וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד תְּבוּאֹ֣ת שָׁ֑מֶשׁ וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד גֶּ֥רֶשׁ יְרָחִֽים׃
און מיט טײַערסטע פֿרוכטן פֿון זון, און מיט טײַערסטן געװעקס פֿון לבֿנה;
Midrash BeChiddush
It is well known that fruits that are prematurely picked before they ripen will not be preserved and will quickly rot. Even those that ripen by means of artificial watering will not sweeten like those that ripen on their own, as Scripture states, “With the bounteous yield of the sun,” (Deut. 33:14) Similarly, because God, “Leaped over mountains and bounded over hills,” (Song 2:8) redeeming Israel before the allotted time, the Israelites were like prematurely gathered fruits. This was the cause of all the evils that happened afterwards. It was due to all the idolatry of Egypt which made Israel impure, as is stated in Scripture, “Cast away, every one of you, the detestable things of his eyes and do not defile yourselves with the fetishes of Egypt.” (Ezek. 20:7) As a result, they entered forty-ninth of the fifty gates of impurity. If God had not rushed to bring Israel out from Egypt, they might have entered the fiftieth gate and would never have escaped from Egypt. The impurity would have surrounded them on all sides and Israel would have become a strange people. It is possible this would have been caused by the sparks referred to earlier.
Regarding this, the Haggadah states that, “We, our children and our children’s children would have been subjugated in Egypt…” (Three generations) are mentioned since the compassion of a father for his children extends (for three generations),56See Rashi on Exodus 22:2 and it doesn’t need to mention additional generations. The statement implies that all the continuing generations would have been subjugated to Pharaoh in Egypt.
Since God said to Abraham, “And afterwards they shall go out with great wealth,” they began counting (the subjugation), the four hundred years, from the birth of Isaac and not from the descent into Egypt as would have been fitting. It was through the haste of the Divine Presence and the haste of Israel that caused them to leave before the allotted time. If it had been possible for them to wait, evil would not have come upon them in the wilderness and afterwards in the land of Israel, and impurity would not have overwhelmed them. When God decrees greatness to a person and, even more so, to a nation, it is decreed for all generations. This was the great strength and the mighty hand that was necessary (so to speak) to bring us out of Egypt. It wasn’t that God had trouble redeeming Israel, for the other nations were nothing in comparison with God. All the inhabitants of the earth are non-existent (in comparison with God). While God is a righteous Judge, the Exodus had to take place before its allotted time which was against the judgment so that it took extra strength and a mighty hand (to redeem Israel). It was necessary to speak in defense of Israel, (Ex. 20:2) and find a way to establish God’s words forever. After all, if God had decreed, “They shall be afflicted and serve them four hundred years,” (Gen. 15:13) this must be so! That is why they began the count from the birth of Isaac. That is, God wanted Pharaoh to say, “Rise up and go out of my nation,” (Ex. 12:31) so that the accuser (Satan) could not make a claim. Despite this, the accuser still complained about the extra 190 missing years.57This is a common theme in many of the other commentaries: how do we account for the four hundred years of slavery? If we account for slavery from the time that Jacob’s children went down to Egypt, then we are missing 190 years. And if we account for the years from the birth of Isaac then there is a lengthy period in which they were not enslaved. Rabbi Eliezer Nachman of Foa argues that we counted from the birth of Isaac but that the prosecutor still held us as guilty of evading 190 years of actual slavery. He was appeased with the promise that the years would be completed during Israel’s other exiles, as I have explained in the commentary on Parshat Lech Lecha in Sefer Goren Arnon.
(Ho’eel) Just as gathering fruit before it is ripe causes it to spoil, so, too, Israel was warned during this exile not to force the end-time to come. To bring about redemption prematurely might cause things to happen to us during that exile; it might cause us to go back into exile. And so Israel was warned, as Scripture states, “I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem…do not wake or arouse love until it please!”58Song of Songs 2:7 It is not without significance that this commentary was published in 1641, shortly before Shabbatai Tzvi was pronounced the Messiah. There was a great deal of Messianic speculation during this period throughout the world among both Jews and Christians. No doubt the speculation at least influenced the rise of the infamous False Messiah. It is better for us to joyfully wait for the fruit to ripen so that it can be gathered in its time and then the messianic era will be established for all time.
Regarding this, the Haggadah states that, “We, our children and our children’s children would have been subjugated in Egypt…” (Three generations) are mentioned since the compassion of a father for his children extends (for three generations),56See Rashi on Exodus 22:2 and it doesn’t need to mention additional generations. The statement implies that all the continuing generations would have been subjugated to Pharaoh in Egypt.
