This means a thing which a man's body relishes when worn closely to the skin [linens]." R. Samlai lectured: "The Torah begins with meritorious deeds and ends with meritorious deeds; it begins with meritorious deeds, as it is written (Ib. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skins and clothed them. And it ends with meritorious deeds, as it is written (Deut. 34, 6) And He buried him in the valley."

It is written: “The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). We have found that the Holy One blessed be He performs acts of kindness: He adorns brides, blesses grooms, visits the ill, buries the dead, and comforts the mourners. He adorns brides, as it is written: “The Lord God built [the rib that he took from the man into a woman, and He brought her to the man]” (Genesis 2:22). Rabbi Yoḥanan says: He built her, adorned her, and showed her to him [Adam]. Rabbi Abbahu said: Perhaps you will say that He showed her to him from behind a carob tree or from behind a sycamore tree; rather, He adorned her with twenty-four types of jewelry and then He showed her to him, as it is stated: “And He brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:22).³¹Although she was made from his rib, and would naturally have been right next to him, the verse states that God brought her to him. This implies that He took her to another location to adorn her and then brought her to Adam (Midrash HaMevo’ar). He blesses grooms, as it is stated: “God blessed them” (Genesis 1:28). He visits the ill, as it is stated: “The Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1). He buries the dead, as it is written: “He buried him in the valley” (Deuteronomy 34:6). He comforts the mourners, as it is written: “He called its name Alon Bakhut” (Genesis 35:8). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: What is Alon Bakhut? While he was observing the mourning for Deborah, his nursemaid, tidings reached him that his mother Rebecca had died, and he wept two weepings [bekhiyot]; that is why it is stated [that Jacob called that place] Alon Bakhut. And [the verse] states regarding Jacob: “[And God appeared to Jacob again…] and blessed [him]” (Genesis 35:9) – He blessed him with the blessing of the mourners.

Deeds of loving-kindness are mentioned at the beginning of the Torah, in its middle, and at its conclusion. At the beginning of the Torah, the naked are clothed, as it is said: The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and He clothed them (Gen. 3:21); in the middle of the Torah, the ailing are visited, as it is said: And God appeared unto him in the grove of Mamre (ibid. 18:1); and at the conclusion of the Torah, the dead are buried, as is said: And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab (Deut. 34:6). In this way you must walk in the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He.

(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU. Let our master instruct us: Is it correct that one may fold his garments on the Sabbath? Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 15:3): ONE MAY FOLD GARMENTS EVEN FOUR OR FIVE TIMES. ONE MAY ALSO MAKE BEDS ON THE NIGHT OF THE SABBATH (i.e., on Friday night) FOR THE SABBATH, BUT NOT ON THE SABBATH FOR THE NIGHT FOLLOWING THE SABBATH. Now concerning these garments, they said that one may fold any garments that one is to wear on the Sabbath; but < as for those > to be worn after the Sabbath, it is forbidden to fold them on the Sabbath. Also with respect to garments which are folded by two people, it is forbidden.⁴⁸yShab. 15:3 (15a); Shab. 113a. In the case of an individual, it is permitted to fold one. And he should not be apprehensive, because one should honor the Sabbath with his clothes, as stated (in Is. 68:13): AND YOU SHALL CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT.⁴⁹Cf. yPe’ah 8:8 (21b); PR 23:1. And in what way does Israel honor the Sabbath? Through eating, through drinking, and through clean clothes, because the Holy One did so from the beginning, as stated (in Gen. 3:21): THEN [THE LORD] GOD MADE TUNICS OF SKIN FOR ADAM AND HIS WIFE AND CLOTHED THEM. What were TUNICS OF SKIN? [Garments] of high priesthood, which the Holy One put on them, since he (Adam) was the glory of the world.

"And they were both naked." Rabbi Eleazar said: there were three who did not wait for their contentment even six hours, and these are they: Adam, and Israel, and Sisra. Adam, as it says: "and they were not embarrassed" (Genesis 2:25) - six hours had not passed, and he was content. Israel, as it says: "And the nation saw that Moses delayed" (Exodus 32:1), when six hours had passed and Moses had not appeared. Sisra, as it says: "Why does his chariot delay in coming?" (Judges 5:28) - every day he would come in three or four hours, and today six hours have past and he is not here - these are all cases related to "and they were not embarrassed." "And the snake was crafty" (Genesis 3:1) - the text only needed to continue with "And Hashem God made for Adam and his wife..." (Genesis 3:21). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karchah said: to teach you which temptation the snake sprung on them - he saw them engaged in the way of the world, and desired here. Rabbi Yaakov of the village of Hannin said: to not pause the story of the snake.

