Kaisipang Hudyo sa Genesis 3:16: Akeidat Yitzchak, Derashot HaRan, Dirshuni I & Guide for the Perplexed

The Talmud Sanhedrin 22 states that anyone whose "first wife dies, is as if the temple had been destroyed in his lifetime." Rabbi Alexander compares such a tragedy to someone having lost his eyesight, the world becoming dark for him. Rabbi Abahu says that a person experiencing such a trauma loses his ability to make sound judgments. It is clear that neither of the three Rabbis quoted, refers to the natural physical wife, i.e. what we have termed "the second mating." It must refer to someone who has lost his mazzal, i.e. who has corrupted it. What the Rabbis are talking about is that just as we have a tradition that the wicked are called "dead" already during their lifetimes (Berachot 18), so in this example they are referring to those who have abused their G-d given endowments to the point that they have forfeited them. Our Parshah, though obviously dealing with the "second zivvug,” mating, may nonetheless contain some allegorical comments about the first zivvug. When the "lives" of Sarah are described, this may be a reference to the fact that Sarah had converted her original mazzal into the kind of personality that "lived" on, beyond physical death, inspired her husband for the rest of his natural life, not to mention her son. The fact that man is able to overcome the mazzal, i.e. zivvug rishon, may be hinted at in the verse "and to the woman He said, ‘Towards your man (husband) will be your inclination, and he can be in charge of you.’" (Genesis 3,16). If we view "woman" in this verse as the "first zivvug,” the meaning is "although it is your tendency to exert influence over your partner, he in turn can exercise control over you" (if he tries).

And the curse of the woman and of the serpent is hereby found to correspond, measure for measure, to the nature of their rebellion, their intent having been to strengthen the powers of their bodies through the eating of this fruit, as we have posited, and their curse accordingly, being the erosion of their natures and their powers. (Genesis 3:16): "To the woman He said: 'I shall greatly increase your distress [in childbirth] and your time of gestation; in pain will you bring forth children.'" This indicates that before she was cursed, because of the vigor of her nature and of her powers, childbirth and pregnancy were easy for her and did not involve an abundance of pain. And when she dominated her husband and enticed him, she was cursed to have him dominate her, as it is written (Ibid): "And he shall dominate you." The curse of the serpent likewise lay in the erosion of his nature and his powers, and this is the reason for the enmity between serpent and man.

Yet your urge shall be for your husband, but he shall rule over you (Genesis 3:16).