Since God said to Abraham, “And afterwards they shall go out with great wealth,” they began counting (the subjugation), the four hundred years, from the birth of Isaac and not from the descent into Egypt as would have been fitting. It was through the haste of the Divine Presence and the haste of Israel that caused them to leave before the allotted time. If it had been possible for them to wait, evil would not have come upon them in the wilderness and afterwards in the land of Israel, and impurity would not have overwhelmed them. When God decrees greatness to a person and, even more so, to a nation, it is decreed for all generations. This was the great strength and the mighty hand that was necessary (so to speak) to bring us out of Egypt. It wasn’t that God had trouble redeeming Israel, for the other nations were nothing in comparison with God. All the inhabitants of the earth are non-existent (in comparison with God). While God is a righteous Judge, the Exodus had to take place before its allotted time which was against the judgment so that it took extra strength and a mighty hand (to redeem Israel). It was necessary to speak in defense of Israel, (Ex. 20:2) and find a way to establish God’s words forever. After all, if God had decreed, “They shall be afflicted and serve them four hundred years,” (Gen. 15:13) this must be so! That is why they began the count from the birth of Isaac. That is, God wanted Pharaoh to say, “Rise up and go out of my nation,” (Ex. 12:31) so that the accuser (Satan) could not make a claim. Despite this, the accuser still complained about the extra 190 missing years.57This is a common theme in many of the other commentaries: how do we account for the four hundred years of slavery? If we account for slavery from the time that Jacob’s children went down to Egypt, then we are missing 190 years. And if we account for the years from the birth of Isaac then there is a lengthy period in which they were not enslaved. Rabbi Eliezer Nachman of Foa argues that we counted from the birth of Isaac but that the prosecutor still held us as guilty of evading 190 years of actual slavery. He was appeased with the promise that the years would be completed during Israel’s other exiles, as I have explained in the commentary on Parshat Lech Lecha in Sefer Goren Arnon.
(Ho’eel) Just as gathering fruit before it is ripe causes it to spoil, so, too, Israel was warned during this exile not to force the end-time to come. To bring about redemption prematurely might cause things to happen to us during that exile; it might cause us to go back into exile. And so Israel was warned, as Scripture states, “I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem…do not wake or arouse love until it please!”58Song of Songs 2:7 It is not without significance that this commentary was published in 1641, shortly before Shabbatai Tzvi was pronounced the Messiah. There was a great deal of Messianic speculation during this period throughout the world among both Jews and Christians. No doubt the speculation at least influenced the rise of the infamous False Messiah. It is better for us to joyfully wait for the fruit to ripen so that it can be gathered in its time and then the messianic era will be established for all time.
Rav Hirsch
ירחים ist nicht der gewöhnliche Ausdruck für Monat. חדש bezeichnet den Monat nach der in die äußeren Sinne fallenden, somit für jeden erkennbaren Erscheinung des verschwunden gewesenen und wieder gekommenen Lichtes, und ist daher die allgemeine Bezeichnung des Monats als Periode der Zeitrechnung. ירח aber bezeichnet den Mondlauf auch nach seinem physischen, kosmischen, tellurischen Einflusse, insbesondere auf Zeitigung und Entwicklung der Frucht, ממגד גרש ירחים (Bamidbar 33,14) תספור ירחים תמלאנה (Job 39, 2) und ist daher hier der ganz entsprechende Ausdruck. Sie konnte den Knaben nur in den ersten drei Monaten seiner Entwicklung verbergen.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויטע ה' אלוקים גן בעדן. “The Lord G-d planted a garden in Eden.” According to the plain meaning פשט, the Torah attributed the planting of this garden to G-d Himself, personally. He did not bring a variety of trees from different parts of the globe and placed them in this garden, but the very trees were His handiwork, designed to glorify Him. Accordingly, David referred to these trees as עצי ה', “trees of the Lord,” in his Psalm 104,16 where he wrote ישבעו עצי ה' ארזי לבנון אשר נטע, “The trees of the Lord drink their fill, the cedars of Lebanon, His own planting.” Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 15,1 interpreted these words to mean that G-d gave these trees the ability to endure indefinitely and never to become victims of decay. These trees did not need irrigation nor did they have to be pruned. Had this not been so, who would have tended them after Adam was expelled from that garden? They were the personification of what is written in Ezekiel 47,12: לא יבול עלהו ולא יתום פריו לחדשיו יבכר כי מימיו מן המקדש המה יוצאים, “its leaf will not wither nor will its fruit give out, every month it will yield new fruit, for its waters emanate from the Sanctuary.
Our verse provides a further detail concerning this garden by writing מקדם, ‘from an easterly location.” This word supports our long held belief of the beneficial effect of winds originating in the east. of the earth seeing that Paradise had been planted in that part of the globe. It is a well known fact that the best fruits grow in the East. This knowledge has been implanted in us by the Torah when Moses in his blessing to the tribe of Joseph wrote in Deut. 33,14 וממגד תבואות שמש, “and with the bounty of the sun’s crops.” Seeing that all crops depend on the sun, Moses must have had in mind the area where the sun rises, i.e. the Eastern part of the land of Israel. Our sages (Yuma 21?) may have referred to this phenomenon when they said that the east wind has a beneficial effect on the minds of men, providing a sense of mental equilibrium, a sense of energy, etc. It brings with it a better kind of air. For these reasons וישם שם את האדם אשר יצר “G-d placed man whom He had fashioned in there.”
Our verse provides a further detail concerning this garden by writing מקדם, ‘from an easterly location.” This word supports our long held belief of the beneficial effect of winds originating in the east. of the earth seeing that Paradise had been planted in that part of the globe. It is a well known fact that the best fruits grow in the East. This knowledge has been implanted in us by the Torah when Moses in his blessing to the tribe of Joseph wrote in Deut. 33,14 וממגד תבואות שמש, “and with the bounty of the sun’s crops.” Seeing that all crops depend on the sun, Moses must have had in mind the area where the sun rises, i.e. the Eastern part of the land of Israel. Our sages (Yuma 21?) may have referred to this phenomenon when they said that the east wind has a beneficial effect on the minds of men, providing a sense of mental equilibrium, a sense of energy, etc. It brings with it a better kind of air. For these reasons וישם שם את האדם אשר יצר “G-d placed man whom He had fashioned in there.”