Rabbi Joshua ben Ḳorchah said: From the tree under which they hid themselves, they took leaves and sewed (them), as it is said, "And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Gen. 3:7). Rabbi Eliezer said: From the skin which the serpent sloughed off, the Holy One, blessed be He, took and made coats of glory for Adam and his wife, as it is said, "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skin, and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21).

And the LORD God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) In the Torah of Rabbi Meir we find it written "garments of light." These are the garments of Adam the first human...

[(Gen. 3:22:) BEHOLD, THE HUMAN.] What is written above on the matter (in Gen. 3:21): AND THE LORD GOD MADE [TUNICS OF SKIN] FOR ADAM [AND HIS WIFE]. What is the meaning of TUNICS OF SKIN?⁶⁴Cf. Gen. R. 20:12; PRE 14. R. Me'ir and R. Johanan say: Like the {strong} [fine] clothes that come from Bethshean, which are in contact with a person's flesh without {irritating him} [him noticing < them >]. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: Leporinae⁶⁵The Latin word means “of a hare.” {i.e., kinds of garments}. R. Joshua ben Levi said: Rabbit skin.⁶⁶Gk.: lageia. R. Jose b. R. Hanina said: A garment of goatskin.⁶⁷Gk.: sisurnon. R. Abbahu said: R. Isaac says: Smooth like a fingernail and beautiful like a pearl.⁶⁸Gk.: margellion. Resh Laqish said: Like the work of heaven; and when the liturgy was < performed > by the first-born, they would sacrifice in them (these garments). Upon his sinning, the Holy One began mourning (in Gen. 3:22): BEHOLD, THE HUMAN.

What is written above the matter? "And the Midianites sold him to Egypt" [and then it interrupts with the story of Yehuda and Tamar:] "And it was at that time." And the reading (narrative) only required it to [immediately] say "And Yosef was taken down to Egypt" (Genesis 39:1) And because of what was this section made proximate to that? Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yochanan [answered this]: Rabbi Elazar said, "In order to make one descent proximate to the other descent." Rabbi Yochanan said, "In order to make [one use of the word,] "recognize," proximate to [another use of the word,] "recognize." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said, "In order to make the story of Tamar proximate to the story of Pothiphar's wife; [to tell you that] just as that one (the incident of Tamar) was for the sake of Heaven, so too this one (the incident of Potiphar’s wife) was meant for the sake of Heaven." As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, "She saw through her astrology that she was destined to raise a child from him (Yosef), but she did not know if [it would be] from her or from her daughter." This is [the meaning of] what is written (Isaiah 47:13), "let the diviners of months inform you from that which will come to you" - Rabbi Eibo said, "'From that' and not 'all that.'" And similar to it is [the sequence of], "and they were not embarrassed. And the snake was sly" (Genesis 2:25-3:1). And the reading (narrative) only required it to [immediately] say "And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, etc." (Genesis 3:21). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha said, "[It is] to let you know from which sin that evildoer (the snake) jumped upon them: from that which he saw them engaging in 'the way of the world,' he desired them." Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Chanin said, "[It is] to not begin a [separate] section of the snake." And similar to it is [the sequence of], "and the one who walks in pride, He is able to abase (which are the final words of Nevuchadnetsar). Balshatsar the king […] And Daryavesh the Mede” (Daniel 4:34-5:1, 6:1). And where is Ehvil Merodach (who came between Nevuchadnetsar and Balshatsar)? Rabbi Elazar said, "In order to make [one] evildoer proximate to the other, a destroyer to a destroyer, a proud one to a proud one.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said, "In order to make the interruption of [one] kingdom proximate to the interruption of [another] kingdom." And similar to it is [the sequence of] "And on that very night, Balshatsar the Chaldean king was killed. Daryevesh the Mede" (Daniel 5:30-6:1). [And yet later], "And in the third year of the rulership of Balshatsar the king" (Daniel 8:1). Rav Huna said, "That they not say they are [just] words of poetry; so that they should all know that he wrote it with holy spirit." Our rabbis said, "In order to weave it into the entire book, that he said it with holy spirit." Here too, it should have said, "And Yosef was taken down to Egypt." And it is written, "And Yehuda went down from his brother": He said, "Let us disperse ourselves, [since] the whole time we are together, the contract is found (matsui) for collection." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "Ten men that are found stealing, are they not all caught when one is caught?" And once they were found with the goblet, they said, "The Lord has found (matsa) the sin of your servants." Rabbi Yitschak said, "Like the one that empties out (mematseh) the barrel and leaves it with its sediments." Our rabbis said, "[Yehuda said], 'Let us take care of ourselves; in the past [Yaakov] was required to get us wives to marry, but now that he is involved in his sackcloth and in his fasting, it is not appropriate that he get us wives to marry.' [The brothers] said to Yehuda, 'Are you not our head? Get up and take care of yourself.' Immediately, ‘And it was at that time.'"